Want to Build Your Personal Brand? It’s Easier Than You Think

Anyone who is active on social media has their own personal brand established in some way, whether they know it or not. If you’re reading this right now and you didn’t know you had a personal brand, Google yourself! Anything that mentions you is part of your brand and reputation.

Personal branding is the process of developing a brand identity for yourself. This is how you will project yourself to the world to ensure that your target audience knows who you are, what you stand for, and why they should pick you over your competitors. Personal branding is simply how you market yourself.

What’s the big deal about having a personal brand? Creating your personal brand can help control the narrative about yourself before someone else takes control and gives you a bad rep. Plus, having a strong personal brand can help you stand out from your competitors and build trust with your audience, ultimately leading to more opportunities.

How to build your personal brand

Find your focus.

Think of some of the biggest influencers out there—what do they have in common? They usually have some sort of focus or niche around their personal brand. This helps them gather a following from a specific audience and helps them steer their content in a particular direction. 

Ask yourself:

What do you want people to think of when they hear your name?

Is there a certain theme that resonates with you that you could post about often? 

Think of yourself as the spokesperson for this theme. From sports to beauty to activism, the opportunities are endless when it comes to finding a focus for your content.

Find your USP.

Find your USP (your unique selling proposition, or unique selling point). This will give people a reason to follow you and help you stand out from the crowd. Your USP should fall in line with the focus of your content. You can learn more about finding your USP here!

Get social.

Having a distinct username, sometimes called a handle, is essential. It should be as consistent as possible across your social media channels. You can simply go with your name (if it’s available), or you can go a more creative route and tie your focus into the username. 

Be sure to post on multiple social media channels consistently. You want to appear in your follower’s feeds often so they don’t forget about you. Out of sight, out of mind, right? But don’t just post to post. Make sure the content you post is valuable to your followers, and for the most part, positive. Try to stick to your theme as much as possible, but remember that nobody is perfect. It’s okay if your feed doesn’t look like a heavily curated Pinterest board.

Above all, be engaging. Take polls and ask your followers questions. They want to feel special, too! Pose a question at the end of every post to encourage your followers to respond in the comments. The news feed algorithms are tricky and are always changing, but keeping a high engagement rate will increase your chance of gaining more traction.

Make connections.

If you want to make a name for yourself and maintain your personal brand, you need to make connections with people in your industry or with people who have a similar focus. Join various Facebook groups, go to local or virtual networking events, and connect with your favorite leaders on LinkedIn. Don’t be afraid to get out there! We all start somewhere.

Be authentic.

Do remember that social media is often used as a highlight reel, and it’s okay to post your not-so-happy moments once in a while. It’s important to be authentic—it will resonate with your followers, no matter what focus you’ve latched onto. Plus, your authenticity will set you apart from everyone else. Nobody is like you!