Personal branding has become somewhat of a buzzword. A phrase that will make many people exaggeratedly eye roll. But here’s the thing… Everyone has a personal brand.
Whether you like it or not. What do people say about you in a room full of people? How would your best friend describe you to some they’ve just met? What do your clients say about working with you? The answers to all these questions show off your personal brand.
So, let’s kickstart this conversation with a quick definition.
If you look on the good ol’ internet, you’ll see a personal brand be described as…
- The process of defining and promoting what you stand for as an individual
- The conscious and intentional effort to create and influence public perception of an individual
- The process of creating an identity for yourself as an individual or business
When I help business owners craft their personal brand, I’m helping them develop an intentional representation of who they are, what they stand for, and how they want others to see them (and their brand).
In other words, your personal brand is who you are.
“In order for connection to happen, we have to allow ourselves to be seen, really seen.”
Brené Brown
A personal brand that is true to your values won’t feel icky or dishonest. It will feel natural and empowering. Better yet, it will attract likeminded people and let you hone your zone of genius.
What goes into a personal brand?
Your personal brand is made up of five core elements:
- Your values
- Your personality
- Your skills
- Your purpose & goals
- Your experiences
Let’s take a look at each of these in a tiny bit more detail. This way we can really get to grips with what it means to build a personal brand.
Your values
The dictionary definition of values is that they are “principles or standards of behaviour; one’s judgement of what is important in life” — a pretty snoozeworthy definition, if you ask me.
My definition of values is that they are the things in life that you really, really, realllllly give a sh*t about deep in your soul.
And learning how to uncover your values as a business owner is key to building an authentic personal brand.
You need to dig deep into your values and understand what sets your soul on fire.
Most people narrow their values down to 3 – 5 things. Anything you share online should, by default, align with one or more of these values. If it doesn’t align with any of your values, then it’s probably not true to who you are or what you feel.
Your personality
People connect with people. It’s a simple fact of life. So, if you want to attract people to your business that just *get* you, you need to make sure your personal brand lets your personality shine.
Your personality is what makes you unique. It’s what helps you build bonds with people and turn one-time clients into loyal advocates.
Maybe you’re funny. Perhaps you’re conscientious and caring. Or maybe you’re just downright honest and say things as they are. However you might describe yourself, make sure that personality shows up in your personal brand.
Your skills
Everybody has strengths and skills. Take time to think about your skills and how you can lean on these in your personal brand.
Getting to grips with your skills is the best way to intentionally incorporate those skills into your personal brand, ensuring you become the go-to person for that skill set.
Your skills can be a mix of hard and soft skills. Heck, you can even include professional and personal skills here. Great juggler? Shout about it! It’s certainly memorable if you’re the only juggling accountant out there.
Some skills that might make up your personal brand are marketing, accounting, data analysis, decision-making, communicating, and problem solving. Remember, your skills are unique to you.
Your purpose and goals
I’m sure you’ve heard countless times about how you need to find your why. Well, I’m not a big believer in having a “why” (but I’ll save that story for another time). I am, however, a big believer in having a purpose and having goals.
These are the things that drive you forwards. Your purpose is what compels you in your business — why you do the things you do. Meanwhile, your goals are the outcomes you want to achieve.
When thinking of your purpose and goals, you may want to keep things strictly professional or you might want to incorporate personal purpose and goals here too. Frankly, I like a mix of both. We are, after all, multifaceted people, and much of who we are as people outside of our businesses crosses over into the work we do.
Keeping your purpose and goals in mind when building a personal brand will make sure you stay authentic to who you are while also ensuring your personal brand helps you achieve those goals. Some goals you have in mind may be to educate people, to become a thought leader, to build a community, earn £15,000 a month, inspire people, work 3 days a week, spend more time with your family, gain 10 new leads… the list goes on. The possibilities are endless.
Your experiences
This is your personal story. Your experiences are the things that make you, you. The experiences you have lived represent all the ways you can connect with other people.
Your experiences are unique to you. And yet, they can be the thread that connects you with thousands of like minded people.
Sharing your experiences is key for making your personal brand personal to you.
Some experiences you can share as part of your personal brand include being a parent, a young entrepreneur, your hobbies, travel experiences, volunteering, passion projects, your culture, leadership experience, upbringing… whatever you may have done in life can be an experience.
Curating your personal brand
Sit down, grab a pen and paper, and journal on the above five elements of your personal brand. Write down everything. Omit nothing.
Once you’ve got your messy personal brand down on paper. Self-edit. Pull out the elements of your personal brand that you really want to lean into. You should have at least 5 answers to each of the 5 elements of having a personal brand.
Understanding your personal brand is crucial for having an authentic strategy behind your brand voice, messaging, and marketing. Your story matters. And it’s this story that will help you attract your dream audience and turn them into loyal customers.
This story is what will set you apart from competitors and make you stand out.
The better you understand your personal brand, the more authentically you will be able to market yourself — without feeling the ick.
Get help crafting your personal brand
As a strategic conversion copywriter and LinkedIn ghostwriter, I know all about personal branding. I’ve got tried-and-tested frameworks for building personal brands and getting my clients in front of the right people.
If you need help defining your personal brand and making sure it’s authentic to you, drop me a line. I can help you map out your brand vision and voice with clarity with LinkedIn personal branding. Together, we’ll hone your personal brand so you can confidently show up online, let your personality shine, and get your dream customers in line.
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