Who am I? What am I skilled at? Why should you care about me? All of these questions and more go into building a personal brand — a positive reflection of yourself online and the services you can provide to potential clients and employers.
The pandemic has caused us to transition away from in-person coffee dates into virtual meetups when it comes to networking. This shift has caused people to reevaluate how they are viewed online, whether that be on social media, personal websites, or even in Google searches.
So what is a personal brand, how do you start building one, and why is it so important? Keep reading to find out!
WHAT IS A PERSONAL BRAND
A personal brand is how you portray yourself and your skills to the world. As social media presence and online portfolios have become a higher commodity in today’s virtual landscape, people are starting to focus more on sharing content related to their personal brand and less on sharing aspects of their day-to-day lives.
Ask yourself questions like: What subjects can I be an expert in? What color scheme best describes me? How do I best express myself: through blog posts, pictures, videos, podcasts, etc.? How can I best share the content I create?
Your personal brand is how you show off yourself and the work you do to the world, so it’s important to curate your content to make yourself look more professional. When people refer your work to others, they will look you up online, so make sure your online presence looks professional and exciting.
STEPS TO TAKE TOWARDS BUILDING YOUR PERSONAL BRAND
As you start to take your personal brand more seriously, you’re going to need to make tangible goals for yourself, especially when it comes to sharing on social media. Those goals could be gaining followers, writing daily blog posts, bringing in more clients, sending out weekly newsletters, etc.
Here are some ways you can start building your personal brand online:
- Build a website – An online portfolio is a great way to show everything you have to offer. Make sure you write an engaging paragraph on your About You page, so potential clients will want to work with you. Showcase your best work through different pages on your website. And make it easy for people to find you and connect with you by creating a Contact Me page.
- Start posting on LinkedIn – LinkedIn is a great tool for online networking. This is a place for you to share insightful information about your industry and connect with others in your field. With LinkedIn, you can create blog posts and newsletters, which is a great way to start creating content and gain followers. The more high-quality content you share, the more credible you become, which then makes you a front-runner for any career opportunity that comes your way.
- Start posting on other social media platforms – LinkedIn is a great way to build your professional network, but Instagram, YouTube, Pinterest, and TikTok are significant places to share your content with the world. Video is becoming favored in the algorithms, so try your hand at creating short videos like Instagram Reels, TikToks, and YouTube Shorts. But make sure you have a strategy for posting and curating your feed so it helps you achieve your overarching goals you set for yourself. Also, find a niche that isn’t too saturated, so you and your content can stand out.
WHY IS PERSONAL BRANDING SO IMPORTANT?
As we entered into the pandemic, many of us took it as an opportunity to step back and reevaluate what is important to us and what we value. After the pandemic, many people have started to value trust and transparency above all else. The more real and raw a person is online, the more we are inclined to trust them and work with them.
If you’re struggling with creating and growing your personal brand, we’re here to help! Follow The King Agency for more advertising tips and tricks.