Related:\u00a06 Most Common Branding Myths and Fallacies [Debunked!]<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n In the literal sense, a personal brand may involve a particular image, logo, color palette, or slogan to represent an individual’s product or services. However, branding can be all that and more<\/a>, encompassing tone of voice, your online presence, and your way of expressing ideas.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n That’s why your brand is as much about how you walk into a room as it is about the logo on your website<\/a>. Ultimately, your personal brand will be what gives clients, associates, and complete strangers the most lasting impression.<\/p>\n And it’s completely within your control.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n In every industry and niche, some people stand out from the crowd and seem to be the go-to authority for advice and opinions.\u00a0Think of top chefs such as Jamie Oliver or Gordon Ramsay and of entrepreneurs like Richard Branson and Elon Musk. They have built a particular image around their personality and talent. They have also succeeded to impose this picture at a worldwide level.<\/p>\n Related:\u00a03 Famous Brand Failures and How to Avoid Their Mistakes<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n There are several reasons why a brand personality is no longer a luxury, it’s a necessity.<\/span><\/p>\n Freelancers now make up 34% of the United States workforce according to a study conducted by the Freelancers Union and Elance-oDesk. This includes 40% independent contractors, 27% moonlighters, 10% temp workers, and 5% freelance business owners.<\/span><\/p>\n This means that if you’d like to thrive as a freelancer, you’ll need to be heard above the noise by establishing and upholding a strong personal brand.<\/span><\/p>\n While much of your business may come from word of mouth, prospective clients will often do a search for your business before they contact you. This means that your brand should remain consistent across different social media channels, review sites, and your website.<\/span><\/p>\n Especially true when you are in a creative industry like graphic design or writing, however no matter what your specialty, prospective clients want to get to know the real you. Your brand should showcase your personality and what makes you different from the droves of people offering the same service.<\/span><\/p>\n Related:\u00a0Brand Yourself! Marketing 101 for Independent Contractors<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n Developing a brand isn’t just designing a logo<\/a> (although that’s extremely important too). In order to create a brand unique to you, you will need to find your “voice.” Here are seven questions to get your creative juices flowing.<\/span><\/p>\n Related:\u00a0How to Use Brand Storytelling to Resonate With Your Audience<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n As you answer these questions, you will have an easier time finding your company’s voice and creating a unique brand.<\/span><\/p>\n A personal branding statement prevents you from chewing off someone’s ear when they aren’t your target audience and allows others to repeat what you do if they come in to contact with your ideal client.<\/span><\/p>\n A relative of the Elevator Pitch, a personal branding statement is 1-2 sentences long and made up of three parts:<\/span><\/p>\n This statement allows you to clearly communicate how you can help potential clients, in under 30 seconds. The idea isn’t to spill your entire life’s story or give away your methodology, but rather to spark interest and start a conversation.<\/span><\/p>\n While you need to develop a brand all your own, it may help to learn from some of the great personal brands. Pay attention to their visuals, but also notice how you get a feel for their personality, their voice, and how they can help their clients.<\/span><\/p>\n Take a look at these ladies’ brands and see how you can use their techniques to develop your own unique personality.<\/span><\/p>\n If you want to be successful, you need to become such authority in your line of business, and to do that, you need to build your personal brand.\u00a0Every great undertaking has a beginning. Here are five effective steps\u00a0you can take right away to give your brand an identity:<\/p>\n Social media is crucial in the internet marketing sphere. Through Facebook, LinkedIn or YouTube, you can build networks, find potential clients or partners, follow your mentors, and learn about trending topics. It is important to understand that a professional social media profile differs from the one you created to connect with family and friends.<\/p>\n \u00a0Start with the image itself: the profile photo.<\/strong> It will determine the first impression you make on the people who visit your profile. While it should not be a stiff headshot, like an ID photo, it must convey\u00a0the idea of professionalism and reliability. You should invest in a photo session with a professional photographer and get\u00a0a portfolio of great pictures for your social media profiles.<\/p>\n Make sure you post on a consistent basis<\/strong>, creating and curating the articles that you find important about the industry. Your passion in what you do will reflect in your social media activities and give visitors a positive impression.<\/p>\n When you create a personal brand image, it should always reflect your real personality, values and principles. Professional connections and potential clients respond positively to a genuine approach.\u00a0Trust your abilities and skills and believe in yourself. If you are determined, open and sincere, people will feel confident enough to give you referrals and help strengthen your reputation. Remember that no tricks can replace a positive image of professionalism and willingness to help others.<\/p>\n Sit down to draft a mission statement or short goal that summarizes what your brand should be all about. It should be concise while highlighting what makes your services the best they\u00a0can be. This will help you shape your true feelings about your role in the business you’re in and help you come to understand what values your brand should convey.<\/p>\n One of the best ways\u00a0to develop a personal brand and create the reputation of authority in your niche is by authoring\u00a0helpful articles and\u00a0participating in\u00a0interviews\u00a0for\u00a0various websites and professional blogs. These online forums have a large daily readership, many of these being other professionals like you who can provide endorsements or people who are seeking the type of services you offer. Guest blogging can be instrumental to branding<\/a>, helping to\u00a0secure your online presence and make you stand out among your peers in your field.<\/p>\n Ask your associates and connections as well as top industry publications for a chance to contribute to their sites. Through these specialized articles and interviews, you can create and share your tone of voice, make your core values clear and showcase your skills and strengths. Plus, any content is precious for building backlinks to your website and increasing your chances to get found on Google.<\/p>\n You should perform various searches for your name on Google and social media. You can even utilize\u00a0various online tools\u00a0that can\u00a0send you instant notifications or daily digests for every instance \u00a0your name was mentioned online.<\/p>\n This is an imperative part of building your personal brand. As soon as you discover a negative mention of your name, you should react, find out why it happened and do everything in your power to correct it. Potential clients tend to respond negatively to poor reviews, but if you show that you’re doing your best to engage with customers and resolve their issues, it will actually prove\u00a0your commitment to great service and help your image despite the original feedback.<\/p>\n If you want to stay relevant in your industry, you need to be constantly up to date with the latest trends in your industry. This is what differentiates industry leaders who grew a powerful personal brand from the rest: they are always the first to offer insights on the latest news and approaches while implementing them in their own work.<\/p>\n As a sign of professional strength, you should always keep in mind that it is not enough to build an image; you have to maintain it, grow it and keep it consistently fresh and relevant in an ever-changing business environment.<\/p>\n One of the most important parts about building a personal brand is to embrace a unified and cohesive way of doing things. The look, feel and theme of your professional persona should be consistent<\/a>\u00a0in every aspect of your efforts. Your social media and any business cards<\/a> or other marketing materials should reflect the rest of the platform that you’ve spent your time building.<\/p>\n The goal is to\u00a0differentiate you from your competition and provide recognizability when potential clients come across your work. This\u00a0ultimately affects your credibility in a positive way and establishes you as an industry authority, even if they didn’t originally know you, making you the perfect candidate to turn to when potential customers are looking for solutions.<\/p>\nPersonal Branding Defined<\/h2>\n
Why Your Brand Personality Matters<\/strong><\/h2>\n
1. The market is saturated.<\/strong><\/h3>\n
2) Google isn’t going anywhere.<\/strong><\/h3>\n
3) Since you’re self-employed, you are selling you<\/em>.<\/strong><\/h3>\n
How to Build a Personal Brand from Scratch<\/strong><\/h2>\n
\n
The Importance of a Personal Branding Statement<\/strong><\/h2>\n
\n
The Best Personal Branding Examples<\/strong><\/h3>\n
\n
Where to Start When\u00a0Building a Personal Brand?<\/h2>\n
1. \u00a0Create Social Media Profiles<\/h3>\n
2. \u00a0Build Your Image Around Your True Self<\/h3>\n
3. \u00a0Embrace Guest Blogging and Interviews<\/h3>\n
4. \u00a0Monitor Your Online Reputation<\/h3>\n
5. \u00a0Keep Learning and Improving Your Skills<\/h3>\n
The Importance of a Cohesive Approach<\/h2>\n
![\"business_card_sample_pack_CTA\"](\"\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/CTA_Mockup_1-1.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"