Our Thoughts
Personal Branding in the Digital Era- How to Sell Yourself
Aug 28, 2017
Start with a Strategy and Build Relationships
When you think of your favorite place to shop can you visualize the logo? How about your favorite coffee place? Does every store look the same? Does your favorite coffee drink taste the same no matter which location you visit? That’s branding.
It’s time to brand yourself! Creating a personal brand is the process of establishing a consistent image or impression in the minds of others. Your personal brand embodies your interests, visions, and goals (paving the way to career success); passions, values, and motivations; experiences and knowledge all wrapped up with your personal style, your message, and your actions.
When your personal brand is strong and delivery is appealing and genuine, natural connections will form and chances are you will sell more of your product or service.
Quick Tip: In case you haven’t figured it out yet, everything you do whether it’s intentional or not contributes to the way others perceive your brand.
The correlation between a genuine personal brand and connections with success, is a strong positive. According to Digital Intelligence Today, consumers are 92% more likely to trust recommendations by people they know. Building personal connections is the most effective way to develop credibility with your audience. I think we all know the fastest way to make connections and constantly communicate today is SOCIAL MEDIA. If you aren’t on it, it’s time to get social.
Here’s a quick guide to establishing your personal brand on social media:
- Decide how you want to be known. What is your “thing”? What do you have to offer? What’s your style? What sets you apart from others in your field? Relax, and just be yourself!
- Keep your image and your message consistent. Branding cannot happen without consistency. Stick to it!
- Don’t be paper thin! If you aren’t willing to bring your written words to life, don’t write them. You will not appear genuine on any platform, portfolio, or in an interview.
- Be engaged daily. Show up every day, always sharing and producing credible content. Answer questions, share expertise, and give back.
- Switch it up. Change content type as appropriate– share pics, videos, articles. Sharing authoritative content from other people can be a refreshing change, and to say “hey, I agree.” or “I support this.”
- Ask questions & jump into discussions. Questions lead to engagement and build visibility. Don’t be afraid to jump in on a discussion, especially when you know you have value to add.
- Monitor who’s mentioning you. How is your brand being perceived? Who is talking about you, and what are they saying? Is your message being interpreted the way you wanted it to? Your brand is your reputation!
- Continue to learn & grow. Social Media is constantly changing. You may not be able to keep up with every little thing (& you also may not want to… remember to always stick to your style & values.)
The key for all of this is to become as valuable as possible to the marketplace, and yourself. Your personal brand allows you to deliver your value. Never stop growing, never stop delivering. Know yourself, and build your personal brand.
Quick Tip: Follow these guidelines for your personal social media posting, and you will see an increase in your interaction with others!
- Facebook 2x per day
- Twitter 5x per day
- LinkedIn 1x per day
- Instagram 1.5x per day
Learn more about how our team has developed their personal brands.
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