When you think about branding, big businesses probably immediately come to mind. When you hear names like McDonald’s and Coke, their brands and logos immediately come to mind. Why? Because they’ve branded themselves so well throughout the years that there’s no doubt what they stand for and who they are.
If big businesses can create a well-known brand, why can’t you do the same for yourself? Many celebrities have done it, and so can you.
A personal brand makes it easier to market yourself. You just have to put yourself out there, put in the effort, and get people to know you. Think about this…what do you want to be known for? What kind of reputation do you want? Answering these questions will help you discover your personal brand.
If you’re not sure if this is the road you want to take, you may change your mind after reading these ten reasons why personal branding is important.
1. Obtain Name Recognition
What’s in a name? A lot if you’re working on your personal brand. To achieve name recognition, people need to know what you do, what you stand for, and who you are. When you’ve created a strong personal brand, it will bring people right to your website or social media sites. They’ll immediately be familiar with you and what you do.
2. Gain Trust and Confidence
When you’ve established your personal brand and your online reputation, you’re building trust and credibility in the process. People tend to gravitate towards businesses and products that stand for something that they can trust. If you can put yourself out there as someone who can be trusted, you gain confidence which in turn will lead to success because people will choose you over the competition.
3. Gain Exposure to a Larger Audience
The build it and they will come motto applies to your personal brand as well. You need to build your personal brand and not wait for people to come to you. To do this, you can turn to Facebook and create ads as well as write blog posts to let people know more about who you are, your knowledge, and what you stand for. Also, think about creating videos so people can put a face with the name. The idea is to communicate with your audience so that it grows.
4. The Right People Start to Find You
While anyone may be able to find you online by doing a simple search, building your personal brand is important because it helps the right people find you. By this, we mean the people who will patronize your business and help you build it. As you mold your online image and personal brand, it will be easier for people you want to find you to do so. To do this, you need to establish yourself as an authority.
5. You Become More Memorable
Instead of being referred to as “that man” or “that woman”, you become more memorable when you build your personal brand. Let people know what makes you unique and why they should be on your team rather than the competition. Make a solid lasting impression. This will help you gain momentum as your personal brand begins to take shape and you become more memorable.
6. Your Online Visibility Increases
As you build your personal brand, your online visibility increases. There are certain things you can do to get this going in the right direction. You’ll want to publish regular content because it helps to make you memorable. The more you can stay top of mind, the better it will be for your brand. When you’re posting content, be sure to optimize it so that it will get picked up when people search keywords.
7. People Can Relate to You
When people think about what you stand for and can connect with you, they begin to relate better. As you start to connect with others, relationships form. These relationships can give your business a huge boost. Find things that you have in common and work on those. This means remaining true to yourself and who you are while networking wherever you can. You don’t want to be different things to different people. Part of establishing your brand is having a consistent image that is out in the world.
If people begin to notice that your persona is different to fit different situations and people, they’ll label you as a fake. That’s not the personal brand you want.
8. You Control How People See You
Paying attention to your brand allows you to control how people see you. What you put out is what people see. You decide what your brand should portray about you and. Be intentional about the stories you want to tell and what you want people to know about you.
9. You Can Show Your Personality
Part of developing your brand is showing off your YOUnique differentiation by sharing your personality. You want to add flair and show people that you stand out. You don’t want to blend in with the crowd and get caught in the “sea of sameness”. This won’t help you connect with a larger audience and surely won’t make you memorable.
When you show your personality, be ready for people who don’t like you. That’s ok. You’ll be able to weed them out and make more room for the people who can connect with you and want to help you be successful.
10. Your Business Begins to Sell Itself
If you’ve branded yourself well, your business will begin to sell itself. As people get to know you and engage with your content, they’ll start creating a buzz. This buzz will help your business sell itself.
For this to happen, you need to tell a story that will attract others and build your brand. Many people turn to videos or live streaming to accomplish this because it’s more personal. Once you’ve done this successfully, your business will begin to sell itself.
The Key Takeaway
Do you see the importance of building your personal brand? It can make or break your business so you want to put the time and effort in to get the results you want. Be authentic, be unique, and be ready to share your brand with the world.
