Branding goes beyond corporate logos and catchy TV jingles and into things that make you instantly recognisable to your audience. You might think that branding is only something that established companies have to worry about, but your personal branding can help you to attain more blog hits, diversify your audience, attract more clients or employers and redefine who you are. Read this guide if you want to know more about how to start building a great personal brand and be a success!
#1 Target Audience
You need to know your target audience. If you’re looking for a job or career your target audience is your potential employer, if you’re starting a business your target audience is your potential client.
#2 Who you are
You need to know your values, your ideas and your professional goals. This is important because you can market yourself towards your target audience by deciding if your values align with your professional goals. You need to make yourself memorable in a way that isn’t tacky or overdone, so market research will help. If you’re angling towards a potential employer, research your dream positions and places of employment and know exactly what they stand for and who might be viewing your work.
#3 Personal website
A personal website or space on the internet to advertise who you are and what you do, is one of the best ways to attract potential clients or employers. Make your space well-designed and coherent and use social media and LinkedIn to promote yourself. Another great tip for personal branding is to ensure you have a professional headshot photo throughout your social media accounts, if you have any accounts you don’t want an employer or client to see, keep them well-hidden!
#4 Business cards
A great business card will go a long way too, following the design you’ve picked for any of your website or online space. You can even design stickers and magnets with MOO, and hand those out at networking events.
#5 Networking
Yep, it’s so important and unfortunately it’s the source of most people’s anxiety. But you don’t necessarily have to network in a crowded room, online networking is so big these days with Twitter and Google Hangouts being broadcasted all around the internet. Even if you’re not networking with someone who could help you advance, getting your name out there is so integral to building a personal brand and people will keep you in mind if something relevant pops up.
#6 Become an asset
You need to believe you are an asset to any company or individual. It’s normally very hard to big yourself up but if you believe in personal branding you know that your personal brand doesn’t necessarily have to mimic how you are in real life, for example you might be quiet and insecure around friends and family but empowered and confident in the workplace. That’s your brand, you believe in it and you push to get yourself recognised. If you’re trying to break into a new industry or amass an audience, you need a USP (unique selling point) that will attract clients to you and impress people.
In order to build a successful personal brand, you need to treat yourself as a product that needs to be sold, why should people and companies buy into you? What makes you so special and worth investing in? It sounds strange, but personal branding is the future of climbing the corporate ladder, and if done well, could absolutely lead you to the doorstep of your dream career! Don’t forget to enter our fab Dior giveaway to bag yourself a pair of sexy summer sunglasses!