Personal branding is a hip buzzword among professionals and people who want to become leaders in their fields, especially in the world of social media. If you have a Facebook profile, a Twitter account, a blog, or a business, then you have the beginnings of a personal brand already in place. The problem is that if you haven’t thought about this concept before, you could be sending mixed messages or worse, negative implications about who you are and what you’re trying to accomplish. First encounters based on a non-flattering Facebook picture, a controversial blog post or too much personal information communicated via Twitter can create negative impressions in the minds of others that are nearly impossible to erase. That’s why it’s essential that you focus on personal branding immediately in order to send the right message.
Who Are You?
Discovering your personal branding idea is the first step toward projecting the right image. Ask others to describe you in three adjectives and then describe yourself the way you want to be seen. Ideally, your view of yourself should be equivalent to the way others view you. If the two don’t mesh, then you need to start working on the image you project. The goal is to be honest about who you are while still projecting a professional image that elicits trust from others.
Who Is Your Audience?
The next step in creating your personal brand is determining to whom you primarily want to market yourself. Start by finding a niche that reflects your passion and that can adequately represent you as a person. Next, work toward becoming a recognized voice in that niche by connecting on social media platforms such as Facebook, LinkedIn, and in the blogosphere. Finally, reach out to other respected voices in your niche by networking with other bloggers and people providing similar services.
What Next?
Once you know what image you want to project and who you want to be the primary audience for that image, you’ll need to focus on creating a persona that accurately reflects your personal brand. You can accomplish this by building your portfolio, honing your Facebook profile to showcase your personal brand, crafting a detailed and up-to-date LinkedIn profile, and showcasing your style with a website or blog.
Whether you realize it or not, you already have the foundations for your personal brand in place. The next step you take depends on how accurately your public image portrays the person you want to be. By taking steps to develop an accurate personal brand, you’ll set yourself up for effective job marketing, small business promotion, and thought leadership in your niche.
