Is it time to take a closer look at your personal branding? Marketing professional Reena Patel explains why this is key to success!
How much time have you spent thinking about your personal branding? And why does this matter? As a marketing professional with over 15 years of industry experience, working with companies of varying types and sizes, I can categorically state that personal branding is crucial to success. Why? Because personal branding is unique to you. When your personal branding is on point, it is going to set you apart from every other person on this planet!
If you are one of the many people who has been too busy to give much consideration to the impact of personal branding, then I strongly advise you to set time aside and prioritise doing this. Personal branding can help every level of your personal and business life and can also fast-track your career development and help you achieve your business goals. By doing some soul searching to discover your own personal, authentic brand, you will also develop the inner confidence to help you cope better with any of life’s challenges. That’s got to be worth an investment of your time and effort.
If you are still struggling with understanding the concept and power of personal branding, or wondering if it is worth the effort, try thinking of it as a key that can enable you to access new opportunities. Just like your personal computer password, this key (your personal brand) is an incredibly valuable tool. Get your personal branding right and it will help you to unlock future deals, secure new customers and create success in all areas of your life. Get it wrong and you will be locked out. Your personal brand embraces all of the core attributes that define you, and it will also underscore how people perceive and remember you. In simple terms, you, my friend, ARE your brand!
I know from experience that one of the most important aspects of starting a new business is to really nail down the business proposition, vision and values. None of that is possible without considerable research. When I first started You and Your Story I decided to follow my own advice and do lots of soul searching to help me develop my personal brand. This work is not an easy thing to do, but it is worth the effort. And here’s how I did it…
- I invested in a huge whiteboard and pinned several sheets of A2 paper around the room to help me get started with mind mapping and brainstorming.
- I listed all the things that I wanted to do, what I was good at, what I enjoyed doing, my inspirations and what I wanted to achieve with my business.
- I researched the types of businesses/people I wanted to work with, where to find them and the types of messages that would work with them. The hardest bit was narrowing all of this down into something that I wanted to be doing!
- Through my research I realised that I wanted to help brands and business owners go through the same personal branding process. In doing so I could help people to find and document their personalities and then share information about this to their target audiences via the most relevant marketing channels.
It is important to remember that the information you uncover by researching your personal brand is not a one-off process to then be put aside and never looked at again. Frequently referring to your personal branding will help you to strengthen professional relationships, making you easily recognisable in a sea of competitors. You will find that new clients are attracted to you simply because they are impressed by your brand and your reputation. By taking the time to work on your personal brand and utilising targeted social media to spread the word, you will ensure that you are consistently associated with your very best attributes. When people hear about you, they will immediately summon up an image of your personal brand. Personal branding makes it easy for clients and future employers to recognise your value, so do your research and make sure it’s something that you want them to remember!