How to build a personal brand in 2023
The concept of personal branding has gained momentum over the past few years as the market becomes more and more competitive.
Your personal brand needs to be constructed so that it is easily articulated in an online environment, as well as clearly communicated verbally and through behaviours and actions.
Because you will ‘live and breathe’ your personal brand, it’s essential that your brand is genuine and an accurate depiction of who you are.
Follow these steps for building a personal brand:
- Figure out what you’re passionate about
Your personal brand must align with, and reflect, your likes and interests. What is it that you want to do, and what attributes and qualities express your passion? If you want to be a professional speaker, market yourself as someone with public speaking skills and ambition in your field of expertise.
- Grow your social footprint
Create profiles that reflect your passions on social networking platforms. Maximising your LinkedIn profile to reflect your interests, skills and ambitions is essential. If you are active on Facebook and Twitter, make sure your profile and the information you share on those platforms is consistent with the overarching tone and message of your personal brand.
- Make a plan for yourself
How will you use your personal brand? Just as any commercial or corporate brand has plans, goals and targets, you should create a development path for yourself that leverages and shows your personal brand. Start making contacts, decisions and planning career moves that are in line with your brand.
- Tell a story
One of the most effective ways to build a compelling personal brand is through narrative. It’s easy to state who you are and what you do professionally – but a ho-hum description of yourself is not going to cut through the noise and allow you to stand out from the pack.
Think about what makes your story unique: have you taken an unusual path to get to where you are today? Has your career taken interesting twists or turns? How have your life experiences impacted your professional choices? The more colour you can add to your story, the more compelling your personal brand will be.
By creating a brand for yourself, you can gain a clearer idea of what you want to achieve and how you need to be perceived to get it, and from there, market those attributes to your target audience.
If you need assistance in creating content for your personal brand contact us on marketing@spottmedia.co.za