Developing your personal brand is one of the most powerful strategies you can use to increase your public profile, market your business or even attract dream job opportunities.
This is because much of modern marketing is built largely on individual personality rather than large commercial entities, a trend that has grown ever since the inception of social media.
Of course, there are no set guidelines for a personal brand because it can be whatever you want it to be. Some people develop a personal brand in order to drive attention towards their business or services; others to become a social media influencer. The type of personal brand you create will depend entirely on what you are hoping to get out of it.
Naturally, creating a solid personal brand is not the work of a moment, but it doesn’t have to be impossible either. Thanks to the wide range of tools available in 2021 – from podcasting to blogging and social media – it is relatively cheap and easy to build a personal brand.
This is how to develop your personal brand in three easy steps:
Build your own following
The first (and most obvious) step in creating a strong personal brand is to build your own unique following.
This is a lengthy process that requires a lot of patience and dedication, but the results can be worth the effort.
To start off with, you need to decide what your brand represents in order to target the right type of people to follow you. For example, if you decide to become an expert on New York fashion, then you will have a clear idea of who might be interested in finding out more about you (i.e., New Yorkers who like shopping).
Once you have done this, you can start creating content that will help attract relevant followers and boost your profile. You could, for instance, start a podcast discussing topics relevant to your personal brand. This will build an automatic association in listeners’ minds that you are an expert on these topics and should be treated as such.
Podcasts are easy and cheap to create, requiring only a microphone and specialist Podcast Software.
Collaborate with other brands
Another way to boost your personal brand is to collaborate with existing brands that boast larger followings than you. This will help you to attract new followers, gain additional recognition and even prestige if the brand you are collaborating with is respected.
Indeed, you can quickly gain a positive reputation merely by being associated with certain individuals or companies. It helps potential followers develop trust in your personal brand and implies that you are a widely respected expert in your field.
These brand collaborations could arise in the form of advertisers, a brand ambassador deal, a joint venture, or branded content.
Spread yourself out between different mediums
If you want to develop a strong personal brand, then you need to have a varied online presence. While at first it is important to focus on narrowing your approach (in order to find your initial followers and prevent yourself from becoming overwhelmed), eventually, you will want to diversify in order to broaden your influence.
For example, you may want to stack different media platforms – such as backing your podcast up with a blog, YouTube channel, email list, and social media account.
This will help you to cultivate a passionate audience and ensure your personal brand is never out of the public eye.
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