4 Reasons Why you Should Invest in Creating a Personal Brand
Many people don’t realize how much the world has changed in the last 10–15 years.
In this era of information and connectivity abundance which is the result of internet dispersion, we’ve all benefited from a growing pool of different opportunities. But, we just don’t realize that these opportunities lay all around us.
The issue is that the world has changed so rapidly that the majority of people are unable to adapt to the current state of being. Let me explain through an example.
Today, the majority of people still wait for a job opportunity that will come to them. A company opens a new job position, people apply, and typically somebody who is “lucky” enough gets the job.
But, the possibilities every individual can choose from are far greater. I strongly believe that your opportunity lays in the creation of your own personal brand.
So, let me give you 4 powerful reasons why you should create your own one.
1. Position Yourself in the Area of your Expertise
You have unique qualities and competencies, right? And your family, colleagues, and co-workers are well aware of your unique skills and strengths as well.
Anyway, you keep them to yourself, your inner circle and working environment. I bet you communicate them only when an opportunity or a need arises. For example, when you apply for a new job. Am I right? Probably more or less.
When you create a personal brand you’ll be able to position yourself strategically and clearly, in order to stand out of the crowd. The goal is to unify your communication in a way which allows you to be seen by other people.
When done correctly, people outside your inner circle will be well aware of the area of your expertise and know your unique set of capabilities.
Clear positioning will arise from these new opportunities for you, and can offer you a wider pool of options to choose from (both career and work related).
Surely you will need to put a bit of work into your personal brand. The best strategy is to put the word out there and start communicating it to the public. And this brings us to the next point.
2. It’s Never Been Easier
It’s true. Today, we can use the power of the World Wide Web and social media platforms to communicate our thoughts, stories, and experiences. This wasn’t possible even 10 years ago but today every individual has the power to do it.
You might consider starting to write your own personal blog in order to put your words out there. I strongly suggest that you start writing a blog here on Medium, if you still haven’t done it yet.
Secondly, you can build your own personal website as well. You might think it’ll take you a bunch of time, but the reality is that you can have it up in a day or two. OK, you may need a week if you want to plan it perfectly. But, my point is that you already have all the resources to do it.
I really like the Squarespace — squarespace.com platform where everybody can put a website together on his own.
You use the website builder which is quite straight-forward. They have beautiful website templates within their collection and you can choose the one which best suits your needs (also, you can change it later if you want). For a price of $5–12 per month, you get their full support, unlimited storage, and even your custom domain. They offer everything you need for your online presence for a very reasonable price.
Today, your great looking website is only one lunch away. Yes, that’s right you can have it for the price of one lunch per month. However, you may decide for a free option on the market, but I think the Squarespace is the best option to choose from and well worth investment into your own personal brand.
Today, your great looking website is only one lunch away.
Moreover, the power of social media platforms offers you many possibilities for your personal brand to thrive. You can use them to distribute your unique content from your blog or personal website. Also, you can make videos, or go live on Facebook or Periscope, and talk about things you know the most and may interest your followers or even people who don’t know you yet.
When people find value in your content, they’ll start listening to your advice on a regular basis and you’ll start getting more and more followers. People will talk about you outside your inner circle and you’ll build a community of people who trust you.
Nowadays, you have all the options to do it. You just need to lose the fears that hold you back and start making some action and buzz around yourself.
3. It’s the Only Thing you are Going to Own Throughout your Entire Life
There is not a single thing you’ll personally own through your lifetime, such as your personal brand and its value. Just think about it.
You may own 10 different cars, several houses or apartments, and work for multiple companies throughout your life. You can even have your own company but it’s not necessarily predetermined that you will own even this for your entire life. Different things can happen along the road.
In contrast, stories, experiences, and the networks you build around yourself stay and become a part of you. They are your equity, your safety net. There may be some ups and downs along the way but your personal brand and things you do in life are the most valuable assets you’ll ever possess.
Moreover, great brands are everlasting. When strong enough, they’ll outlive you. For example, think of Walt Disney, Michael Jackson, and Steve Jobs. They’ll be remembered for decades to come.
So, don’t lose yourself in the majority. Like I said before, it’s quite valuable to possess a strong personal brand. It’ll offer you a much bigger pool of opportunities to choose from and act upon. And this can mean only one thing–a better and more prosperous life for you.
4. Work on the Things you are Most Passionate About
I truly believe people should work on the things they are most passionate about.
However, the reality is often somewhat different. The majority of people have jobs that make them miserable. In fact, according to a Forbes’ article, more than 50 % of people are dissatisfied with their jobs.
More than 50 % of people are dissatisfied with their jobs.
Where is the point? There isn’t any.
I understand it’s hard to follow your dreams and design work around your passions, but there isn’t any meaning in doing work which is making you miserable. When you decide to make a change, you should start from the ground up by creating a personal brand around your passions.
By creating a personal brand you will become known in the area of work you love and there isn’t anything better than working on the things that make you truly happy.
In that way you may land your dream job or even start your own business — all while working on the things you are most passionate about.
Final Thoughts
So there you have it. Four reasons why I think you should invest time in creating a personal brand. It definitely takes time and some extra work to do it, but the value it’ll bring to you is just priceless. Don’t you think?
Would you like to add something else to the article? Please share your thoughts and recommendations in the comment section below.
P.S. If you are interested in the creation of your own personal brand, go ahead and start right now. To help you with, I’ve written a free e-book entitled “9.5 Steps Toward Your Personal Brand” which will provide you with a roadmap to build your personal brand from the ground up. The e-book is actually a step-by-step guide and has a workbook at the end of it.
You can download it right here.
