Creating a unique personal brand identity where a sea of identities already exists, and then having it stand out, can be a difficult task for newcomers. Your personal brand represents who you are, what values you have, and how you convey those values. A personal brand works in the same way as any company’s brand; it differentiates you and showcases your value to employers or clients.
Your brand is your story, and how you tell that story can play a big part in your career. Therefore, your brand should tell about your strengths, build trust, and create a good reputation for you. While this may sound confusing, the following tips can help you to establish your brand:
Know About Yourself:
Once you know who you are, you can begin working on your personal brand. Ask yourself what your strengths and weaknesses are, what skills you possess, and what kind of work can you do. Ask for help from family and friends to define your personality. These qualities should not be stagnant and should keep evolving as you learn and gain experience. Define what work gives you satisfaction and what you want to be known for doing. This will help you distinguish your most marketable skills.
Know Your Target Audience:
Once you know who you are and what you want to do, you then need to define who will need your skills and services. Knowing your audience can help you to tailor the story that you want to tell about yourself, according to the needs of your target market.
Know Your Industry And Its Experts:
You can figure out which industry you will be working for once you have an idea of what you want to do. The best way to learn in any kind of work is to look at experts in that field and follow their lead and understand their way of thinking and decision making. Reaching out to these experts online is also a good idea, and creating your online presence can motivate these experts to work with you too.
Curate An Online Presence:
Creating an informative and engaging online presence is one of the most important factors when creating a personal brand. Thankfully, this is infinitely easier to do now, thanks to the availability of online marketing agencies. Making sure your story is consistent on all social media platforms can be done by creating a standard personal brand design, with the help of any graphic design agency.
Some important websites to keep your focus on when creating a personal brand include LinkedIn, Twitter, or even your own website. Recruiters can know about you with a glance at these platforms and decide if they want to invest in you. LinkedIn gives users the chance to network and create a professional profile of all your achievements and experience. Twitter can be used to research on trending topics and hashtags, and follow experts of your industry and what they are doing. Another option is to create your own website that serves as a portfolio for your work and helps people contact you easily. With free online resources, creating your own website is also easier than ever.
Lastly, be consistent and passionate about your personal brand, and make sure that you embody your personal brand in real life too. Have the courage to set concrete goals and the willingness to work towards those goals.
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