The concept of a business building a brand for itself is a pretty common idea today.
Most, if not all, businesses are branded, and they make money by developing those brands.
So why can’t people do the same thing?
Personal branding isn’t that much different from a business brand. Instead of marketing a store or product, you’re marketing yourself.
Building up a personal brand has a ton of benefits, both personally and professionally, and it can help open many doors for you in the future.
In this article, we’ll delve into exactly what a personal brand is as well as why it’s worth developing.
What Is Personal Branding?
A famous quote by Jeff Bezos, the founder of Amazon, says, “Your brand is what people say about you when you’re not in the room.”
And in the same way personal branding refers to the process of establishing your public persona for your target audience. It involves carefully and accurately communicating your values, beliefs, goals, and purpose.
Let’s make you understand with an example.
If your name is Googled, then what will show up in the SERPs?
If it is “nothing”, then you probably haven’t spent time on developing your personal brand.
When I Google “Jaydip Parikh”, the entire first page of the SERP is devoted to my online presence.
You’ll see my business pages, my social media pages, and various websites where I’ve published articles such as Entrepreneur Magazine, Search Engine Watch, SEMRush, and many more.
You wouldn’t even have to click on the links to understand that my “brand” is related to online business marketing.
This is only because of the time I have devoted to developing my brand through my online presence.
I’ve created media profiles on all the sites such as Twitter and LinkedIn.
Also, I’ve created a descriptive bio on my employer’s website and have spent time creating blog posts and looking for guest posting opportunities on websites where I can create an author bio.
My photo and voice are consistent throughout these sites so there’s no mistaking that it’s the same “Jaydip Parikh” regardless of the link you click.
Developing a personal brand doesn’t happen overnight, it takes time. But once you have created it, the benefits are endless.
So let’s see what importance it holds.
Importance Of Personal Branding
It Helps You Stand Out From The Crowd
A personal brand is a great way to demonstrate your skills and knowledge about a particular subject or field.
You might be much more knowledgeable than the one next to you, but if someone Googles your name and theirs and if their name is the one with a personal brand and professional online presence, he’s going to look better than you.
Building a brand is your chance to show your audience what you know and why you know it, and it will help set you apart from others who might be vying for the same opportunities but who haven’t taken the time to build their own personal brand.
It Leads To Opportunities
A strong personal brand will lead to a multitude of opportunities, including:
- Job interviews
- Internships
- Speaking engagements
- Networking opportunities
- Promotions
- Partnerships
- And More
A personal brand is the building block that will lead to success for your future. It can help you reach any number of goals, both personal and professional, and it can also lead to many opportunities for advancement in your career.
It Inspires Trust In Your Audience
Many people, especially those of the millennial generation, don’t trust larger businesses that utilize traditional advertising.
That’s why there’s such a big push nowadays to “shop small”, and why influencer advertising is so successful.
People are much more likely to buy from, and listen to, someone who looks, talks and acts like them as opposed to a large corporation.
So if you build your brand like a business, but still maintain a personal front, you’re guaranteed to inspire trust amongst your audience.
Someone Is Always Going To Be Screening You Online
Whether you’re applying for college, for an entry-level job, or for your future career, someone is going to be Googling your name.
Some employers will expect you to have an online presence, whereas others just want to ensure you don’t have a poor reputation online.
But regardless, it’s better to control the results that appear in the SERPs as opposed to leaving them up to chance.
Personal branding is a great way to show potential employers that you’ve worked hard to build a positive reputation online.
Get To Show Your Personality
This is what can set you apart from the crowd. You get to tell your story and tell it however you want.
Our personalities are what makes us unique and memorable and that is what gets people to like or dislike us. We want to show this personality in our brands.
You want to find the people who love and hate you. It’s important to rid out the people who do not relate to you and your brand.
You are your brand.
Regardless of what projects you’re working on, what products you’re selling, or whatever your expertise is, keep in mind the impact you create on your audience.
A personal brand can be a life-long project that keeps evolving over time.
People who build the biggest brands in the business understand that there are no set rules for creating a brand identity or online presence.
Conclusion
These are just a few tips to get you started. Hopefully, you were able to see the value in developing a personal brand.
Have you branded yourself yet? What went into creating your brand?
Can you share any tips for our readers about the importance of developing their own brand?
I’d love to hear from you! Share your thoughts in the comments section.
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