How to Build a Personal Brand That’s Authentic to You
I know it can be difficult to talk about yourself without feeling like you’re bragging or being self centered. But don’t worry, having a strong personal brand isn’t about being boastful, it’s about being you. Your audience wants to know the real you, and you can show them this by being your genuine self. Establishing your personal brand gives you the opportunity to network with like minded people, drive your professional goals, and develop relationships. There are a few ways you can do this, keep reading to find out!
“Authenticity is a collection of choices that we have to make every day. It’s about the choice to show up and be real. The choice to be honest. The choice to let our true selves be seen.”
1. Give to your audience: Your personal brand should be designed around what you do for others, not what your audience does for you. What do they gain by following you? What value and knowledge do you provide them? These are all things to consider when creating content and growing your personal brand. You should approach it from a giving view point. If you can do that, the rest will follow.
2. Network: The word ‘Network’ can be daunting to a lot of people. Especially introverts. But instead of thinking of it as having to formally speak with people you’ve never met, think of it as trying to make friends in your industry. The goal of networking is to build connections and you want these connections to be genuine. The best way to do that is by being yourself and connecting with others on a genuine level. So why is it important to network in the first place? Because having a strong network means you have others you can rely on to ask for advice or opinions. Their knowledge can be invaluable to you when you’re just starting off.
3. Take a risk: When trying to grow your personal brand, you’ll need to step out of your comfort zone and push your boundaries. Push the limits of what you would normally do and put yourself out there. Whether it’s volunteering for a project you wouldn’t normally do, reaching out to someone you admire for advice or signing up for a course to expand your knowledge, taking these risks will help you grow your strengths and learn new things.
4. Have unique images of your brand: You probably hear the phrase: “A picture is worth a thousand words” and it applies to your personal branding as well. There is no wonder big corporations invest tons of money into designing logos that are easily recognized or have celebrity or influencers endorse their products. They want their customers to have a visual representation of their brand to create more familiarity & trust. But you don’t have to spend millions or thousands of dollars to create an authentic personal brand. You can start with putting high quality images of yourself on your website, social media channels, articles, blog posts, email newsletters, etc… People want o see who is the person behind the brand.
Having strong branding photos will help you achieve that. If you are not ready for a professional branding photoshoot just yet, I have a video tutorial on how you can look better and more confident in any photos, even the ones taken with a cell phone. You can watch video here How to Look Confident in Photos
Happy branding!
Oksana Pali
