Building your own brand is no longer a choice, it is a necessity, especially if you thrive to become a successful professional. Personal brand is the message you put out in public about yourself. However, it is more than just self-packaging. It is also about self-improvement.

In today’s digital age, we can take charge of our brand image by making clever use of social media. We are the PR of ourselves. We control what we want others to see and know about us. Understanding where we stand and what makes us stand out is important for our personal brand.

A Forbes article by Kent (2017) listed down some tips to build a strong personal brand. The first one is knowing our target audience. Just like when you want to market a product, you must know whom it is for. When you know who your audience is, it helps you to have a more specific goal and effective brand.

The next one is to be authentic. We have to stay true to ourselves, to who we are. We have to have self-awareness, to know ourselves, and know what can work for us when developing our brand. Be confident, but do not be arrogant. Everyone of us is special and if you understand how to best utilize your thing for your brand, the result will speak for itself.

Having our own SWOT analysis of ourselves contributes to the success of making our personal brand as well. What can we improve on? What are the things you’re good at? Who are our competitors? And so on. When you understand your positioning well, you have a better chance of standing out among others.

Additionally, remember that you are not doing it just for yourself, your audience matters as well. Do not lose sight of your initial purpose of creating your personal brand. Show others the best possible version of you in every chance you get, in social media or face-to-face. If you stay true to who you are, it will flow naturally and easily.

Last but not least, if you want something, whether it is a job, or a good networking, you have to ask for it. Setting yourself a strong personal brand is the beginning of getting people to notice you. The next step will be your call of action to get that opportunity coming. Do not hesitate to ask for something, because if you don’t, then you already know the answer. Afterall, the worst answer you can get when you ask is a no.

 

Source:

Kent, L., 2017, Five Tips For Building A Strong Personal Brand, available at https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbesagencycouncil/2017/06/21/five-tips-for-building-a-strong-personal-brand/#241ff6947855