How to Build Your Personal Brand

A personal brand is much more than just the products or services that you’re selling. For instance, when you think of Oprah Winfrey, chances are you don’t think of her as just a talk show host. With a magazine, a book club, beauty products, and even her own TV channel, she’s come to be known for a multitude of things, all of which embody her personality and values. That’s what a successful personal brand looks like. It’s memorable, genuine, and tells a compelling story that speaks to its audience. With hard work and engagement, you can build your own successful brand that reflects who you are and what you have to offer.

[Edit]Steps

[Edit]Defining Your Brand

1. Choose specific demographics for your target audience. Identify who your target audience for your brand is by thinking about factors such as age, location, gender, income level, education, and ethnic background. Figure out who has a need for your brand and who is most likely to buy and support it.^[1]
   
   • You can also think about the psychology of your target. For instance, what kind of personality or attitude do the people interested in your brand have?
   • Knowing who your target market is can help you figure out ways to appeal to them and attract newcomers.
2. Focus your message so it appeals to your target audience. Think about who you’re trying to reach or sell your products to. Craft a message and think about what kind of content will market and promote your brand most effectively to your target audience.^[2]
   
   • Your personal brand and message need to focus on your target demographic to keep them engaged.
   • For example, if your goal is to appeal to recent college grads, your message could focus more on strategies and challenges around entering the professional workforce. If you’re trying to reach working moms, your message could include ways to deal with family stress or self-care strategies.
3. Research the industry and imitate experts in the field. Spend time reading up on business strategies and information about the industry you’re interested in. Find out who the experts are in your field. Look up their blogs, websites, articles, or anywhere else they’ve contributed their thoughts on the industry. Use their experience to help you build your own brand.^[3]
   
   • Even though the goal is to stand out in your industry, it’s important to know the major players in your field.
   • Use the internet to research experts and find resources and information about your field.
   • Find out how an expert you admire started off and became successful in the industry. For instance, if you’re into fitness, you can read interviews and articles about how a fitness model or athlete built their business so you can model your brand after theirs.
4. Create a list of your strengths and weaknesses. A simple way to help define who you and your brand are is to make a list of your personal strengths and weaknesses. Ask yourself questions about what areas of work you excel in, what characteristics other people have complimented you on, as well as which roles and jobs seem to drain you or don’t suit your talents. Brainstorm and write down everything that comes to mind.^[4]
   
   • Think about what industries, jobs, and challenges motivate or excite you.
   • Use your strengths and weaknesses to help you narrow down industries as well. For instance, if you prefer working on projects by yourself, then you may not want to work in an industry that requires collaboration.
5. Apply your strengths and weaknesses to your personal brand. Take your list of strengths and weaknesses and assess them as they relate to the industry or career that you work in. Find a specific niche in your industry that suits your talents and passion.^[5]
   
   • For example, clothing design is a massive industry, but if you’re really good at designing t-shirts with abstract art designs, and you love doing it, it could be your niche.

[Edit]Marketing Your Personal Brand

1. Reflect the beliefs of your brand in your personal life. Separating your personal brand from your personal life can actually make building it more difficult. Instead, live your brand by having your actual lifestyle reflect your brand so it’s more authentic and more appealing.^[6]
   
   • For instance, if your personal brand focuses on wellness and nutrition, you can make yourself and your brand look more genuine by practicing what you preach and eating well and exercising.
   • Don’t think of your personal brand as just your job functions, but also your personal ideals. If you work in finance, your daily life can reflect your personal philosophies such as kindness or thoughtful leadership.
2. Craft an elevator pitch summary of your brand. An “elevator pitch” is a super-short summary of an idea that can be delivered quickly to anybody who’s interested in hearing about it. Spend some time boiling down your personal brand into a few short, memorable phrases that you can memorize and pitch to someone on short notice and capture their attention.^[7]
   
   • Create a summary that reflects the people you serve, the values you embody, and the results you achieve.
   • Tell your audience what you do and what makes you different and exciting. If your personal brand is focused on a vegan lifestyle, you can talk about the health benefits you noticed after cutting out animal products from your life as well as the delicious recipes you’ve discovered.
   • Let’s say you’re a conflict resolution specialist with a focus on mediating corporate disputes. You could say something like, “Hi, I’m Chris Smith, I can fix professional arguments. My experience as a corporate lawyer helps me find compromises that everyone can live with.”
3. Attend networking events to meet potential customers and clients. Look online for local networking events for people related to your industry. Attend the events and talk to as many people as you can to make business connections and increase awareness of your personal brand. Hand out business cards and collect contact information from the people you meet so you can get in touch with them.^[8]
   
   • Designing a good-looking business card is an easy, simple, and quick way to pass along your contact info and give people a good idea of what your brand represents.
   • Accept invitations from other people in your industry to attend networking events as well.
   • Don’t worry if you get nervous! Think of the event as potential job opportunities. Just be professional, polite, and tell people a bit about who you are.
4. Keep an up-to-date list of your contacts for future marketing. Create a spreadsheet or a list of business contacts and potential clients. Whenever you meet a new contact or you get someone’s business card, add it to your list or spreadsheet so you can reach out to them for potential marketing or to use their services.^[9]
   
   • Capture their name, email, and try to include any info you have about them. For instance, you could add a note like “John, loves pizza, has a wife and 2 kids.” You can use these details when you talk to them in the future.

[Edit]Growing Your Online Presence

1. Focus on an online platform that suits your interests. Choose a platform that you enjoy using, you’re good at using, and is better suited for your personal brand. Focus on marketing and building an audience on that platform, which is more likely to include people from your target audience.^[10]
   
   • For instance, Twitter may be more effective for reaching a broader audience, while Facebook may be more effective for marketing to people who know you.
   • You can also research which platforms are more effective for your industry to help you choose a focus.
2. Make lots of quality content on your platform. Create the best quality content that you can that reflects and promotes your personal brand. Share the content on your platform so your target audience can see and share it.^[11]
   
   • For instance, you could live-stream one of your gaming sessions on Facebook live if you’re into video games. If you’re into plants and flowers, you can use Instagram to post beautiful photos of them.
   • Try to post as often as you can to stay engaged with your target audience.
3. Collaborate to create content with other people in your industry. Get in touch with other people who work in your industry and have their own following. Collaborate on a project or make content together that you can share. You’ll trade audiences and grow your own social media following. Everybody wins!^[12]
   
   • If your brand revolves around fitness, you could get together with another fitness figure, record a workout together, and post it.
   • You could also play fun challenges or games with other content creators. For instance, if you’re into video games, you could challenge another gamer to a duel and broadcast the results.
4. Use LinkedIn as an additional social media tool for your brand. LinkedIn is a social media platform that’s more focused on professional business connections and job searches. Make an account, and focus on highlighting your skills related to your industry. Connect with other people in your industry, participate in group discussions, and reach out to meet new people.^[13]
   
   • You can also read and share industry-related articles on LinkedIn.
   • If you’re ever in the market for a new job, the connections you make on LinkedIn can be super valuable tools to help you land one.
   • Use a professional photo for your account so recruiters and industry leaders are more likely to contact or connect with you.
5. Create a Twitter and use it for your brand’s specific niche. Twitter is an expansive platform that you can use to follow leaders in your field and stay relevant in your specific niche. Incorporate your personal brand in your bio and use hashtags that are related to your specific niche. Retweet top industry stories and connect with other people through their accounts.^[14]
   
   • For instance, if you’re into collecting, selling, and trading high-end sneakers, you could add hashtags like #sneakerheads, #jordan, #kicks, and #kicksonfire.
6. Read and respond to what your audience is saying online. In addition to creating and posting content, it’s important that you engage with your audience by responding to their comments and messages. You can also use the things they say and post to get an idea about what they’re talking about and are interested in so you can tailor your content to be more relevant.^[15]
   
   • For example, if there’s a funny new meme format that people in your audience are sharing, you can tweak it to fit your brand and share your own version to increase engagement.

[Edit]Optimizing Your Website

1. Create a website using a hosting service for easy customization. A website is a super important part of your personal brand because it’s what people will see and how they’ll contact you or purchase something from you. Use a hosting service like Squarespace or Wix, which makes designing your website super simple.^[16]
   
   • Other popular web hosting services include GoDaddy, Bluehost, and HostGator.
   • You’ll need to pay a subscription fee to keep your website up and running.
   • Choose a domain name that suits your brand. For instance, if you’re into design, you could go with something like “designsbyjulie.com.”
2. Design a professional logo for your website. A high-quality logo shows people that you’re serious and your brand is professional. Think about the mood you want your logo to convey and choose a design that communicates your brand to your audience.^[17]
   
   • Look at other logos in your industry to get ideas for your own and so you don’t create one that closely resembles the competition.
   • If you need help, consider hiring a professional graphic designer.
3. Use written content and video to craft a brand story. Building a narrative about your personal brand is an effective strategy to expand your audience. Record videos talking about yourself and your brand and post them to your website so people can watch them. Write blog posts and articles so visitors can read and learn more about you and your brand.^[18]
   
   • People will feel more invested if they feel like they have a personal connection to your brand.
4. Upload professional photographs of you and your products. Make your website look as good and professional as possible by using high-quality photographs. Hire a photographer or use a high-definition to take professional-looking photos of you and your products. Post the photos on your website for people to see when they visit.^[19]
   
   • Low-quality photos can make your brand look unprofessional.
5. Add any testimonials and media features to your website. Whenever a customer, client, or someone in your industry praises you and your work, add it to your website as a testimonial. Link any news articles or media coverage about you or your brand as well. Use them as proof that you can solve other people’s problems and produce quality work.^[20]
   
   • For instance, if a customer tells you something like, “Thanks so much! You’re a lifesaver!” ask them if you can share their testimonial on your site.
   • If you’re ever in the news or someone writes about your services, link it to your website so visitors can see it!
6. Entice people to give you their email address for leads. Offer a discount or exclusive content for free in exchange for a visitor’s email address. Collect the emails and use them for future marketing campaigns so you can get the word out to people who have already visited your site and know a little bit about you and your brand.^[21]
   
   • Try not to spam people who give you their email address or they may block you.

[Edit]Video

[Edit]Tips

• Try to be as genuine as you can. People can tell if you’re trying to sell them something and may be turned off if they think you’re pretending to care about something.
• Remember that even if you change jobs or even careers, you can still carry your personal brand with you into new industries and experiences.

[Edit]Related wikiHows

• Monitor Your Online Reputation
• Build a Brand
• Build an Artistic Brand
• Create a Brand Positioning for a Small Business

[Edit]References

[Edit]Quick Summary

1. ↑ https://www.inc.com/guides/2010/06/defining-your-target-market.html
2. ↑ https://www.forbes.com/sites/goldiechan/2018/11/08/10-golden-rules-personal-branding/#4f36e5aa58a7
3. ↑ https://www.northeastern.edu/graduate/blog/tips-for-building-your-personal-brand/
4. ↑ https://www.northeastern.edu/graduate/blog/tips-for-building-your-personal-brand/
5. ↑ https://www.northeastern.edu/graduate/blog/tips-for-building-your-personal-brand/
6. ↑ https://www.forbes.com/sites/goldiechan/2018/11/08/10-golden-rules-personal-branding/#4f36e5aa58a7
7. ↑ https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/298513
8. ↑ https://www.inc.com/peter-economy/10-powerful-habits-for-marketing-yourself-and-building-a-personal-brand.html
9. ↑ https://www.inc.com/peter-economy/10-powerful-habits-for-marketing-yourself-and-building-a-personal-brand.html
10. ↑ https://www.inc.com/nicolas-cole/how-to-build-a-personal-brand-in-5-steps-and-why-everyone-messes-up-on-number-1.html
11. ↑ https://www.inc.com/nicolas-cole/how-to-build-a-personal-brand-in-5-steps-and-why-everyone-messes-up-on-number-1.html
12. ↑ https://www.inc.com/nicolas-cole/how-to-build-a-personal-brand-in-5-steps-and-why-everyone-messes-up-on-number-1.html
13. ↑ https://www.northeastern.edu/graduate/blog/tips-for-building-your-personal-brand/
14. ↑ https://www.northeastern.edu/graduate/blog/tips-for-building-your-personal-brand/
15. ↑ https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/298513
16. ↑ https://www.inc.com/nicolas-cole/how-to-build-a-personal-brand-in-5-steps-and-why-everyone-messes-up-on-number-1.html
17. ↑ https://medium.com/better-marketing/the-complete-guide-to-building-a-personal-brand-in-2020-725c9530bc49
18. ↑ https://www.forbes.com/sites/goldiechan/2018/11/08/10-golden-rules-personal-branding/#4f36e5aa58a7
19. ↑ https://medium.com/better-marketing/the-complete-guide-to-building-a-personal-brand-in-2020-725c9530bc49
20. ↑ https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/343031
21. ↑ https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/343031