A personal brand can help you make a better impression on prospective employers, earn new clients, and increase your chances of achieving a host of other professional goals. But what if you don’t have any elements in place for your personal brand?
How can you build a personal brand from scratch?
Start With the Fundamentals
Before you start claiming social media profiles or building your professional network, you should take a step back and master the fundamentals. Who are you? Why should people pay attention to what you’re doing? What’s going to make your personal branding campaign unique?
These are some of the most important considerations:
- Areas of expertise/competence. Figure out what your area of expertise is and what your core competencies are. If you already have a career that you’re building, or if you already have strong credentials and education, this should be easy for you. Otherwise, you’ll need to sit down and figure out what you want to be known for.
- Personality. This is also an opportunity to polish your personality. Obviously, you have a natural personality, but it may or may not be suitable for your professional audience. What are people going to appreciate about you? For example, are you especially creative, inquisitive, or funny?
- Unique differentiators. It’s also vital to decide the differentiating factors that are going to help you stand out in the field. There are probably lots of professionals like you competing for visibility and dominance in the field, many of whom share your expertise and credentials. Why should anyone follow you instead of them? What makes you different?
- Target audience. Finally, think about your primary target audience. Are you trying to network with like-minded professionals? Are you looking for a specific demographic of client? Are you in the market for a job and looking for prospective employers?
Get a Headshot
Your headshot is going to anchor your personal brand, serving as the best possible visual representation of you.
Here are some tips to help you succeed:
- Look your best. On the day of the headshot, put some extra effort into how you look. Dress professionally, perfect your hair, and take good care of your skin. You’ll want to look your best for this.
- Work with a pro. Generally, it’s best to work with a professional photographer. They’ll be able to master the lighting, composition, and setting for your headshot – and they’ll likely have equipment that can help you look even better.
- Edit and polish. Finally, edit and polish the headshot to make it look as good as possible. If you’re not familiar with photo editing, you can use an AI tool to help tackle the job. For example, Portrait Pal is an AI tool that makes it incredibly easy to “punch up” your professional headshot and make it look more attractive and professional.
Produce Content
With a headshot in place, you can start developing content to attach to your name. Content is going to serve several functions in your personal branding campaign, allowing you to establish yourself as a thought leader, market yourself effectively, and even promote your unique vision in the discourse community. At the very least, you should have a blog or video channel.
Get on Social Media
Social media is still the best way to develop and promote your personal brand. Make sure you claim a profile on every major social media platform available to you and start posting on a regular basis. While you’re at it, start connecting with colleagues and people you know, then expand your circle by reaching out to other people in your industry.
Network (and Prioritize Visibility)
At this stage, you can start networking more heavily. Network not only on social media but also in real life. Attend events, get more involved in the industry, circulate your information, and follow up with the new people you meet. Your goal is to be as visible as possible in your profession; if your content is good, you’ll have no issue attracting new followers.
The Power of a Personal Brand
With a strong personal brand in place, doors will begin opening for you. Employers will be impressed with you before you even interview. Clients will naturally find you and consider working with you. And your peer professionals will inevitably treat you with more respect and admiration.
As long as you keep nurturing and developing your personal brand, you’ll keep reaping the rewards from it. There is no end to the matter here; if you want to continue getting value from your reputation and your professional network, you’ll have to continuously put more time and effort in. With more practice, it will become easier—and you’ll be able to accomplish more with fewer investments.
