We have all done it at some point in our lives – bought clothing that we (now) never wear and have hidden in the back of our closets. The reason for this is because that flashy suit or brightly coloured silk blouse are things we thought we should wear, rather than what we feel comfortable wearing. Your personal brand is like this never-to-be-seen-again clothing: if you only tell the story you think you should tell, it will never be authentic…and your audience will move on to a brand that feels more natural (leaving you in the back of the proverbial closet).
When you are building your personal brand there are some questions you need to ask and steps you need ot take for a successful result. Below we discuss some simple steps to defining your personal brand.Â
What Are Your Goals?
The very first question you need to ask yourself when you are defining your personal brand is what your goals are. These goals should not be superfluous or simplistic, such as “I want to look good online,†or “I want more followersâ€. Your goals should be in line with what you are excited about achieving in the upcoming years and should keep in mind what you are capable of achieving.Â
Make a list of goals that you would like to attain in the next one to five years and look at which ones are the most attainable and realistic. These are the goals you can focus on for your personal brand. Your goals should tie into the message you would like to send to your audience, which we will go into a little deeper below.Â
What Are Your Passions?
Your passions and your goals are likely linked to one another. They are what energise you and what attracts you to others, and what attracts others to you. When you have a clear idea about what gets you out of bed in the mornings, you can think of ways in which to link these with what you do and how you do it.Â
If you are not sure what your passions are, think about topics that you can talk endlessly about with others and what part of your job you love the most. For example, you might be able to talk for hours about self-improvement and self-care, both of which are topics that you can use to define your personal brand.Â
Refine Your Unique Value Proposition
Once you have figured out what your passions are, you can work on refining your unique value proposition. In simple terms, this means what benefit you can offer to people, who those people are, how you solve their problems, and what sets you apart from others. You can use your passions to guide you, but be sure to perform research into what other people in your industry are offering too.Â
Your personal brand should focus on what value you can offer others, especially if you are planning on becoming a consultant or a life coach. Understanding your unique value proposition will also help you to define your target audience, which will help to improve your marketing efforts. Â
Make Your Message Matter
Your personal brand should make a positive first impression on your clients, which is why it is so important to have a message that makes sense and is in-line with your value proposition, passion, goals, and skills. You will need to think carefully about the message you want to communicate and consistently reinforce in your marketing.Â
Think about it like this: if you could only give one piece of advice to someone, what would it be? This can help to streamline your message and help you to find the key points of your personal brand. Your brand message should be cohesive and should have a meaning behind it if you want it to make an impact on your audience.Â
Establish Your Personality
You will need to establish your brand personality in order to make your brand stand out. J.K. Rowling would still be the author of Harry Potter, but she would not be nearly as interesting or memorable if she had not established her brand personality of perseverance and passion. Think about personality traits that make you memorable and focus on these.
It is important to remember that you will not be describing your personality, but that others will, and these “others†are part of your audience. You should always try to avoid being seen as inauthentic or insincere, as consumers will immediately distrust your brand, which can be hugely detrimental to your success.Â
If you would like to build your personal brand or boost the online presence of your current brand, drop the NetMechanic team a line today to find out how we can help you.Â
