Let’s be honest: how would you rate your personal branding skills? Not existent? Expandable? Undefeated? Or do you belong to the part of the (predominantly female) population, who regards personal branding as a tool specifically invented by extroverts, braggarts and stage hogs?
Whether you like it to or not, your personal brand follows you everywhere you go. And even if you don’t bother to grow it, it still exists and possibly not even in a way, that corresponds to your self-awareness. Or to put it more clearly in the frequently quoted words of Jeff Bezos: “Your brand is what other people say about you, when you are not in the room.”
Personal branding is the heart of social selling, the development of a “private label” on the internet, that is the amount of your achievements, your personality, your approach, your skills and your values. Living in a (new) era of absolute individuality and connectivity, the way you present yourself matters more than ever, not only personally, but also professionally. And unless your career and success are not at all related to people or the internet, you may want to reconsider your attitude towards personal branding. So, let’s take a closer look on why it could be worth to establish yourself as a brand.
EXPERIENCING HUMAN CLOSENESS
In our overstimulated environment, the desire for experience grows and it takes place between people. In times of Corona human proximity has become a rare commodity. Instead, people are spending more and more time with digital tools that create closeness despite distance rules.
SHAPE YOUR OWN PUBLIC IMAGE
Everyone can influence whether and how they are perceived. If you google your name, you should ideally get exactly the hits that you want on yourself.
OBTAIN CLARITY
The best thing about developing your own brand is the process itself, as it provides clarity on your own goals and visions. Gaining self-awareness enables us to define our direction in life and march forward.
ATTRACT RECRUITERS
Personality plays an increasingly important role in recruiting. Technical deficits can easily be adjusted, but personality and values can’t. Making your personal brand visible will bring you advantage in your current job or help to search for a new one.
BECOME MEMORABLE
Sadly enough, but the attention span of people keeps falling over the years due to the constantly increasing amount of information. It becomes much easier to remember and recognize a person because of their presence and clear positioning.
SHINE IN THE CROWD
In the flood of increasing data and platforms those who do not make themselves noticeable will not be seen either. Personal branding puts people in the limelight. By stepping out of the crowd your brand gains recognition and becomes more visible both online and in-person.
THE MAGIC OF A BRAND
Not comfortable with the term ‘brand’ for a person? Well, just strip that off, the communication rules and techniques are completely similar. With a strong brand we easily associate a strong message and the better your brand is evolved, the better you will be heart.
BUILD TRUST
Authenticity, empathy and logic – the demand for trust has never been that strong and plays a central role in private and work relationships. Developing trustworthiness establishes you as a valuable leader not only for your friends, but also for customers, employees and partners.
GAIN PUBLICITY
As a matter of fact, more articles are written about people than companies. Extending your network does not just enlarge your audience, but connects you with decision makers looking exactly for what you have to offer, which could even lead to articles, speaking engagements etc.
SIMILARITIES ATTRACT
Defining your core beliefs and addressing them will not only be appealing for your audience, but will specifically attract people with a similar mindset, the perfect starting point for collaborations and partnerships.
GOOD BUSINESS IS PEOPLE BUSINESS
Personal branding is the number one key to social selling. People confuse professionalism with businesslike and detached behavior. The opposite is true. When we authentically show our personality, the chances of gaining a new customer or order increase enormously.
SECURING SELF-ESTEEM
As much as we all can’t stand showoffs: just admit it, receiving likes, (positive) comments and followers is pretty flattering, no? Humans need recognition, so why not simply enjoying the process as it attains confidence and self-respect.
PERSONALITY FIRST
Marketing landscapes with perfect bodies and idealized worlds are outdated. Authenticity and credibility on the other hand have high value today as people seek for substance and truth. The more real someone is, the more approachable they appear.
POLARIZE
Those who show their attitude face headwinds, too bad. But anyone who wants to be everybody’s darling gets lost in the crowd and goes under without profile in a broad, neutral mass. And nobody wants to be seen as an assertive and people pleaser.
