Tips on Creating your Personal Brand

[Jayne Darwin]

What is a Personal Brand? Think clothing ! Personal brands are like wardrobe choices. You need to be honest about whose attention you’re trying to get, what your natural style is, and the story you’re trying to tell. Without all that, you won’t make comfortable clothing choices, and you definitely won’t have a personal brand you can relate to. It’ll be more likely to hang in your closet, along with the rest of your unloved vests and sweaters. To get your personal brand to feel less like an ignored sweater and more like a tailored suit, you have to get to the heart of what makes you “you".

• Start thinking of yourself as a BRAND

What do you wish for people to associate with you when they think of your name? Is there a certain subject matter in which you want to be perceived as an expert or are there general qualities you want linked to your brand? Once you understand how you wish your brand to be perceived, you can start to be much more strategic about your personal brand. Authenticity is key for a strong personal brand.

• Audit your Online presence

You can’t mold perception without first understanding the current status. In other words, Google GOOGL +0.45% yourself and setup alerts for your name on a regular basis. Have a fairly common name? Consider using your middle initial or middle name to differentiate.

• Secure a Personal Website

Having a personal website for yourself is one of the best ways to rank for your name on the search engines. It doesn’t need to be robust. It can be a simple two to three page site with your resume, link to your social platforms, and a brief bio. You can always expand on the website with time.

• Find ways to produce VALUE

We’ve all been there. Someone in your network posts something utterly mundane or ridiculous, and you wonder what compelled them to do so? A medium is not a substitute for a message. Find ways to add value to your audience by creating or curating content that’s in line with your brand.

• Associate with other Strong Brands

Your personal brand is strengthened or weakened by your connection to other brands. Find and leverage strong brands which can elevate your own personal brand. What hidden opportunities are available within the industry which you have yet to tap? Consider submitting a guest post to the industry blogs or look at other digital assets you can connect to your brand.

• Be Purposeful in what you share

Every tweet you send, every status update you make, every picture you share, contributes to your personal brand. It is an amalgamation of multiple daily actions. Once you understand how you wish your brand to be perceived, you can start to be much more strategic about your personal brand.

• Be Clear and Consistent

A strong personal brand is dependent on a strong narrative. In other words, what’s your story? Take a second to think of celebrities you know who have a strong personal brand. Richard Branson, Oprah, Martha Stewart..they are all have a very clear story and a consistent brand. If you have multiple passions or areas of interest, a narrative becomes even more crucial so there can be unified theme.

Most importantly, remember that a strong personal brand should be ubiquitous and ever evolving. xx

 

[Miss Monique]

It depends in what life your talking about life as a WL or every day life and people who know you come across you etc. As a WL I built my brand as a passionate plus size BJ queen in my real world I'm very conservative dress my own way, quirky shoes and people know me for my cupcakes. My brand would be a bit out there. I have no desire to be like someone else

 

[Happy2]

I agree Miss Monique
The Business brand and personal are often polar opposite But both can need work to maintain especially business brand

But i will disagree with you on one minor thing
They're not cupcakes darl They are full on Gateaux's