Your personal brand is the first thing people see when they come into contact with you. It’s what sets you apart from your competitors and tells the world who you are as a person, business owner, and entrepreneur.
That’s why it’s important that you take the time to properly brand yourself as an entrepreneur. This blog post will show you how to brand yourself and set yourself apart.
What is a Personal Brand?
A personal brand is an umbrella term used to describe the image that others associate with you. When you’re out in public, whether it’s online or offline, your brand follows you.
It’s important for entrepreneurs to properly establish their personal brand because they are competing against many other business owners who are all trying to attract the same customers.
How do you expect your customers to remember your name when there are dozens of other businesses out there that look just like yours?
How you present yourself has a tremendous influence on how others perceive you. If you present yourself as just another face in the crowd, then what can your business offer that is different from all the other ones?
How will you stand out from the competition? How will you expect to gain loyal customers and clients? How will you prevent your competitors from taking those customers away from you?
On the other hand, if you establish a strong brand as an entrepreneur, people will know what they can expect from working with you. Your business may not be any different from others in your market, but your brand will be.
That’s why it’s important to take the time to create a strong personal brand as an entrepreneur.
Think about:
- How do you want to present yourself?
- How do you want people to perceive you?
- How do you expect them to interact with you?
- How do they gain value from interacting with your business?
- How can you set yourself apart from all the other businesses?
- How do you get people to remember your name?
- How do you get them to trust you and come back again in the future?
These are important questions that require thoughtful consideration. How you answer these questions will determine what kind of brand image will be associated with you. And this is exactly why it’s important to create a personal brand.
Benefits of Building A Personal Brand
1. Makes You Memorable
First, you’ll need to set aside time and energy to consider who you want to be and what you want people to remember you for. This will save you energy in the long run because it will allow you to concentrate on your strengths while minimizing your flaws.
Another advantage of developing a personal brand is that it makes it simpler to project oneself in the same way at any time. Imagine being able to intentionally arrange photographs in potential customers’ minds so that they would remember you.
2. Makes You An Authority
You’ll be more memorable, and it’ll be simpler for customers to tell others about you. As a result, you’ll appear as an expert in your area since you took the time to improve your branding.
However, this is just the beginning. As you become more well-known, your ideal customers will be more drawn to you. Since you took the time to improve your brand, you’ll be seen as a leader in your niche. In addition, they will take what you say seriously and find it easier to trust you. And that’s when many loyal customers will start coming your way.
3. Makes You Reachable
When people know who you are and what you’re about, they’ll be more comfortable reaching out to you. They’ll know how to approach you and what kind of content to expect from your business.
4. Makes You More Money
As a consequence of the increasing demand for your offerings, you’ll be able to raise your fees. Consider doing the same work you’re already doing but earning twice as much money. This is something that can actually happen with good branding.
You can get higher rates and more attention to your personal brand by building it. You will get to work on projects that you love with other business owners.
When you’re ready to take responsibility for your brand, all of these things and more may occur. You were meant to be brilliant, so embrace your distinctive personality with abandon.
Brand Yourself as an Entrepreneur
Now that we’ve covered some of the potential benefits, let’s talk about how you can develop a strong personal brand as an entrepreneur.
- How do you establish yourself as an authority in your niche?
- How do you make it easier for customers to connect with you and remember you?
- How do you make yourself more accessible to them?
- How can they know more about your business and find it more easily on the web?
- How do people perceive you when they interact with your brand?
- How do they interpret your brand?
- How do they feel about the business and their interactions with it?
- How does this affect their decision to buy from you or not?
- How do you measure this perception, and how can you improve upon it if needed?
Be authentic and be persistent.
How you brand yourself as an entrepreneur doesn’t have to be perfect. It’s OK if it takes time and it doesn’t happen overnight. Just keep moving forward and putting one foot in front of the other to reach your goals.
You’re never going to find your ideal audience unless you figure out where they hang out online, so start researching.
- How do you find them?
- How do they act online?
- How can you fit in with their world?
When it comes to branding yourself as an entrepreneur or personal branding, your social profiles are very important.
You need to make sure your online presence is consistent and reflects who you are and what your business is about.
- How do you use technology to help you attract attention?
- How can you use them to look consistent and reflect the unique value of what you offer to customers?
- How does this affect your personal brand?
- How can these efforts help bring more people into your world and establish a connection with you?
The first thing you should do is choose a name that captures the essence of your brand. Make sure it’s memorable, unique, and indicative of what you offer.
- How can you make sure people are able to Google this name?
- How does this help with branding yourself as an entrepreneur?
Remember, though, it takes time for people to build up awareness around your brand.
What You Should Know About Personal Branding
For some small business owners, personal branding may be a difficult concept to grasp. You might believe that personal branding is ineffective and does not add value to your company.
However, this isn’t accurate.
Many businesses have used personal branding to generate more money while also improving the world.
Personal Branding Is Intentional
The fact is that personal branding is all about intentionally employing your influence.
This information will help you make business decisions by allowing you to choose the image you wish to project.
Instead of taking on every opportunity that comes your way, you’ll pause and evaluate which tasks are consistent with who you are and what you want to provide.
Personal branding aids in the simplification of decision-making.
Customers want to deal with brands that they are familiar with, like, and trust. By engaging customers on a rational and emotional level, you begin developing your know, like, and trust factor. That implies that personal branding is very personal.
Personal Branding Connects You and Your Customer
To enable your ideal client to connect with your brand, you must be willing to reveal a portion of your personal life.
If you work in the car business and sell minivans to moms, for example, stating that you have children of your own might be a fantastic approach to engage with your potential consumers.
Don’t feel obligated to go into great depth, but you may mention, “I have three kids myself, and the last thing I want to think about on our summer journey is whether my vehicle will break down.”
By following this, you’ve established an emotional connection with your potential consumer, increasing the likelihood that she’ll buy from you. Why? Because she believes you to be aware of her circumstances and able to relate.
Personal Branding Should Be Positive
Personal branding is about sharing your story, but you want the majority of what you’re sharing to be good.
Negativity will make it more difficult to attract new clients. That’s why you should remain positive while discussing your services.
Keep in mind that your personal brand will develop and grow over time. As you get to know more about your target audience and what they want, you’ll want to revisit your personal brand and ensure it’s still relevant.
To build your personal brand, you need to start with YOU
It’s critical to understand yourself when it comes to developing your personal brand.
If you don’t, you won’t be able to show your best self to your ideal clients. You need to understand how you’re wired and be able to communicate it with potential customers.
Clients will choose whether or not to work with you based on what you’ve said about yourself.
Understand how others see you.
How the World Sees You by Sally Hogshead is one of many tools that can assist you in developing your personal brand.
This book can show you both your strengths and flaws. It gives advice on how to use your assets to your advantage as well as how to showcase them so that potential clients don’t get overwhelmed.
Consider your top priorities.
Even if you’ve already started your own business, there are some basic things that will help define your brand and attract your ideal customer.
One solopreneur who assists her clients in developing their online businesses values her family and considers it to be her top priority.
She doesn’t post pictures of expensive trips or luxury vehicles on social media.
Rather, she prefers to share family moments like dyeing Easter eggs with her children and going to the water park with them.
By putting her top priority out there, she’s been able to attract consumers who value family as much as she does. Her clients like working with her because they know they’re not dealing with a faceless business.
They’re dealing with someone who’s attempting to establish a business around her family’s lifestyle.
Choose your business model.
The business model you choose is important to personal branding.
Whether you’d like to provide services or products, or a mix of both, you’ll need a business model that you enjoy. When you love what you do, it will show through in your potential consumers and attract them to you. As a result, they’ll be eager to collaborate with you.
It can be useful to think about other professions you’ve held before making a selection.
What did you like doing—presentations, leading others, instructing, etc? What did you despise performing—researching, administration work, etc?
When you discover what you like, you may use your business to offer more of those services. Consider outsourcing unpleasant duties to someone who enjoys them if you’re stuck with them.
Own your experience.
To be considered an expert in your field, you don’t need to have a college degree. There are other methods to demonstrate your experience.
Maybe you’ve been mentioned in a popular publication or your work has been featured on a well-known website. Perhaps you’ve been acknowledged for your expertise or assistance by your current or past clients.
Use these thank you messages as testimonials with your customer’s consent.
Proudly post them on your website or blog.
Don’t be afraid to show your personality through your business. Personal branding might help you develop a company that you’ll enjoy for years.
How to Build A Personal Brand That Attracts Your Ideal Clients
One of the greatest aspects of developing a personal brand is being able to attract your ideal customers.
When you understand who you are and what you have to offer, it’s easier to engage with possible customers. You’ll be able to identify how to contact them without having to use pushy sales methods.
Know Yourself
Many solopreneurs and small business owners spend a lot of time researching who they are before beginning their personal branding efforts. Personal branding allows you to accentuate your talents while minimizing your flaws.
If you’re not sure which projects are a good fit for your skillset, consider using this approach to assess the pros and cons of each option. You’ll feel less irritated and save energy by knowing which projects are a good match for your abilities.
Don’t be scared to reject the wrong projects or relationships. Personal branding is all about limiting your interactions with others to those that centre on your talents.
When new possibilities emerge, take a few moments to reflect on your instincts. Is this project something you’re interested in? Are you able to show off your greatest assets? Will it make your life more enjoyable?
Define your brand
The next step on your journey is deciding exactly what you have to offer. How can you be helpful? How are you unique? How do you want to proceed with the offering once it’s complete?
Create a plan for your personal brand. Know who your target audience is and how they’ll benefit from working with you. Create marketing materials that will allow them to see how they’ll benefit from collaborating with you.
There are many ways to identify your brand. Take a look at your social media presence and other online activity to determine the type of information you’re sharing with everyone who visits your website. How can that be utilized in an advertising campaign? How are you showcasing yourself? The answers to these questions may provide a solid foundation for your brand.
Email marketing is another effective way of attracting customers and building a customer base. How-to articles with action steps are excellent emails that can be sent from time to time as part of a regular newsletter.
When you’re stuck on generating new ideas, consider using this free e-book template to help you get started.
How do others perceive your brand? How can you turn that into a positive experience for everyone involved? How do you want people to see your personal brand? Answer these questions and you’ll be ready to implement the next step of the process.
Discover Your Message
You have a story to tell that will make people’s lives better, more meaningful, and more enjoyable. You might not be able to identify this message. The majority of individuals are unable to do so.
It may take the aid of a business coach or a trusted mentor to help you figure out what your message is. That’s why, if you want to understand how to define your personal brand, you might wish to consider working with a coach or mentor.
Find Your Sweet Spot
After you’ve figured out your personal branding message and the one you’d want to deliver with your ideal clients, it’s time to consider your sweet spot. This is the area where your customers’ requirements are greatest, and where you operate best.
You can express your sweet spot by telling stories about who you are as a person and as a professional. If, for example, you help moms get their pre-baby bodies back, telling your own weight loss story may be motivational.
Don’t be scared to investigate your ideal client’s objectives, concerns, and frustrations when developing content.
You could talk about how difficult it is to find time to workout while having a newborn at home. You’ll be developing your personal brand and connecting with your ideal clients by telling these personal stories.
Personal branding is all about determining who you are and what your message is so that you may meet your ideal customers.
Keep in mind that establishing and continually strengthening your personal brand takes time. If you want to speed up the process, consider hiring a coach.
How to Use Social Media for Personal Branding
For some small business owners and solopreneurs, social media personal branding may be a scary notion. You’ve probably struggled with it, too.
You want to be warm and approachable, but you don’t want to go too far. You wish to appear professional and ready, yet not the boring dinner guest.
Choose Your Networks
The first thing you should do when utilizing social media to develop your personal brand is to pick a goal for yourself.
Choose one to three themes to focus on. These are the topics you’ll most likely write about frequently.
If you want, you may have a presence on every social network. However, the majority of solo entrepreneurs and small business owners find that their clients stick to one or two social media platforms, depending on their sector. If you’re in the wedding business, for example, Facebook and Pinterest are likely to be where most of your interaction comes from.
If you work in technology, you may discover that your community prefers Twitter or Facebook. Don’t be concerned about it. Choose the two social networks where you have the most traction. These are the two sites that you should update on a daily basis.
Keep Your Profiles Consistent
Take a look at your social media profiles now. Would someone unfamiliar with your business be able to tell that you’re the same person? If not, it’s time to sync up your social media accounts.
At a bare minimum, you’ll want to use the same profile photo, bio, and header image across all of your social media accounts. This makes it simple for people to identify your company no matter which social network they’re using.
What you say about yourself on social media matters.
If you’re a business owner or a freelancer, there’s a good chance that your personal brand may receive more exposure than the company itself. Don’t be shy to talk about yourself.
Don’t go overboard, however. Guest blogging is one of the most beneficial ways for you to get exposure and increase your personal brand online.
Simply put, guest blogging is when you contribute content to other sites for publication. It’s usually agreed upon by the site owner and author beforehand.
When guest blogging on another person’s blog, what you’re actually doing is marketing yourself. The goal of your writing should be to establish an expert voice for you online, which raises awareness of your business or brand.
These are all great reasons to build your personal brand online. So how do you get started?
Post Frequently
You want to keep your professional name alive on the most popular social networks in your field. Some platforms are better for posting several times a day (such as Twitter), whereas others are better for posting only 2-3 times a day (such as LinkedIn).
You may need to conduct a few brief tests to figure out when and how often you should modify your posts.
If you’re stumped for what to write, follow the 4 out of 5 rule. The 4 out of 5 rule states that you should create 4 pieces of useful material for every 1 piece of promotional content.
Don’t be scared to promote amazing material to your audience, even if you didn’t create it. When you’re the one who’s bringing in the most up-to-date information in your field, followers will see you as the best source for industry trends and news.
Join Communities
Look for communities to join once you’ve started gaining some traction with your personal brand on social media. Facebook has groups, as does LinkedIn.
But they all refer to the same concept: an online gathering of individuals with a common interest, such as motherhood, sports, or education.
The wonderful thing about teams is that you may make connections with other members and offer them value. Customer research is also simple since to do this.
You can learn what your audience wants the most, what they struggle with, and what they’d want more of if you conduct surveys on your website.
It’s a good idea to brand yourself on social media. Just bear in mind that you should publish and share useful information.
How to Brand Yourself Like a Pro
As an entrepreneur, you need to know how to brand yourself in order to attract the right clients and customers.
Your personal branding is your unique identity that differentiates you from other businesses or entrepreneurs in your industry.
It’s important that you establish a strong personal brand because it will help with marketing and lead generation for business growth.
If you’re feeling stuck on where to start building your own personal brand, we’ve put together some helpful tips below with advice for what steps should come first – like figuring out who YOU are!
Download our FREE Branding Guide Template TODAY so that can get started today!
