Personal Branding 101: Crash Course on How to Leverage Your Own Brand
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I’m going to be really straightforward. In order for you to be able to sell your ideas and products-even if you don’t have them ready just yet-, you need to be able to sell your personal brand. This is really critical because if you try to build your personal brand by the time you have a really good idea, you need to act fast before someone else thinks of the same thing.
“The earlier you start building your personal brand, the better.” says Selin Omurbek.
How can we build a strong personal brand?
Step 1 of personal branding is really simple and is written on page 198 of Aliza Licht’s book, Leave Your Mark. There isn’t a set age in life when people figure themselves out, but they better get to know themselves before they create their personal brand. The easiest way is to sit down and write your bio. I was surprised to find out some things about myself. I’d suggest you do that asap.
As Carlos Gil, suggested in his article, speaking at industry events really increases your brand authority. I’ve been looking for public speaking opportunities within my industry and am proud to share that on November 28th, I’ll be joining a conference at World Finance Group and will talk about how business women can utilize Social Media to grow their businesses.
Any “Suits” fans reading this article?
I admire Harvey Specter: his intelligence, know-it-all attitude and confidence. He knows how important and powerful his personal brand is, so he does everything he can to protect and nurture it. As he says on the show “Anyone can do my job, but no one can be me.”.
Do Digital and Discoverable Go Hand in Hand?
I’d say a big NO. Today, being digital is really easy, but being active and relevant on social media with your personal brand is a different case. Mel Carson suggests “Social by Design” on his book (I’d recommend everyone to read it. Free on Kindle and AudioBook!).
How to be Social by Design?
- Fully filled and updated social media platforms
- Creating relevant and unique content in your field
- Chasing public speaking opportunities
- Always being Online and Social: No vacation or sick time here.
- Leave something tangible behind related to your brand
- Consistency and repetition
Below is an example of how a brand could be digital but not discoverable:
I’ve joined Twitter 10 years ago, but have not been discoverable with my personal brand up until this year. Even though it looks like I have been digital but not discoverable, by posting this authentic tweet, I have increased my brand authority and strengthened my personal brand. Lesson #99, always try to make lemonade out of your lemons.
Creating Space to Flourish and Succeed:
What do I mean by creating “space”? If extra square feet in their houses could help people succeed, neither Nicholas Cage nor Donald Trump would have filed bankruptcies. I mean creating space as space for an office as well as time in your schedule. Here are some tips that really helped me with creating space and being focused:
- Decorate your office with your own taste! Include things that would motivate you such as inspiring quotes, colorful pen-if you’re into that kind of stuff-, a family or pet photo and etc.
- Make sure the office chair is comfortable enough for you to sit on it for hours, and there is natural light coming into the room.
- Have a planner, digital or old fashioned, stay organized and plan your days with set goals. Time really flies by and this is an easy way to catch it!
For a more advanced Personal Branding session, mention me on Twitter 👇 and we can definitely dig deeper on the topic. Thanks for reading!
