3 Tips to create a kickass personal brand. Part 1

 

 

Whether you’re trying to have a personal brand or not, the truth of the matter is that you already have one.

You’re a brand. I’m a brand. We’re all brands, whether it’s something we choose to focus on or not.

And just in case you’re not sure… A personal brand is how people perceive you based on what they know about you. In other words, it’s your reputation. And it’s not just how you are perceived online it’s also how you interact with people in person and in the way that you do business with people. These things all work together to create your overall personal brand.

Put simply your personal brand is your reputation.

In today’s online world people are conducting digital interviews with you way before they ever reach out to you. So why not take control of your personal brand, and tell your story your way?

Today I’m going to help you do just that with THREE easy, actionable tips that will help you take control of your personal brand.

Tip #1 Google yo’self

If you have given out your business card in the last 10 years, you’ve been searched online. And you better believe that if you’ve been on a first date recently, you’ve been Googled!

Potential clients, business partners, even first dates, are looking you up online to see what they can find out about you. If you’ve never googled yourself before this is your official excuse to do it! NOTE: Make sure that you use an incognito or private browser window so that your search is free from personal customizations and saved search elements.

So, what does Google say?

Chances are the first few results are for your social networks. This just goes to show that having a good social media strategy is key for creating a kickass personal brand.

Click on the images tab as well, what photos are showing up? Are they photos that represent how you want to be seen?

Personal branding is becoming less of a competitive edge and more of a requirement for anyone looking to grow their business, get that dream job, or find their dream partner.

TAKE INSPIRED ACTION: Clean up your existing personal brand.

Google your name and see what comes up. Delete old social media profiles that you’re no longer active on and remove content from existing platforms that don’t support your brand and may be perceived as offensive.

Do the same thing with your name and a keyword or phrase from your industry.

Tip #2 Know your audience. Know yourself.

Who is your audience? Who are you building your personal brand to support? How can it help people improve themselves or their businesses?

Knowing your audience is really important when it comes to the content you’re going to create and who it will resonate with. You’re not going to be for everybody so finding a niche is really key.

Becoming an expert or sharing your expertise in something specific is so much more powerful than trying to share lots of thoughts on lots of things.

“There are a million people out there doing what you’re doing. But they’re not you. You are the secret sauce!”

Even more important than knowing your audience is knowing yourself and who you are before you niche down on your ideal clients.

Having a strong idea of who you are as an individual is essential to your ability to be authentic, to set goals, and to live your life in a way that is right for you. This will help you to attract your ideal clients!

TAKE INSPIRED ACTION: Niche down.

Write down all the things you’re great at, and that you have a lot of knowledge about, and then make a list of all the types of people, that your knowledge could really help.

Tip #3 Define your personal brand personality.

Your brand personality is a big part of your personal brand. And your core values are a big part of your brand personality!

One of the best things that you can do for your personal brand is to nail down your core values. And I’m not talking about words that describe your business or what you do. I’m talking about how you want people to feel when they interact with your brand.

For example, the three words that I chose for my brand are: TRUST, CONNECTION & FUN

The first core value I chose for my personal brand is TRUST.

Being in front of a camera is a vulnerable place to be and it’s important to me that people know that they can trust me! On the other side of that, it also means trusting myself as well as other people!

The second core value I chose for my personal brand is CONNECTION.

For me, it’s all about connecting with people and building genuine relationships especially with the women that I get to work with.

The third core value I chose for my personal brand is FUN.

I want people to know that when they book a shoot with me that it’s going to be a fun, easy, experience. My clients need to know that I’m going to be able to help them feel relaxed and comfortable so that they can feel free to be themselves.

Every picture, post, email, and interaction should align with those feelings. Make it a living breathing part of YOU. Because your personal brand is ultimately about what’s important to you and THAT is what’s important to your audience. That is what they’re going to connect with.

Stories are also a big part of your brand personality!

Think of your stories as the things you enjoy doing and are passionate about, beyond the work that you do. You don’t have to reveal EVERY single part of your life (unless you really want to). The idea is to share some areas of your life that bring you joy to inspire and attract your ideal clients!

It’s your personality that makes you approachable, trustworthy, and memorable. Your business is built around you as a person, which makes the business and person literally inseparable.

TAKE INSPIRED ACTION: Nail down your core values.

What are the three words that you want your audience to FEEL when they interact with your brand. WHY do you want your audience to feel this way?

Write it all down and put it somewhere where you can see it every single day. Make a poster, put a sticky on your computer, write it on your bathroom mirror! Embody and live those values!

Want more tips to create a kickass personal brand? Read Part 2.

Are you ready to take your personal brand one step further with a personal brand photoshoot? Work with me to create clarity around your visual brand with creative photos that tell the story of your brand. Your way.

BOOK A CONSULT!