Promoting your personal brand – Finding your personal brand is a lot easier said than done: it requires identifying and highlighting certain qualities about yourself that are entirely unique and noteworthy when compared to other professionals in your industry. The concept of personal branding is a form of self-packaging that can include several characteristics of an individual, including body, clothing, appearance, and knowledge.
To develop your personal brand, determine which of your characteristics is highly original and most likely to catch on with a consumer base. Although discovering these characteristics on your own can be challenging, it’s likely that you have already established a personal brand that your peers associate with you and you just don’t know it yet.
First, you have to put yourself out there so others can begin to get to know you and discover what your personal brand is. One way you can begin establishing your personal brand on a large scale is by using social media to reach out to a broader consumer base. Twitter is usually the best place to start for this because the site lacks the exclusivity factor that is often associated with other forms of social media.
Following someone on Twitter is a much more casual practice than adding them on Facebook or subscribing to their blog. Therefore, your Twitter account can act as an introduction for potential partners and consumers to get to know you and your personal brand. You should include links to all of your alternative social networking accounts on each of your social networking profiles.
The purpose of your blog, on the other hand, is to give potential partners and consumers the opportunity to get to know your personal brand on a more intimate level, which means that the opinion of this group will be the most important in determining what your personal brand is.
Once you have established your professional image on multiple social media websites, your personal brand should become clearer to you. This image should be a perfect balance between how others perceive you and the image you want to portray. An imbalance of this formula will usually result in an unsuccessful personal brand, so it’s highly important that you make sure to fully accommodate each aspect.
One of the most important facets of your personal brand will be your educational background. Regardless of the image you want to portray, you should always have a solid educational foundation to gain the trust of potential partners and consumers. If your education is not as substantial as you would like it to be, it might benefit your personal brand if you consider returning to school, either in a traditional setting or through online alternatives. You may even be able to use this concept to your advantage.
For example, say you are a single mother who is choosing to go back to school online so you can more effectively run your own business while balancing responsibilities at home. You would be an inspiration to other single mothers who may have similar goals, which would also contribute to your personal brand.
After your personal brand is fully established, you will want to write out a clear and concise message that your personal brand represents. Following this, you should strive to maintain consistency on all of your social media websites. This means consistent photographs on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Blogger, as well as a consistent voice.
Before creating a post, ask yourself “Is this in line with the message of my personal brand?” If your voice or image doesn’t line up with the message of your personal brand, simply don’t post the material. Remember: consistency is key when it comes to solidifying your personal brand and maintaining public interest.
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