A personal brand is your story and how you present yourself. It demonstrates your unique qualities and skills. With a personal brand identity, you can connect with your target audience and stand apart from your competition.
What makes a strong personal brand?
Your personal brand is made up of several elements—each one helps others get to know you and your value.
When creating your personal brand, include:
- A unique story: People connect with stories. Identify and share what led you to where you are.
- Skills: Tailor the skills you list to your expertise and goals. For example, someone teaching online coding courses may list tools and programming languages.
- Values: Your values show what you stand for and what others can expect from you.
- Design: Elements like the color scheme, logo, and fonts, make up your design. Put together, they create a visual brand that people can recognize.
- Personal brand statement: Create a catchy statement that immediately shows what you do and how you help your target audience.
Why develop a personal branding strategy?
When you build your personal brand, you create a unique selling proposition for yourself. It’s a way for people to understand and remember you and your brand.
The primary benefits of personal branding are:
- Credibility: It makes it easy for people to identify your skills and expertise, which helps you build credibility and trust.
- Opportunities: When you’re clear about what you offer and stand for, you can attract more opportunities that align with what you want to do.
- Control: Since you’re building your own brand, you have more control over how others perceive you.
- Visibility: Building a personal brand helps you stand out and reach more people, which can help you grow your business.
- Confidence: Reflecting on and showcasing what you bring to the table can boost your confidence.