As an entrepreneur or a job seeker, personal branding improves your reputation and authority.
A good and strong brand offers assurance and quality impression to propects or a target audience e.g. clients or an industry you wish to operate in.
Simply put, branding is the process of creating a reputation that makes you stand out.
The aspiration of creating a personal brand is to communicate a message to a targeted audience that can be converted to desired benefits.
Definition: What is Personal Branding?
Personal branding is how you elevate or advertise yourself to your target audience.
The moment you come in contact with prospects, they should get the right impression you wish to share with them.
Personal branding also demands that individuals promote and take a stand on what value they can offer.
For businesses, CEOs are required to build reputations that promote the services or products they offer. For example, Dangote Cement is a well known brand in Nigeria and Aliko Dangote, the CEO continues to promote with his personal brand.
Also, Coca Cola is well known all over the world and James Quincey, the Chairman and CEO of the Coca Cola Company has his own personal brand promoting his products and services.
Job seekers can effortlessly use good personal branding to promote themselves as good fits for jobs in their desired industries and companies.
Importance of Personal Branding
- It brings opportunities.
- It promotes businesses.
- People recognize you without much introduction.
- It gives a positive impression to your target audience.
- It builds trust.
- It gives a clear understanding of what services or products you can offer.
Steps to building a personal brand
- Find your passion. Discover a niche that you fit into effortlessly.
- Be determined to motivate your audience on your journey so far.
- Embrace Interviews and networking activities.
- Create a personal website to display your portfolio.
- Simplify your brand across all social media e.g Linkedln, Twitter, Facebook and WhatsApp.
Personal branding habits
- Staying focused on your target audience.
- Being genuine, real and trustworthy.
- Flaunting your brand.
- Staying up-to-date and being consistent in whatever you choose to do.