Building your personal brand in 2021

Building a personal brand has become the a subject of discussion not only for influencers and marketers but for skilled professionals, experts, and executives. Here’s what Wikipedia thinks personal branding is:

‘Personal branding is the conscious and intentional effort to create and influence public perception of an individual by positioning them as an authority in their industry, elevating their credibility, and differentiating themselves from the competition, to ultimately advance their career, increase their circle of influence, and have a larger impact.’

Why build a personal brand

The idea of building a personal brand could be foreign to some But keep in mind one thing. If you don’t take control of your personal brand online, you are not only missing out on opportunities, you are letting others control your own narrative.

To build your personal brand, is time consuming – but definitely worth it. With 40% of the workforce freelancing in 2020, a strong personal brand becomes more important than ever to help you stand out.

According to a study from Weber Shandwick, executives attribute 45% of their company’s reputation to the reputation of their CEO.

Can you imagine what those numbers are be when your own personal brand drives interest in your own profile, services, and solutions.

Where to start?

Define Your Message

Sounds like setting up a business or a startup? it is. Defining your purpose and message is probably the biggest thing most people struggle with. Especially if you were working in a corporate role for a while, your personal brand might have fused into the company brand. Don’t rush this part – it is really important that this is a true reflection of you.

Once you are clear on this, you then start thinking of ways this can be monetized.

Google yourself and see what results come up. Then ask yourself those questions as you define your message.

• Who are you?
• What makes you and your offer unique?
• What is your purpose?
• How can you help your clients? What makes you different?
• What makes you reliable? Trustworthy?
• Which projects you worked on or activities you’ve done to prove that?
• What is your vision for your personal brand?

What is your USP?

This is your Unique Service Proposition (USP). It’s your brand summed up into a single, powerful statement that describes exactly what you do for others.

Your USP doesn’t have to say everything about your brand, but it should be short, clear and straight to the point. It should clearly portrait what you in one statement.

Creating your USP is not only an important step to build your brand but it also gives you clarity about what your brand is all about.

Develop Your Personal Image

Have professional headshots taken and use them on Linkedin, in your One Circle profile, etc. Try to be consistent. As people look you out, they start recognizing your picture as they see your posts, profiles, etc and they should be able to remember your USP (what makes you unique).

Build credibility with content. You don’t need to learn how to set up your own blog. You can leverage the different platforms you are on to feature your blogs, thoughts, etc. LinkedIn is a great way to feature some of your articles or short content. One Circle Perspectives is another way to post content that can create traffic to your profile and position you as a thought leader in your area of expertise.

Be genuine and stay consistent

If you are genuine in what you put out there, the content will flow and it will just amplify your message and purpose. 

Let others tell your story

Communities or platforms you are part of will be eager to tell your story. Leverage this. There’s nothing better than someone say ‘I read this about you and I’m impressed’ – very few will say ‘I heard you talk about yourself, and am impressed’. One Circle provides its consultants with the opportunity to tell their stories on its social media platforms as well as the perspectives section of the website.

Tell your story!