Personal Branding: A Quick Starter Guide

Personal branding — it’s probably one of the hardest things that you’ll need to do for your career. But it’s critically important in today’s working world if you want to set yourself apart from the rest.

But you’re probably asking yourself, just what is branding yourself all about? You’ve heard about the famous product brands, like Apple and McDonald’s. But a personal brand? Does that even exist?

Oh yes, it absolutely exists!

Your personal brand, just like a product or service, immediately communicates what you represent to your audience. If you’re a realtor, how do you define yourself in your local market? Are you the go-to person for golf homes, or first-time homebuyers? If you are an interior designer, what are your specialties in design that would make you sought after in the market? These are the questions you must ask yourself when establishing your personal brand.

So how do you go about establishing your own personal brand? No, this isn’t about getting a logo of yourself (although some ambitious people might do that!). This is more about establishing what makes you unique and valuable in the workplace. This would encompass all your various work skills, as well as personal attributes and character traits that make you uniquely you.

Here are a few questions to ask yourself:

1. What are your strongest skill sets?
2. What positive things do your colleagues say about you?
3. What sets you apart from others who do similar work?

Once you dig and figure out the answers to these questions, it’s time to piece together your brand. Do some research in your field and see what professional and personal characteristics appeal to you in others. From there, establish your persona and voice.

Part of establishing a strong personal brand is positioning yourself as an expert in your field. Bringing credibility is a huge part of the equation, and is what will ultimately make people want to work with you.

So, how do you establish yourself as an expert? There are a few ways:

1. Start contributing articles and blogs to various publications, or offering information through media interviews.
2. You can also start networking with other professionals and get yourself known in circles for what you do. This is a great way to strategically build your brand.
3. Continue to build a consistent presence within the target audiences that fit your brand. Part of building a brand is to generate awareness of what you do.

When you’ve begun establishing and identifying your brand, from there you’ll be able to put together marketing materials (such as a professional bio or LinkedIn profile) that accurately reflect who you are and what you represent. Learn more about our bio writing services today!