Your Personal Brand
It takes 20 years to build a reputation and five minutes to ruin it. If you think about that, you’ll do things differently. – Warren Buffett
Your personal brand is your reputation and many of the most influential leaders think differently about the things they do. As a result, they’ve been able to build powerful personal brands that capture the attention of others. But, strong personal brands aren’t built overnight. They take intention, strategy and time.
Whether you are an entrepreneur, career professional or speaker, people have an opinion about you. Your brand allows you to be memorable and unique. You don’t have to leave your reputation to chance. Instead, you can do things differently and be more intentional. Consider the following strategies:
Take a look at yourself
Google yourself. It’s important to know what potential clients or job interviewers will see when they search for your name. Blog posts written by you, news articles about you, and media interviews given by you are great ways to enhance your brand. In turn, negative content, such as legal issues or scandals can harm your reputation. There are strategies you can employ to increase your positive content and push the negative content further down in the list of search results.
Take a personal brand audit
An informal way is to ask three to five people that you trust what three words they would use to describe you. This approach gives you a good idea of how others perceive you. Also, take note of what type of posts or emails that other people share with you. I chuckled when I received an article about the grand opening of FICO Eataly World from 20 friends and followers through email, social media, and text. (I’m known for my love of Italy and frequent trips, including women retreats).
Take a brand inventory
Know your values, vision, mission statement, and your ideal client. Create your brand guidelines, which includes your logo, brand colors, fonts, and images. Even look at the clothes you wear, the people you surround yourself with, and where you spend your time on social media. For instance, you’ll also find me wearing scarves (I love the versatility). All of these things are part of your personal brand.
Take posts to heart
Be cognizant of the type of content you share. Is it consistent with your brand? For instance, I share a lot about mindset and positivity. This is part of who I am and my brand. Ask yourself if your posts line up with what you stand for. Be generous in sharing articles, blog content, and social media posts that align with your brand. You’ll often see me sharing posts on One Full Life by female entrepreneurs and motivational speakers who I believe in their messages and missions.
Take Social Media Personally
The beauty of social media is that it allows you to be social. Foster these relationships by sharing people’s brilliance, interacting with groups that are consistent with your brand, and choose platforms that resonant with you. Remember to be consistent with your message and respond to your audience. Social media is a two-way street and can be an excellent tool to strengthen your personal brand. I found a great photographer for my Italy trip through my Instagram account, met up with followers in Paris and collaborated with like-minded coaches through social media.
20-Minute Brand Exercise
As the go-to expert in your industry, are you ready for the world to your name? Take 20 minutes to invest in your brand. Here are a few ways to jumpstart your brand success:
- Google yourself
- Conduct a personal brand audit
- Develop an action plan for a strong personal brand.
You’ll need to think differently about yourself to strengthen your personal brand. Take a look at your current online presence, brand inventory, social media interactions, and digital marketing strategy. A powerful brand can be in your future. If you’d like to learn more ways to boost your visibility and create your desired personal brand, let’s chat.
What one thing will you do today to create your desired brand?