Reasons Why Personal Branding is Essential

Whilst searching for a suitable definition of Personal Branding, I have come across a few appropriate explanations, with my favourite being:

 “ A personal brand is the total experience of someone having a relationship with who you are and what you represent as an individual; as a leader.”  (Glenn Llopis, Forbes)

Personal Branding is how you present yourself or your business, in every aspect and how do other people perceive you based on what you are trying to portray. It is important because it provides you with a competitive advantage over others and lets you differentiate from the crowd. These days, personal branding is more than just having a personalized card with your name on it. It is also the way you carry yourself, your online presence, your reputation and quality of your work or the image of your business. As a marketer, this is a very important thing to note, especially if you are trying to build your personal brand in Perth, considering that majority of the marketing agencies are in Sydney, Melbourne or even Brisbane. The marketing industry in Perth is not as developed and therefore it is important that you stand out so that your career can progress further.

Regardless of which industry you are in, it is now essential to build your online personal brand and ensure that there your business or even yourself, have positive online presence. You need to develop a strategy when building your online personal brand.

Source: https://www.spaghettiagency.co.uk/blog/whats-a-brand-and-why-does-my-small-business-need-one/

Define your goals

Ensure you are realistic and clearly define your specific goals. This will allow you to determine where you want to be, so that you can aspire towards achieving those objectives, without losing focus.

Do your research

Comparing yourself to others it can be beneficial, especially when you can notice what works for your competitors. Still aim to differentiate, but brainstorm and take into consideration different strategies and tactics that can help you in building your brand.

Evaluate yourself

Be critical of yourself and evaluate your attributes, talents, accomplishments. Discover the way that other people perceive you, so that you can work towards reaching desirable outcomes, if there is a gap between what people see and what you would like to portray. Whilst identifying your strong sides, ensure that you pay attention to your verbal and non-verbal communication.

Never stop working on your brand

Even if you reach your desirable goal and you get where you want to be with your online personal brand, never stop managing it. Ensure that you do not create a mismatched brand across different platforms. The way you look on social media, the posts that you are sharing, need to all align with your personality in real life and across different social media platforms. So ensure that what you or your product look like in real life, will look the same on Instagram and on Facebook. Sell your personal brand, but ensure that it is transparent and honest.

• As an example of how influencers use different platforms, we can consider Lilly Singh, Canadian vlogger and entertainer and comedian that uses Instagram, to share snippets of her private life and promote her brand. She also uses YouTube, to share her comedy videos, which are also shared on her Facebook Page. Lilly also uses Twitter, to share all of the above, plus her personal thoughts, which is a great platform for her to interact with her fans. She has been named as one of the Top 10 Influencers in 2017 by Forbes.

 

Source: http://mediakix.com/2017/05/top-asian-youtubers-in-online-social-media/

I personally am intending of being a marketer in the Events Management Industry. This means that it is essential that I portray myself as:

Fashionable because potential customers would like their events to be associated with latest trends, topics and style. This means that my Social Media Posts will have to be constantly updated with the latest trends, trending discussions and relevant news of the industry.

It is important that I deliver impeccable personal presentation and grooming standards to send a message that I am organised, that I pay attention to detail and that I like to be neat. This means that my personal photos on various social media platforms need to be professional and with attention to details, such as makeup and hairstyle. The photos of the events that I would be promoting would have to be taken professionally and to present the idea that guests are enjoying the events.

My social media posts also have to be professionally written and showcase my personality in an interesting way. It is important that I do not disclose much personal information that is irrelevant to my profession and that I still stay professional and respectful.

And lastly, my social media posts need to demonstrate that I, as a Marketer in the Events Management industry, can adapt to different crowds and situations, and therefore I will have to appeal to different target markets.

Sources:

https://www.forbes.com/top-influencers/2017/entertainment/#719b3a33ec6e

https://www.monster.ca/career-advice/article/the-importance-of-your-personal-brand

https://www.forbes.com/sites/lisaquast/2013/04/22/personal-branding-101/#2e7b060e297c

https://www.forbes.com/sites/glennllopis/2013/04/08/personal-branding-is-a-leadership-requirement-not-a-self-promotion-campaign/#677c01cb226f

https://brandyourself.com/definitive-guide-to-personal-branding

http://www.job-interview-site.com/what-is-personal-branding-definition-of-a-personal-branding.html