9 tips on how to build a personal brand online
Posted: Mon Dec 23, 2024 5:27 am
Have you entered your first and last name into Google search lately ?
Have you posted a nice photo on your Instagram profile or Facebook?
Have you perhaps published a professional article on LinkedIn?
All types of information you publish online are part of your personal brand.
A personal brand is what people say about you when you're not in the room. It's made up of three factors: the person themselves, the promise, and the relationships they have with each other. The person themselves are presented throughtheir values, personality, knowledge, and skills, all of which contribute to their uniqueness.
A personal brand should be a clear, strong and attractive image of an individual. It is important to build our brand awareness in such a way that the consumer perceives it as important to them and that the values that the brand represents match theirs.
Your brand is about the feelings a person has the moment they come into contact with you or your company. The best companies in the world don't sell, they build a brand. That doesn't mean that selling isn't important.
I want to emphasize that the personal branding strategy is an important factor that many entrepreneurs sideline.
So let's see what's important:
1.YOUR STORY
There are many ways to develop your personal brand . The most important thing is to have a story. A story is a powerful component of your personal brand. Everyone loves a good story; that's one of the reasons storytelling is so effective.
A great story tells people who you are, what you stand for, and how you got to where you are today. It's your journey from where you started, where you've come from, and where you're going.
When creating a story, answer the following questions:
Who are you?
What do you stand for?
What are your interests and what is your passion?
What do you value most?
What is your mission?
What would you like to achieve?
What kind of legacy would you like to leave behind?
How do you want people to remember you?
The success of your personal brand depends on how honestly you answer these questions. Once you have crafted your brand story, condense it into 2-3 sentences.
2. MAINTAIN A CONSISTENT ONLINE IMAGE
As you begin to build your personal brand , you will gradually increase your presence across multiple marketing channels and social media platforms. You need to maintain consistency when creating and optimizing your social media profiles. A consistent image will help you avoid confusion.
You can do this by following these steps:
Have your own personal logo and use it everywhere
Have the same profile picture on all channels;
Use your own colors that are also related to the color you use in the logo
3. MAKE SURE YOU BUILD COMMUNITY
Let’s be real. If you don’t have a loyal fan base, your personal brand won’t have any impact. It’s a group or community of followers who support your work and what you stand for. When you have your own community, you avoid the boring competition of trying to get everyone’s attention. You only need one group of people.
Remember, personal branding isn't just for business. Your personal brand has value no matter what space you enter. This means it will open up new opportunities for you.
Here are some ideas:
• Attend events online and offline.
• Join groups on social media.
• Visit forums in your industry and comment on posts.
• Participate in podcasts.
• Co-create content with influencers in your field.
4. BE AUTHENTIC AND SHOW YOUR VULNERABILITY
Authenticity cannot be forced. Authenticity occurs when words and actions align. You don’t promote yourself as “authentic.” You simply are. Being authentic means staying true to who you are, what you do, and who you serve. In an environment 11-digit phone number format philippines where more human elements matter, this creates value and benefits for your followers and improves your business.
Authenticity works because:
This will elevate your company above the competition.
It shapes your identity and image.
It gives your business, services, and products substance.
It allows people to connect with your business.
It helps people understand how your offer benefits them.
It tells people that your offering is of high quality.
It marks you as a reliable and trustworthy company.
It encourages collaboration.
Don't be afraid to show your vulnerability. We all bleed under the skin. Confide in your followers about any negative experiences.
5. PRIORITIZE BRAND BUILDING BEFORE SALES
In the long run, this will bring you much more visibility and consequently more sales. Always keep in mind what results you want to achieve in the long run.
6. FOCUS ON QUALITY AS WELL AS QUANTITY
I notice that when creating content, many entrepreneurs focus only on quality and not quantity. If you want to be visible, you need to be noticed. Both are necessary for a winning strategy. Think of it this way - quality is subjective, quantity is not.
When you create content and don't publish it, it's because you don't think it's good enough. You should be aware that publishing frequency is also important for visibility. After all, we're not perfect, and even if you're not completely satisfied with some content, publish it.
7. OFFER CONTENT WITH HIGH ADDED VALUE
Whether you create one piece of content or 100, always add value. Content can be educational , inspiring, entertaining ... Whatever you create, think about what value it will have for your audience.
How do you find out what your audience wants? The secret is listening. When you post something, monitor the comments. What questions do people ask? What are their biggest complaints? Is there anything they don't quite understand? If you read or listen carefully, you will find a lot of inspiration for creating quality content.
8. BE CONSISTENT
Many people have trouble building a strong personal brand , but it's not because they're not capable, or because their content is bad, or because they have nothing to contribute to the world. The problem lies in inconsistency.
Are you willing to put in the effort it takes? That means you have to put yourself out there. And not once a month or once a week, but every day.
The brands that stand out are the ones that keep showing up. That's just the way it is. The competition is fierce and without a regular presence, nothing will happen.
9. YOU MUST UNDERSTAND THAT THIS IS A MARATHON, NOT A SHORT-DISTANCE RACE
A common trap that entrepreneurs fall into is when their posts don't get the reach they'd like. Even if you do everything "right," the numbers won't necessarily reflect your efforts. The good news is that you don't have to feel bad about it.
Building a brand is about building a community. It really takes a lot of time - and the only way to succeed is to keep building. Don't worry about the followers you don't have. Instead, focus on the followers you do have
.
The best platform for building a personal brand for business purposes is definitely LinkedIn. Mainly because the mindset of LinkedIn users is different from those on other social networks.
People stay on LinkedIn because they are looking for quality and useful information , they follow trends, they network, and, last but not least, they open up new business opportunities. LinkedIn is also a long-distance runner.
I suggest you consider long-distance running. It requires different preparation, more patience, takes longer, and requires much more discipline from you, but in the end the payoff is significantly different than sprinting.
We all want our business to grow and develop, don't we? ☺
So get into action and join me for the last online LinkedIn workshop this year.
Have you posted a nice photo on your Instagram profile or Facebook?
Have you perhaps published a professional article on LinkedIn?
All types of information you publish online are part of your personal brand.
A personal brand is what people say about you when you're not in the room. It's made up of three factors: the person themselves, the promise, and the relationships they have with each other. The person themselves are presented throughtheir values, personality, knowledge, and skills, all of which contribute to their uniqueness.
A personal brand should be a clear, strong and attractive image of an individual. It is important to build our brand awareness in such a way that the consumer perceives it as important to them and that the values that the brand represents match theirs.
Your brand is about the feelings a person has the moment they come into contact with you or your company. The best companies in the world don't sell, they build a brand. That doesn't mean that selling isn't important.
I want to emphasize that the personal branding strategy is an important factor that many entrepreneurs sideline.
So let's see what's important:
1.YOUR STORY
There are many ways to develop your personal brand . The most important thing is to have a story. A story is a powerful component of your personal brand. Everyone loves a good story; that's one of the reasons storytelling is so effective.
A great story tells people who you are, what you stand for, and how you got to where you are today. It's your journey from where you started, where you've come from, and where you're going.
When creating a story, answer the following questions:
Who are you?
What do you stand for?
What are your interests and what is your passion?
What do you value most?
What is your mission?
What would you like to achieve?
What kind of legacy would you like to leave behind?
How do you want people to remember you?
The success of your personal brand depends on how honestly you answer these questions. Once you have crafted your brand story, condense it into 2-3 sentences.
2. MAINTAIN A CONSISTENT ONLINE IMAGE
As you begin to build your personal brand , you will gradually increase your presence across multiple marketing channels and social media platforms. You need to maintain consistency when creating and optimizing your social media profiles. A consistent image will help you avoid confusion.
You can do this by following these steps:
Have your own personal logo and use it everywhere
Have the same profile picture on all channels;
Use your own colors that are also related to the color you use in the logo
3. MAKE SURE YOU BUILD COMMUNITY
Let’s be real. If you don’t have a loyal fan base, your personal brand won’t have any impact. It’s a group or community of followers who support your work and what you stand for. When you have your own community, you avoid the boring competition of trying to get everyone’s attention. You only need one group of people.
Remember, personal branding isn't just for business. Your personal brand has value no matter what space you enter. This means it will open up new opportunities for you.
Here are some ideas:
• Attend events online and offline.
• Join groups on social media.
• Visit forums in your industry and comment on posts.
• Participate in podcasts.
• Co-create content with influencers in your field.
4. BE AUTHENTIC AND SHOW YOUR VULNERABILITY
Authenticity cannot be forced. Authenticity occurs when words and actions align. You don’t promote yourself as “authentic.” You simply are. Being authentic means staying true to who you are, what you do, and who you serve. In an environment 11-digit phone number format philippines where more human elements matter, this creates value and benefits for your followers and improves your business.
Authenticity works because:
This will elevate your company above the competition.
It shapes your identity and image.
It gives your business, services, and products substance.
It allows people to connect with your business.
It helps people understand how your offer benefits them.
It tells people that your offering is of high quality.
It marks you as a reliable and trustworthy company.
It encourages collaboration.
Don't be afraid to show your vulnerability. We all bleed under the skin. Confide in your followers about any negative experiences.
5. PRIORITIZE BRAND BUILDING BEFORE SALES
In the long run, this will bring you much more visibility and consequently more sales. Always keep in mind what results you want to achieve in the long run.
6. FOCUS ON QUALITY AS WELL AS QUANTITY
I notice that when creating content, many entrepreneurs focus only on quality and not quantity. If you want to be visible, you need to be noticed. Both are necessary for a winning strategy. Think of it this way - quality is subjective, quantity is not.
When you create content and don't publish it, it's because you don't think it's good enough. You should be aware that publishing frequency is also important for visibility. After all, we're not perfect, and even if you're not completely satisfied with some content, publish it.
7. OFFER CONTENT WITH HIGH ADDED VALUE
Whether you create one piece of content or 100, always add value. Content can be educational , inspiring, entertaining ... Whatever you create, think about what value it will have for your audience.
How do you find out what your audience wants? The secret is listening. When you post something, monitor the comments. What questions do people ask? What are their biggest complaints? Is there anything they don't quite understand? If you read or listen carefully, you will find a lot of inspiration for creating quality content.
8. BE CONSISTENT
Many people have trouble building a strong personal brand , but it's not because they're not capable, or because their content is bad, or because they have nothing to contribute to the world. The problem lies in inconsistency.
Are you willing to put in the effort it takes? That means you have to put yourself out there. And not once a month or once a week, but every day.
The brands that stand out are the ones that keep showing up. That's just the way it is. The competition is fierce and without a regular presence, nothing will happen.
9. YOU MUST UNDERSTAND THAT THIS IS A MARATHON, NOT A SHORT-DISTANCE RACE
A common trap that entrepreneurs fall into is when their posts don't get the reach they'd like. Even if you do everything "right," the numbers won't necessarily reflect your efforts. The good news is that you don't have to feel bad about it.
Building a brand is about building a community. It really takes a lot of time - and the only way to succeed is to keep building. Don't worry about the followers you don't have. Instead, focus on the followers you do have
.The best platform for building a personal brand for business purposes is definitely LinkedIn. Mainly because the mindset of LinkedIn users is different from those on other social networks.
People stay on LinkedIn because they are looking for quality and useful information , they follow trends, they network, and, last but not least, they open up new business opportunities. LinkedIn is also a long-distance runner.
I suggest you consider long-distance running. It requires different preparation, more patience, takes longer, and requires much more discipline from you, but in the end the payoff is significantly different than sprinting.
We all want our business to grow and develop, don't we? ☺
So get into action and join me for the last online LinkedIn workshop this year.