When many people think of branding, they think about logos, brand colours and slogans. However, when you think of personal branding, it becomes glaring that branding is much more than the visual elements. This is because your reputation is your personal brand.
A key goal behind building a personal brand is to create a strong profile for the business owner that will instil trust in their organisation. This trust translates to a strong reputation and credibility. For example, from crossing the English Channel in a water sports car to wearing a spacesuit to the press conference launching Virgin Galactic to driving a military tank down 5th Avenue, New York to launch Virgin Cola to a recent trip to Space, Sir Richard Branson has proven that he is daring and forward-thinking. And these attributes have rubbed off positively on the Virgin brands.
As with every good public relations strategy, personal branding should be founded on professionalism and substance. This is because, although reputation is an intangible asset, it is built on tangible things such as a good product that does what the communication promises that it will do, good corporate governance and ethical practices, profitability and business sustainability.
To kick-start your personal branding journey, here are a few things to do.
Define your brand persona
This has been described as the psychological attributes of the brand. Like Sir Branson, you must identify what you want to be known for. Do you want to be known as innovative, passionate, visionary? Or maybe you are not profit-driven so, you want to identify as empowering.
After identifying this stance or “positioning” you must take deliberate steps to ensure that they are reflected in all you do, and in all your interactions. If your positioning is innovation for instance, before you do anything, ask yourself what’s innovative about it.
Create an online presence
There is a quote attributed to Clive Thompson that says:
Google is not a search engine. it is a reputation-management system … online, your rep is quantifiable, findable, and totally unavoidable. In other words, radical transparency is a double-edged sword, but once you know the new rules, you can use it to control your image in ways you never could before.
American software engineer, Matt Cutts, also says:
SEO is like a resume. You polish it so you have your best foot forward.
Having your profile online is non-negotiable in today’s digital word. You could create a personal webpage or create accounts on social networks such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn, but be deliberate about the content you share online.
Apply the 3C’s of branding
The 3C’s of branding are clarity, consistency and constancy. Be clear about who you are and who you are not. You also need to ensure brand consistency. For example, your professional profile should be consistent. If you are a marketing executive on LinkedIn, do not describe yourself as an advertising executive on your business website. Lastly, having defined your niche, remain visible to your target audience.
Thought leadership
This is about sharing knowledge in an area that is closely associated with your line of business. For instance, you might want to be known as a “real estate expert.” To do that, take up public speaking, write articles/ blog posts, and host webinars and seminars with themes related to real estate.
Evaluate your brand
Research is an important part of brand building. Organisations conduct periodic brand health studies to determine if the brand they set out create is what the consumer perceives it as. Another benefit of these research studies is that they provide clues on how to improve brand positioning. You should do the same with your personal brand by asking friends and associates who they think you are.
