Is Personal Branding Necessary?
There’s been a lot of talk, articles, and information put out lately regarding personal branding. The question at hand: is it necessary? I say YES! IF You want to make a memorable mark in the minds of the audience who will buy from you, hire you, or make you a part of their organization.
What is Personal Branding?
Personal branding is what people think about you when they hear your name. It’s more than their thoughts about your company or organization, it’s all about Y.O.U. Even though personal branding is about you its not for you. It’s the image and perception you project to your audience and the people who hold the purse strings. Whether it’s your next client, sponsor, or manager, its what they think and feel about you that counts.
How do you create a Personal Brand?
Even if you’re part of a large corporation or your own company that you poured sweat equity into, you are establishing your personal brand with every word you speak; post, blog, or article you write; and video you create. You may not want to believe it, but your reputation or lack thereof precedes you each and every time. It’s in your best interest to guard or rather be aware of the words that come out of your mouth and flow from your fingertips along with the actions that you take online and offline. Because they are what cements your brand and how it is perceived.
You can use social media, content marketing, email marketing, and of course your WOW! Website to establish the concepts and thoughts you want to engrain in the mind of your audience, then use authority marketing techniques like speaking, podcast guesting, guest-blogging and book authorship to drive your ideas home. This is an exhaustive list, but you don’t have to do everything, choose 2–3 and get to work on perfecting them in your voice.
What can your Personal Brand do for you?
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Creating your personal brand puts your success (or failure) in your hands. Being known for something, whether its inflammatory, inspirational, mind-blowing, or down-right absurd gets you in front of the people that will pay you. It doesn’t matter if they’re paying you for a job, project, sponsorship, or coaching session. You can use your personal branding to elevate you to a place where people see you and understand what you’re about.
Recognizable Personal Brands
- Barack Obama
- Donald Trump
- Oprah Winfrey
- Joel Olsten
- Serena Williams
- Cheryl Sandberg
It’s not important that you like or even respect any of the people listed above. What is important is that you look at what they did and are doing with their personal brand. Look at how they’ve used it to elevate and shed light on whatever it is they’re about. They have turned their personal branding into speaking opportunities, positions of a lifetime, notoriety, book deals, and recurring income. You can do the same.
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