Ten Steps To Grow Your Personal Brand
Find out how to position yourself as the expert in your industry or niche and how to communicate your value to the World!
In the competitive and increasingly personalised world of business, it’s not always enough to exist behind your logo. More and more, entrepreneurs are realising the power of putting themselves front and centre.
By taking the time to develop a successful personal brand, you’ll be able to build trust with your audience and start making sales while you sleep.
An authentic brand doesn’t online enhance your profile, it reflects who you are. When someone says, “You are exactly the same in real life as you are online/on stage”, you will know you have succeeded in building an authentic brand.
Here are 10 steps to grow your personal brand:
#1 Know Yourself to Grow Yourself
The world can’t get to know you if you aren’t clear on who you are yourself. One way to really get clear on how you should present yourself to the world is to spend some time writing down your values, your mission, your vision and your purpose.
Once you are clear on these, you can start saying yes to opportunities which align with them. Start working on your brand promise and speak to other people about how they perceive you; what they say might be very enlightening!
#2 Know Your Avatar
Once you are crystal clear on who you are, it’s time to get clear on who you want to work with so that you attract the right audience and enjoy what you do.
Think about your target audience/avatar and ask yourself:
What are their demographics?
What are their goals and values?
What are their challenges and pain points?
What are their objections and roles in the purchase process?
Where do they get their information from? Being clear on this will help shape your messaging and the image you portray.
#3 Develop Your Brand ID + Messaging
Create a consistent brand identity that will build brand recognition with your audience in each interaction you have with them.
Your collateral should include:
Logo
Tagline
Colour palate
Imagery
Typography/Fonts
Messaging
#4 Get Your Brand Photos Taken
A single headshot isn’t enough these days. Schedule a session to capture some:
Lifestyle shots
Shots with family
Professional headshots
Action shots
In situ shots at work
Product shots (if necessary)
Update your photos regularly and call in a stylist to help with your outfit, hair and makeup if you need it.
#5 Select Your Social Media Platforms
When you are clear on your avatar, you’ll have a better idea of which social media platforms to invest your time in. Don’t spread yourself too thin when it comes to social media. Start with one or two platforms and build your following before adding more.
#6 Develop Your Brand + Marketing
Once you are clear on who you are, what value you will add to the world, who your audience is and how you will reach them, you can develop your simple marketing plan.
This is an ongoing process that includes the following steps:
Define your brand goals
Develop a strategic plan
Create a content plan
Create your content and deploy it
Measure your engagement
Find out what’s working
Alter or refine your plan quarterly
Measure your analytics
#7 Clean Up Your Past
Social media has been around for a while now. Those photos from your round-theworld tour in 2009 may need to be reviewed before you start inviting the world to pay attention to you.
Go through your Facebook, Instagram and Twitter accounts. Have you said something previously which could be held against you? Did a friend tag you in an image that you would rather the world didn’t see?
Check for anything that could tarnish your reputation or which doesn’t align with your values. Once you have looked into the past, set up a Google alert for your own name so you can monitor your online reputation going forward. This will give you a heads up if anything is published that mentions you.
TIP: You can get a free brand reputation report at brandyourself.com
#8 Create One Main Lead Magnet
In every piece of content you share, point people to one lead magnet and use it to build your customer database. Your lead magnet could be a Magalog, a Mobimag, an E-book or a free 15 minute phone call. You could offer a small discount or free gift with purchase.
Free mini courses or video series can also be effective lead magnets.
#9 Create Opportunities To Be The Industry Leader
Consider:
Starting a group on Facebook
Hosting interviews via blogs or a podcast
Writing a book
Holding workshops
Writing articles and submitting them to the media
Booking speaking gigs
Being a guest blogger
#10 Be Consistent!
Just like the world’s biggest brands (think McDonald’s, Nike or even Netflix), people will expect a consistent experience from you. It doesn’t matter how you choose to present yourself to the world, as long as you are consistent. Do this and people will know what to expect, plus they will be confident about recommending you to their friends and colleagues.
Aim to review your efforts quarterly so you know you are on track.
TIP: Design a simple brand building strategy
Follow a regular routine of creating and sharing content and your personal brand will start to have a following.
Watch the video below to see a very simple brand building strategy that you can deploy to start building your brand today!
Let’s Connect!
I hope you enjoyed this blog post. If you have any questions about Canva, branding or personal branding, connect with me.
If you are just getting started, here’s some ways I can help you:
Grab my Free Resources and Templates on my Freebies page.
Grab my Ebook “Zero to Branded”. This comprehensive guide will help you to launch and grow your personal brand so you can share your gifts with the world.
Connect with me on Social Media to get more helpful hints and tips on how to launch and grow your brand.