How To Easily Upgrade Your Personal Brand.
The one thing that matters most on the road towards personal branding glory.
Nowadays.. if you simply have internet access, it’s not difficult to realize that we have an overwhelmingly-accessible well… “access” to an unlimited library of content.
And 9 times out of 10, that content — whether it be photography, videography, audio or the written word (hello!) was created by a person. A human. You. Me.
The other 10%? Probably robots, right?
I don’t know! The 9 out of 10 thing sounded snappy so I went with it. Anyway..
What is a “Personal Brand”?
The following definition is a super duper opinion. Much stronger than a regular opinion, a “super duper” opinion means that the definition is and will always be open to interpretation. But that’s just my opinion…
A personal brand is a collection of visual, written & audio-based content that authentically represents the content creator behind it.
Simple, yes?
Lately, the term “personal brand” has been thrown around as much as the following industry phrases/buzzwords:
- Low-hanging fruit
- Take it offline
- Circle back
- Get aligned
- Tackle it
- Work/Life integration (more on this one in a future article).
This recent boom in the popularity of establishing a personal brand primarily originates from the practices of famed digital entrepreneurs like Gary Vaynerchuk (right) and Casey Neistat (left) — two gentleman who’ve taught me far more about content creation than I could fill a Medium article with.
Just another buzzword?
As it turns out, all of this hoopla about personal branding actually does check out as being one of the most valuable things you could do for yourself and your business today.
According to Forbes, “70% of employers use social media to screen candidates during the hiring process, and 43% of employers use social media to check on current employees.
Personal branding is also beneficial from the employer’s perspective. Companies should encourage employees to build strong personal brands because it’s good business. When employees are allowed to represent their company at conferences or events, they are not only developing themselves but also providing the organization more exposure.”
Where should I start?
Photography. Photos. Photography. Start with photography. Definitely. Absolutely. Yes. Photography! Sorry for yelling. Photography.
My 9 out of 10 reasons for writing this article are directly based on the very recent photography session that I had the absolute f*cking honor to be a part of. The other 10% of my reasons? Probably robots.
And if you’ve been paying attention, I’ve been shamelessly featuring them into the fabric of this article to emphasize my point…
Start with photos
It is frequently taught in marketing courses all over the planet that the average consumer spends a maximum of 3–4 seconds deciding whether or not they’ll explore a product or service. In those 3–4 seconds, they’re using their eyes. Both of them.
This photography series was captured by a super duper talented photographer named Michael Levy and his makeup artist Jaida Kyi here in Queens, New York and it is one of the smartest decisions that I’ve ever made in my life. Seriously.
When you invest in professional headshots, you’re introducing yourself in the best possible light (pun intended) for…
- Applying to jobs
- Dating online
- Nailing that audition
- Impressing your relatives!
By the time this article goes live, you’ll notice that each of my active social media profiles (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn & Medium) feature these new headshots.
I shared my full review of their masterful work HERE!
That’s it!
Though there are numerous ways to improve the quality of your personal brand, having a quality photo of yourself that authentically shows the world the real you is 9 out of 10 the BEST place to start.
The other 10%? Robots.
