A personal brand is not unlike your business brand, in fact, for some people they are one in the same. Perhaps you’re a professional author, a realtor, or even a chef—there are a variety of reasons why your personal brand might be just as important if not more so than your business brand. It’s important to make the most out of your personal brand in order to take your business to the next level, but where do you begin?
Determine the importance of your personal brand. Every business strives to set themselves apart from the crowd and as such it should come as no surprise that what works for one business probably won’t work for another. Want to know if your personal brand is relevant to your business?
Ask yourself these quick questions:
- When I sell my business am I selling them on the benefits of working specifically with me or am I selling a product? If you’re selling the benefits of working with you then a well-established personal brand will only aid your efforts.
- Do I bring in the majority of our business? If you’re the one constantly out there trying to bring in business then improving your personal brand is essential to improving your close-rates.
- Am I well known in my industry? Do you think others in your industry recognise your name when they hear it? If so, your personal brand is already in development—now it’s just time to perfect it!
Develop the basics of your personal brand. We’re not talking about having a designer create a brand mark for you, though if you’re personal brand is your brand (like the examples mentioned early on) then that’s essential. Find out more about branding here.
Your personal brand starts with a few key items:
- Your LinkedIn Page: This should be up to date and filled out to the best of your ability, including a current headshot, short biography and recommendations where applicable.
- Your website: If your personal brand is part of your business then you’ll need a page dedicated to you (and your team) on your website—people rely on your website for the majority of their information, make sure it’s all available to them.
Take your personal brand one step further. There are a variety of ways to take your personal brand to the next level and we’re not talking about posting your photo on the side of a bus.
- Share your knowledge. Look to local universities who may be interested in guest lecturers in your industry, send a sample column to local newspapers and magazines where you relay your personal experiences. You’d be surprised how receptive people will be to this.
- Join groups. This can be on social media websites like LinkedIn or Facebook or in-person industry meet ups. The more you start participating your industry, the more positive change you’ll experience in your business.
- Network. This can be as intensive as you’d like; from full-blown networking events to taking advantage of an elevator ride with your ‘elevator pitch’. The essential element? Ensure that you absolutely always have your business card with you—you never know when the next opportunity will arise.
- Social Media: Now that your website is up to date and your LinkedIn is populated you can expand your sites to other social media sites such as Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. The key is to continuously maintain these pages with relevant content and ensure if you’re using it for professional reasons, that you keep your page professional at all times. Being in the public eye isn’t all fun and games!
Nervous about populating your LinkedIn and writing your bio? We can help! Contact Chilli today for help with your personal brand development or download our eBook, Use LinkedIn to your Advantage here.
