If you are here means,
- Someone asked you about your Brand.
- You have heard “Personal Branding” spoken in conversations but are unsure what it means.
- Or just curious to learn more.
Either way, you will be glad to know we will explore the below topics:
- What is your Brand?
- What is Personal Branding?
- Why do I need Personal Branding? and Why it’s Important?
Before we jump into Personal Branding lets, understand what Brand is.
What is your Brand?
Here is a little fact:
You already have a Brand.
You ask how?
Your Brand is "What People Think about you?" online or offline. It’s your reputation. The dictionary definition of reputation is “the opinion people have of someone or something, based on past behaviour, character, skill or expertise.”
Brand is just a perception, and perception will match reality over time.
Brand can also be called the result – of how your intended audience, be it your employer, client, consumer, follower etc., perceive you. It’s also essential to note that reputation/Brand can be positive or negative and will constantly evolve with you. So essentially, everyone already has a Brand.
What is Personal Branding?
Branding is a series of actions to achieve your Reputation/Brand. The standard definition of Personal Branding is the process applied to an individual intentionally creating, managing and influencing the perception of intended audiences.
The Brand can be positive and negative since each audience sees you differently. So, creating more positive perceptions is vital to making a more successful brand.
Personal branding is about managing your name—even if you don’t own a business—in a world of misinformation, disinformation, and semi-permanent Google records. Going on a date? Chances are that your ‘blind’ date has Googled your name. Going to a job interview? Ditto.
Personal branding is about determining what’s important to you, your values, what you want to work on, and what audience you need to target; externally, it’s about promoting yourself. The primary goal is to:
- Establish the individual's authority in their niche,
- To promote the individual amplifying unique skills and experience,
- Differentiate from competitors, and
- Enhance reputation and growth.
Why do I need Personal Branding? and Why it’s Important?
Let's do a small task,
Google yourself.
What do you see?
Do you see your social media accounts?
Do you like what you see?
Do you think your employers will like what you are showing them?
Do you think you will impress your clients, prospective employers, or followers?
Can your employers see your skillfulness and expertise?
If you don’t like what you see, or it does not meet your goal, it's time you start managing your Brand. Remember, Your Brand is constantly evolving, and you must consistently practice and develop creative techniques to keep growing your Brand more successful and increase your reputation in the process.
Your brand isn’t what you say it is, it’s what Google says it is.
Whether you are a student, fresh graduate, employee, entrepreneur, influencer, Artist, Photographer etc., Personal Branding has become more critical than ever. Its importance will differ from each individual to another because they have different target audiences and unique goals. In general, Personal Branding can help you to:
- Build Trust and Credibility: It directly connects to your audience (customers, employers, followers etc.), giving you the confidence and the audience's trust in your skills, enhancing your credibility and bankability in the long run.
- You control how people view you: Controlling how others perceive you seem like a challenging endeavour. But the fun part is that you make all the rules and can choose the brand style and what, how and where you want to communicate.
- Differentiate you from your competitors: Amplify your skills and expertise that give you the extra layer of advantage over your peers.
- Increase Online Exposure: You attract more relevant audiences to connect and engage with you.
- Career Growth and Personal Growth: Everyone wants to advance in their careers. You don't want to remain in the same position, never developing or learning. It allows you to stand out from the pack and have a long-lasting brand than a last-minute one.
- And much more.
To summarise,
- You Brand = Your Reputation (How your audience perceives you)
- Personal Branding = Actions you take to influence your Reputation
- Few Important reasons you should consider having a Personal Brand: Trust & Credibility, Career Growth/Increase Sales, Improve Reputation and Online Presence, and Standout from your competitors.
