A personal brand is how others perceive you in a professional context. This concept has been around for a while. Social media has made this easier to create and utilize, especially as potential employers now use social media to judge potential employees. Celebrities and influences heavily rely on this strategy, but it can also benefit other professions. The main criticism of this strategy is that it views human beings as products similar to items in a store.
Everyone has a personal brand since there is always an image that other people have of us as humans. When we intentionally develop a personal brand, it’s about walking a line between authenticity and presenting a specific image to others.
If you are an influencer or content creator, crafting your personal brand is a significant component of your job. What if you work in an industry where you aren’t a public figure? Why bother?
The first part is the hardest and where most people give up. You have to figure out who you are. A successful personal brand’s foundation differs from what you think others want you to be. It has to start from a place of authenticity, or people will see it as fake.
Things like your strengths, weaknesses, background, values and even hobbies are all pieces that can help you build your brand. Big-picture items like problem-solving and more specific things like the software you know how to use can all go into these lists. It is also helpful to note which are the most important to you and what work you enjoy the most.
You will never make everyone happy. The good news is, you don’t need to. You only need to care about the people you want to work for. It does mean you might get some FOMO, but how much of a loss is a job you didn’t want?
Once you’ve figured out your audience, you can do something similar with them. What do they need? What are their values? Keep in mind that you may have more than one target audience, and this audience will change over time. Suppose you are looking to make changes in your career. In that case, you can have a current and future audience target that will help you make that transition.
Now that you know what you have to offer and what your target audience needs, you should start seeing some crossover between the two lists. To narrow this further into a mission statement or tagline, consider why, how, and what you do. Why you do what you do, how you achieve that goal and the specific area you work in.
Presentation is about how you dress, speak, and write. How would you dress at a professional conference as a speaker? T-shirt and jeans, or formal business attire? How are you going to use humor in your presentation? What’s your email address and social media handle? What colors and fonts do you use?
This is not about sitting at home in your PJs- you don’t have to put your whole life on display. Having separate professional and personal social media accounts is an option. 2If you use social media to connect with friends, it’s probably worth doing.
A big part of why you want to do a lot of exploration upfront is that a big part of branding is presenting a consistent image. It’s harder to remember a constantly changing brand, and being memorable is a huge component of personal branding.
That being said, you and your target audience will change over time, and sticking with something even when it no longer works for you is a bad idea. There are two ways to change your brand to better match your goals. Small changes, especially in the beginning, will allow you to course correct without really damaging how recognizable your brand is. You may occasionally need to completely overhaul your brand, and that’s okay too. As with all changes, it needs to serve a purpose, and you don’t want to do this often.
Doing all this work is valuable, even if it’s only to make job interviews easier, but if you want your brand to work for you, you have to share it with others. Pick a platform, create a content schedule, and start posting! Your first few posts will probably be a bit cringe, but trying to make them perfect isn’t going to change that. Putting yourself out there early will allow you to gather information about what will work for you and what won’t and adjust accordingly.