4 reasons you need a Personal Brand
Successful branding is about emotions, not products or services. It’s about creating an emotional connection between you and the person (or client) you serve. You have a personal brand, whether you want one or not. Everything you share , every action you do, every decision you make are all part of your brand.
A personal brand is similar to a company brand but typically without the flashy logo or a color palette. A personal brand goes far beyond having a nice-looking business card or website. It’s an all encompassing sentiment about who you are, what you do, and how you present yourself to your ideal audience. Your personal brand is the image you put forth. It’s what you stand for. Your values. What you’re all about. The core of who you are as a person. Think of this as your secret sauce, the thing that sets you apart from everyone else and makes you unique.
Your personal brand centers around you as an individual and the value that you offer. A personal brand will involve the specific ways that you solve people’s deepest pain points and biggest frustrations.
The question is whether you want your brand to develop on its own, with no guidance from you, or whether you want to be actively in control of the process.
4 Reason Why You Need to Build a Personal Brand
1. Allows You to Stand Out from the Competition
Your brand should highlight your values, expertise, and story which will set you apart from your competitors. Your competitors can’t bring what you bring to the table. They simply don’t have what you have to offer. You have unique experiences, strengths, beliefs, perspectives, skills, and insights that set you apart from everyone else. These are incredibly valuable and they allow you to capitalize on your strengths which gives you a distinct competitive advantage.
2. Give You Influence & Allows You to Charge a Premium Price
Personal branding highlights just how unique you are and the incredible value that you offer. The more you develop your personal brand, the more influence you will possess. Others will seek your opinion and leadership on topics for which you have expressed interest, expertise, or innovation on. Because you bring unique value to the table, a value that no one else offers, you can charge more for your services. The stronger your brand, the more people want your services. The more people want your services, the higher the price you can charge.
3. Allows You to Attract Your Ideal Audience & Increase Your Visibility
When you’re known or have a reputation as a certain type of person in your industry:
It attracts your ideal audience, the people who need your help the most.
You get more referrals from others in your industry and related industries.
Building your brand is a virtuous cycle that brings greater and greater results the more you do it. The more you work to build your personal brand, the more individuals will want to connect with you. People will be attracted to your values, personality, convictions, and the insights you have to offer. The more connected you are, the more business opportunities will present themselves to you.
4. Puts You in Charge of the Narrative & Shapes Your Career Direction
Your personal brand will evolve, whether you want it to or not. You’re determining what others think about you, rather than simply letting them form their own opinions.As you have new experiences, learnings, and opportunities this will reshape your personal brand. It is important to recognize these effects and change the narrative to fit your own evolution. Continually ask yourself, “Are you determining what your brand is all about, or are you letting it happen in an ad hoc manner?” “Are you thoughtfully curating your brand, or are you letting your brand “evolve” on its own?”
If you don’t have a strong personal brand, then you don’t have any guidelines as to what opportunities you should pursue. When you have a strong personal brand, it guides you toward exactly what opportunities you should say Yes to.