Cheat Sheet: Hack the Personal Branding Hoopla

“Nice to meet you…ah Mr. uh?”
“Henry Buller.”
“Henry from ….?”
“ZillionDesigns.”
“What and where’s that?”
“A graphic design firm based in New Jersey.”
“Ah!”

Nothing new in the above situation for most of us but do you see where the dots are? These so called dots are what personal branding is about. Whether you work online or offline, personal branding builds credibility, create value and help connect between the organization and the crowd. What makes personal branding a buzz word nowadays is its uniqueness and “stand out from the crowd” quality that brands crave for, and can be used as a powerful tool to push you (or your company) forward to become prominent in the eyes of your audience.

So how do you establish a personal brand?

Understanding Human Nature
Human nature cannot be classified by boxes, smoothness, efficiency etc. People by nature are emotional creatures and they understand feelings more than they understand inanimate objects or measuring parameters. Personal branding is about connecting with the human psyche, demonstrating your ability to connect with those on your social network, and creating confidence in yourself or become their confidante.

It’s All about Your Image
Moreover, personal branding is about building an image. Why Nike works better under the Michael Jordan brand, and why Tiger Woods is better connected with customers than Tagheur is because of the personal element. Admitted, these are celebrities, and celebrities are personalized brands. Having said that, you need to understand your image is a brand; learn how to cultivate it by professionally presenting yourself at your best. If skills and qualifications are your core competencies, learn how to market them appropriately.

Effective Communication
One of the key human interaction medium is communication, whether it be verbal, visual or physical. How you perceive and what you project communicate distinctive messages about your personal brand. Just like an advertisement, you can either attract or repel an audience with your body language, the way you dress, how you speak and what you carry in the form of your brand identity. Learn how to communicate positive messages to your audience through them.

Curate with Interesting Content
So if you want to attract your audience, you need to have the ability to perk their interest (most of the time if possible). How do you do that? By following successful brands, people or companies that you consider your peers. You can even sit down and define for yourself how YOU would like to be known by. If you have an online business, learn how to create a personal brand byline that you will be recognized by. Publish content that will define your expertise such as a book or a whitepaper to create followers.

Whip up Promotions
A personal brand needs just as much promotion as any corporate brand. Some ideas are to create brand designs (business cards, posters, website, and blog etc.) that will help promote and reach more places. But the best place nowadays is online, although other media work just as effectively. According to statistics 93% of customers believe brand owners should be visible on social media pages. There’s a reason why – because they believe social media cut through the intermediary layers of bureaucracy, and give them access to real people behind the brands they love/hate. Now this status quo can very well work in your favor, if you adopt it cleverly.

Monitor and Grow
And when you are through with all of the above, don’t think it’s over. Personal branding is not as easy as it seems. It takes time to cultivate and grow. How you continuously keep in touch with your audience, respond to them, keep them engage and maintain that personal touch is the key to success. But then how do you know whether you’ve been successful or not? There are tools which can help you measure the depth and breadth of your personal brand. If you are on social media platforms then use their analytics; if you are offline use surveys to ask for people’s opinion; and if you are using contemporary media like TV or radio, find out through polls. Whichever media you adopt to promote your personal brand, do monitor and consider revising your personal branding strategy if the previous one didn’t work out in the first place.

Having said that, personal branding is about how one promotes an individual as a brand. But keep in mind, that same individual is connected with the organization; he/she is the representative of the company. Personal branding works because people are more receptive to human beings, and how you position your personal brand, whether for yourself or your company, can make or break your connection from your customers, which inevitably affect your organization’s brand.

To help you keep these points in mind, we’ve created a cheat sheet that will be convenient for you when you are planning your personal branding strategy. Check it out and let us know if we’ve missed any point.

 

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