PERSONAL BRANDING

LIKE IT OR LOATHE IT…

The internet is an amazing thing, the most amazing invention EVER, but it does come with a downside! Everyone in the entire world now has access to you. If you are on social media, you can be found. The alternative is NOT to be on social media but in this decade, that will be looked at with some form of curiosity plus you stand to miss out on all the amazing opportunities open to us all.

Millennials have grown up in this digital age and they tend to be the most vulnerable when it comes to having unruly content of them all over the internet!! Those in their 40s or 50s can breathe a huge sigh of relief that all our misdemeanours are safely hidden in our brains (if we can think back that long!!).

So whether you are applying for a new job, about to meet a long sought-after business prospect or even going on a date, your past is available for all of these potential suitors to see who you REALLY are!!

Personal branding gives you the opportunity to position yourself as an expert in your chosen field. Get all of that amazing knowledge you have gleaned over the years out for people to see, to recognise your experience, your knowledge. Personal branding will position you way above most of your peers and competitors, enabling you to achieve whatever you want to achieve, both professionally and personally.

Personal branding is a massively diverse topic, which I have broken into bite-size chunks as part of my tried and tested coaching methods. Most of my clients have approached me with a real lack of belief in their abilities to master social media, on how to project themselves on their accounts and lack of belief in how amazing they really are in their chosen field.

Through my coaching methods, they have realised that they actually DO have so much they can offer their followers and also the connections of their followers. Opportunity is everywhere as we all know, with the internet giving everyone a great platform to create a massive awareness as to WHO you are, WHAT you do and HOW you can help so many people.

WHAT IS A PERSONAL BRAND?

Personal branding is the practice of people marketing themselves and their careers as brands. … Personal branding is essentially the ongoing process of establishing a prescribed image or impression in the mind of others about an individual, group, or organisation.

WHO SHOULD HAVE A PERSONAL BRAND?

YOU ARE:
–CEO/Director of a business with little or no knowledge of social media
–A start up needing to create brand awareness for your venture
–An employee thinking of setting up alone in the future
–Salesperson looking to harness social media to generate more leads

To be honest, in this day and age, ANYONE in business, anyone wanting to be in business, anyone interested in bettering their situation, should be creating an online presence right now. In years to come (I’m talking right now, not in 20 years time!) things like paper CV’s will be something we scoff at.

OK, so you sit an interview or you pitch for a deal. You come across well and have all the required experience/qualifications. So what does the prospect/interviewer do as soon as you leave? They will look for what we call ‘Social Proof’.

WHAT IS SOCIAL PROOF?

Well, social proof is just that. Proof that what you have pledged to them at the meeting is true. So the chances are they are going to Google your name. Depending on the rarity of your name, the chances are that one of your social media accounts will show up somewhere on their search results.

What they then see will probably determine if the deal is done or not. Imagine if when they look, they see a load of articles, all relevant. They then see all manner of positive reviews and testimonials. You have a website in your name, full of interesting information that you have gained over the years. Imagine how positive an impact that will have on the viewer!

IS IT EASY TO BUILD A PERSONAL BRAND?

Building a personal brand, similar to a business brand, takes time and effort. I would be lying if I said it takes half an hour a week to perfect. The need for a personal brand will increase year after year and will become the norm in a relatively short space of time. How many years ago did many businesses not feel the need to have a website, for a business person to not have an email address? Can you imagine NOT having a website or an email address now? Exactly! Personal branding is NOT the future. Personal branding is NOW.

WHY SHOULD I BE DOING THIS NOW?

Why wait? What exactly are you waiting for?

To get that dream interview?

To get in front of your ideal client?

Why wait until then. Use this time for creating your ideal online persona so that when the time is right you are ready!

MERGE OFFLINE & ONLINE

Whilst I’m a massive believer in all that is good about the internet, I also believe that there are some offline marketing products and activities that work really well with all your online efforts.

Branding is key and I don’t just mean your logo! Tone of voice, how you handle complaints, how you answer the phone are all part of your tone of voice. Printed materials are right now, really effective due to the fact that most other advertisers are solely advertising online.

Learn how to keep your branding consistent on and off the internet

CONSISTENCY IS KEY

All too often, the oomph is there to give social media a go by many people, for it to become a chore after a while. Out of sight, out of mind! The driving force should be that every time you post, followers are reminded of your existence. To go missing for months on end deems you forgotten! Make a pledge to post consistently. It doesn’t HAVE to be every day, but the more the merrier. I can show you how to not see it as a bind and how to make it just part of your routine, easily done.

SO WHERE DO WE GO FROM HERE?

Well before I take on a new coaching or mentoring client, I like to meet up face to face preferably or by Zoom etc, to hear all about your situation, for me to explain more about the offering and to make sure we are a good fit.

There is no point either of us entering into a contract if we don’t feel that this is going to work.

I have always traded off referrals and I only get referrals after doing a great job for someone, so let’s meet up and see where this can lead.