How to have a successful personal brand

I was recently speaking on a panel for the Walkley Foundation on thought leadership and someone asked me a very interesting question:

When you start to build your role as a thought leader where do you start?

I just loved that question because we all have to start somewhere. (Beginning can be the most challenging place in the journey, don’t you think?)

I know when I was sitting in my sunroom all those years ago trying to figure out where to start I found it really hard.

My answer to her question: Start with your personal brand.

I believe that personal branding is the new marketing. We all need to take control of our brand and actively maintain and build it. Do you know what happens when you don’t?

Nothing. Na da. Zero. Cue the crickets. In fact, I’d probably still be sitting in my sunroom trying to figure out how to grow my fledgling business if I didn’t develop and grow my personal brand.

So here are my tips to develop and build your brand.

1. It’s personal. It’s marketing. Personal branding is how you market yourself to others; it’s what you’re known for. You need to be very intentional about creating a brand which resonates with your audience, otherwise other people will create it for you.

2. Think about who you really are. What makes you unique? It’s worth taking some time to think about who you are and what you stand for. Have a think about the ‘one thing’ that sets you apart from your competitors.

3. How do others think about you? This is a really interesting question, don’t you think? How do those closest to you, your customers and your work colleagues describe you? Do they describe you as you describe yourself? Be mindful of the experiences others have with you and ensure they match the impression you wish to set.

4. Find your niche. It’s important to think about your area of expertise, define your niche, and stick to it. Don’t be vague when defining your niche as it will dilute your brand and confuse your audience.

5. Get your brand out there. It’s one thing to have a strong brand, but it’s not much use if no one knows about it. Start networking with your audience, publish articles, join groups on LinkedIn and start a blog. Make you and your brand known to your audience.

If you want to dive into more about personal branding take a look at the blog. I’d just love to hear your thoughts and advice in the comments section below.

Get my BRAND new book and fast track your journey from unknown to a recognised expert and thought leader! From Unknown To Expert: How to use clever PR and social media to become a recognised expert is available at www.unknowntoexpert.com

Branding

Take the time to figure out your personal brand

What make you unique? It’s really worth taking some time to think about this question.

Figuring out what make you unique – your personal brand – is a great way to stand out from the people and businesses around you.

A personal brand is the set of characteristics or qualities which shape you and set you apart. It’s what can define you as a leader in business or in your career and building your personal brand helps carve out your niche as a thought leader and expert.

What are people saying about you?

Personal branding is how you market yourself to others. Your personal brand is what people say about you when you’re not around. It’s what you’re known for.

People are talking about you when you’re not in the room, whether you like it or not. So you need to be intentional about creating your brand, or others will create it for you.

What is your personal brand?

Think about how those closest to you, your customers and your work colleagues would describe you.

Do they describe you as you describe yourself? Do they see you as a leader? Be mindful of the experiences others have with you and ensure they match the impression you wish to set.

Positioning yourself as an expert and adding value consistently to those who follow you leads to credibility and trust. This trust in you personally flows over into trust for your business, so they go hand in hand.

If you invest time in building your personal brand it will help build your business, or career. When you share your knowledge freely you will be able to watch your opportunities expand.

Amplify your personal brand

Public relations can be the difference between being a well recognised expert and thought leader in your niche and just wishing you are.

Public relations is the art of storytelling. Every person, brand and organisation has a story to tell and amazing stories deserve a good audience.

Stories can be personal stories, professional stories, stories that let people know who we are, what we stand for, what we do.

And when we start telling our stories, they start resonating with people. Those people start developing relationships with us and start influencing and amplifying your role as an expert and thought leader.

Every expert has so many stories to tell which will interest influencers and the media.

The trick is to identify your stories and then see them through the eyes of the editors, journalists and program directors. When packaged in a way that the media expect, you have a much better chance of getting the media coverage you need to promote yourself.

Anything from an innovation, new book, to a childhood memory has news potential if it’s packaged correctly. And it has absolutely no news value if it isn’t released to the media at all!

Social your brand

The online world gives you an amazing opportunity to brand yourself, and separate yourself from the crowd.

Build your personal brand on LinkedIn or Twitter by sharing interesting insights about your industry and watch your following grow and your fans become more loyal. Or start blogging about your area of expertise. Before long your reputation as a thought leader will precede you.

Speaking at key events, securing media coverage in the outlets your customers read and sharing your knowledge through writing a book are additional ways to establish yourself as a key influencer.

Continually investing in your personal brand will ensure you stand out from your competition. It is through elevating yourself above others in your industry that people will clamor to work with you. When managed well, your personal brand is an asset that can make all the difference to your business.

Branding, Business, Public Relations, Thought Leadership