When we speak of personal branding, we normally refer to famous people who have successfully established their personas as their brand. Think of Dwayne Johnson, Oprah Winfrey and Steve Jobs. Each of them has developed a personal brand that has allowed them to define the companies they established and, in The Rock’s and Oprah’s case, lead and run.
However, personal branding can be a valuable marketing tool not only for professionals – but also for businesses. It has everything to do with reputation by association: A person with a stellar personal brand can increase the brand equity of an organization or company that they help establish. Personal branding marketing is powerful because it can influence people to trust your company and choose it over its competitors.
In this article, we answer two questions:
• What is personal branding?
• Why is personal branding important for people who own and run a business?
We also provide tips on developing your brand and building a following.
What Is a Personal Brand?
Influencer Marketing Hub describes a personal brand as the way people promote themselves. It differentiates them from their contemporaries and, in many cases, establishes why they are a cut above the rest. It encompasses an individual’s background, experiences, skills, interests and personality. Therefore, a personal brand has something to do with authority: that a person is a credible subject matter expert in their profession, industry or niche.
So, what is personal branding? It is the process of consciously and intentionally communicating one’s brand to the public. DigitalMarketing.org defines personal branding as the practice of marketing a person and their career as a brand, an ongoing process of maintaining and developing one’s persona and reputation.
So what is a personal brand versus personal branding? A personal brand refers to what people say about you, while personal branding is what you do and say about yourself.
Developing Personal Brand Messaging Through Brand Storytelling
Brand storytelling plays a significant role in personal branding. The public remembers brands built on compelling and engaging real-life stories they can relate to.
Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson is a great example of this. A former professional wrestler who once dreamed of becoming a pro football player, his life story is an enviable rags-to-riches story (or rather, from seven bucks in his pocket to an estimated $800 million net worth) brought about by hard work, persistence and a never-back-down attitude in career and life. When media outlets interview him about his latest milestones, he often harks back to his humble beginnings growing up in Hawaii.
Social media plays a vital role in his brand messaging: He posts incredible workout videos that highlight his commitment and discipline but balances the serious talk with “cheat day” videos of him feasting on humongous chocolate chip cookies or ultra-decadent french toast.
Source: Instagram
Source: Instagram
Marketers laud Johnson’s approach to social media as a stellar personal branding strategy. Still, to the general public, he’s simply a relatable, hardworking guy who deserves the fortune he enjoys today.
Here are some brand storytelling lessons we can take from The Rock:
• You must be prepared to share a large chunk of your personal life with your target audience, from your past experiences to your everyday activities.
• Highlight the everyday person as much as your professional side and show how the two are intertwined.
• Walk the talk. That is the best way to establish your brand messaging and make people remember you when they need to recall someone in your field.
How To Build Your Personal Brand
Taking inspiration from the most successful personal brands today, here are some detailed, step-by-step tips for creating an engaging and marketable personal brand:
Focus on One Core Message
Many make the mistake of trying to be a jack of all trades and being everything to everyone. While it’s admirable to aim for versatility, it’s more productive to focus your efforts on becoming an expert in one area instead of being a so-so resource for dozens of niches. Some branding experts would even say that the more niche you are, the better. Your audience might be smaller, but when someone asks who is the authority on this topic, you will be the first one most people will recall.
Be Consistent
Anyone who aspires to have a recognizable personal brand should understand the importance of brand consistency. Tiny inconsistencies can derail years of branding efforts because they cast doubt on the sincerity of your words, actions and overall brand. So if you promote environmental awareness, put your words into practice. Incorporate your brand into your everyday life, be aware of legislation related to environmental protection, make your business practices sustainable (i.e., avoid plastics for product packaging), etc. The small details solidify and legitimize personal brands and highlight the importance of brand consistency.
Be Sincere
Sincerity affects consistency as it is nearly impossible to be consistent when you’re not authentic. Besides, the duplicity will eventually show, especially if you’re appealing to a passionate and knowledgeable audience.
Don’t Just Tell Your Story – Show It
“Show, don’t tell” is one of the golden rules in storytelling that can also apply to personal branding. You can impress people with an inspiring story of how you conquered countless odds to be where you are today, but eventually, they will want something to legitimize your story. Go back to your roots, reach out to industry people you sincerely respect or have a friendship with and make business choices that reflect your branding.
Observe Your Audience and Develop a Strategy
Where is your target audience, LinkedIn or Twitter? What content gets the most response? What are they talking about now? What are they saying about you? How can you respond to them so that you can have a positive and fruitful conversation? It may take a bit of trial and error initially, but take cues from your audience as you go along. You’re building a relationship as much as a brand, so it goes both ways. Then, take everything you learned and develop a personal branding strategy that feels natural to you (which goes back to sincerity and consistency).
Find a Mentor
There’s always something to be learned from successful people who share your values and interests; for another, you can also catch their followers’ eye if you are sincere and express your admiration. However, it would be a thousand times better if someone established, acknowledges and mentors you in your professional and personal life.
Allow Others To Tell Your Story
Word of mouth is a powerful marketing tool suitable for personal branding. If they give a false or misinformed narrative about your brand, let others share your story through interviews, social media, appearances in your peers’ content, etc.
Be Active on Social Media
Social sites are arguably the best venue for brand building. An estimated 4.48 billion people are actively using social media, so you’re bound to find your target audience on the biggest social media platforms. They are designed for real-time interactions and dynamic conversations between two people or thousands all at once, which is perfect for promoting brand awareness. Harness social media’s marketing potential, and you can establish your personal brand.
Work With Experts
Consult marketing professionals or a digital marketing agency that specializes in reputation management. Their content marketing experts can help organize your ideas and develop a message that will be easily understood and memorable to audiences online. They can help you identify your unique selling proposition and ways to convey it effectively. Communication skills are paramount in personal branding marketing, and it will be advantageous to know how you can communicate more effectively.
Why Is Personal Branding Important?
As you have seen from the previous sections, personal branding takes a lot of effort and resources. Some of you might be asking now: What is a personal brand bringing to the table, and is it truly worth the investment? More importantly, what is personal branding going to do for your business?
Here are some of the benefits personal branding marketing brings to businesses:
• When you share your experiences and audiences find your insights helpful, you gain credibility.
• You earn people’s trust, the backbone of a lasting relationship with customers.
• You become a valuable unique selling proposition. Johnson and other famous people like Elon Musk, Gary Vaynerchuk and Kim Kardashian prove that an individual with a solid personal brand can become the unique selling proposition of any venture. Regardless of how you feel about them, it is undeniable that thousands of consumers support certain brands because they are attached to the business.
• Your influence over other consumers’ buying choices increases. Just seeing your name attached to a product or service convinces people to buy it.
• Your business can overcome the growing distrust in advertising. People won’t consider you a mere endorser but someone trustworthy and who sincerely wants to help them.
• It helps you form strong bonds with your audience and encourage them to become paying customers. Personal branding can be a tool for building client relationships, but it needs finesse and respect; otherwise, your brand will turn sour, which could bleed into your business.
These benefits prove that a positive and well-received personal brand helps in building client relationships. Whether you are a business owner, executive or head of marketing for a company, having a personal brand will benefit your professional career.
Develop Your Personal Branding Strategy With Digital Marketing Experts
Developing a personal brand can take years of effort and resources. Inevitably, you will need brand marketing professionals to help polish your brand and develop the tone of your messaging. Considering the importance of brand consistency, their input on how to preserve your image and brand representation will be valuable.
Marketing professionals, especially digital marketing experts, can also advise you on how, where and when to publish your branded content so that they make a meaningful impact on your audience. Moreover, a digital marketing agency would have the tools and expertise to carry out a formal campaign with specific, measurable, achievable, reasonable and time-bound goals.
Thrive is a full service marketing agency that you can look to for guidance in brand building and online marketing. We’ve provided effective online reputation management services for businesses for years and have advised clients on how to develop and promote a long-lasting brand. We also work with content marketing experts who strategically write and create optimizable content that your target audience can easily find online.
There are many benefits to working with a full service marketing agency like Thrive. But, skills and expertise aside, years of offering digital marketing services gave us a clear understanding of the big question: Why is personal branding important for entrepreneurs and businesses?
Achieve your professional or business goal with Thrive as your trusted guide in building an effective personal branding strategy. Browse our blog for more helpful tips on brand development, content marketing, social media brand management, etc. You may also contact us through our website.
