Strengthen Your Personal Brand in 2023
Most of the business giants across the global give reasons to their clients to buy their products e.g., Apple challenged the world to “Think Different.” Nike encouraged people, regardless of age, gender, or physical fitness level, to “Just Do It.” Dunkin’ Donuts persuaded busy professionals that “America Runs on Dunkin.” Over the years, these recognizable slogans have morphed into rallying cries — setting the tone for how each company communicates and identifies itself in the market.
Branding is what companies stand for. In just a handful of words, these slogans have told a story and influenced how people perceive the organizations behind them. Together, they represent the power and potential of branding. It’s reflected in how that company acts, how it serves its clients, the value that the company shares, and how the company projects those values.
What is a Personal Brand?
Remember, branding isn’t just for companies. Professionals have their own story to tell and goals, skills, and expertise to share. In today’s increasingly digital world, a personal brand is no longer a nice-to-have; it’s expected. A personal brand is, in many ways, similar to a corporate brand, Dr. Sean Gresh explains.
It is who we are, what we stand for, the values we embrace, and the way in which we express those values. Just as a company’s brand helps to communicate its value to customers and stand out from the competition, a personal brand does the same for individuals, helping to communicate a unique identity and clear value to potential employers or clients, as Dr. Sean Gresh summarizes: “Personal branding is one’s story.”
To understand how to make our personal brand stronger, these are some of the thoughts for your review:
1. Identify YOU
In order to build a personal brand that accurately reflects our personal and professional identity, we first need to know who we are. Let’s be introspective and create a list of our personal strengths and weaknesses. Let’s do a Personal SWOT:
- In which areas of work do I excel?
- What motivates me?
- What characteristics have others complimented me on?
- Which projects have others had to help me with repeatedly?
- Which roles seem to drain my energy?
- Which projects can I spend hours on without feeling overwhelmed or tired?
If we’re struggling to answer these questions, let’s take some more time, relax, reflect, consult those who are close to us. How they would describe us. Once we’re more aware of the different facets of our personality, we can decide how best to brand them. Keep in mind that many people struggle to choose a specific niche because they don’t want to limit themselves.
2. What World should know YOU for
Our personal brand is more than a reflection of who are we today; it’s a roadmap of where we want to be in a few years’ time. In addition to understanding our existing skills and competencies, we suggest assessing strengths and weaknesses as they relate to whichever industry or career we want to break into next.
By doing this, we’ll uncover the skills and traits that make us distinct, as well as the areas where we need to improve or gain new knowledge in order to advance. Forecasting where we want to be in five or ten years — and the attributes we want to be known for — can help us better determine what steps we need to take in order to get there.
3. Identify Your Target Audience
In this age, if any professional who cannot be googled or doesn’t use LinkedIn, s/he doesn’t exist. Before we start crafting our personal brand, we also need to determine who we’re trying to reach. Is it other industry thought leaders? An individual at a particular company? Recruiters? The sooner we define the audience, the easier it will be to craft our story, because we’ll better understand the type of story we need to tell.
If we are ambitious enough and career oriented and our goal is to reach hiring managers and recruiters, we might start by creating or updating our LinkedIn profile. Why? Because 92 percent of recruiters leverage social media to find high-quality candidates and, of those, 87 percent use LinkedIn.
4. Be Seen Online
One of the most important aspects of personal branding is making sure online presence is engaging to hiring managers, co-workers, and others — even if you’re not on the job hunt. With so many different social media tools available today, our online presence will likely look different depending on the medium we choose.
While our story should match across all platforms, once we know where our targeted audience is most likely to show up, we can redouble our efforts in telling our best story there. Additionally, if we want one of our sites or profiles to be exclusively for friends and family, adjust privacy settings to ensure that potential employers don’t stumble upon any information that could potentially harm our chances of landing a job.
5. Embrace networking
As we cultivate our ideal personal brand, it’s important to network regularly (and effectively) to grow our professional circle. Connect with peers and industry thought leaders by going to formal and informal networking events. The more connections we make, the more likely it is our personal brand will be recognized.
And, considering 85 percent of all jobs are filled through networking, regularly attending these events will help us not only build our brand, but potentially advance our career, too. At these events, don’t be shy about asking fellow attendees to meet again for an informational interview or a casual coffee chat. And remember, if we don’t get a chance to connect at the event, reach out via email or LinkedIn to spark a conversation.
Wrap Up
Before we conclude, when most of us think of “personal brands,” our minds wander to social media influencers singing, dancing, posing, or talking about fitness and fashion. Think of what that could do for our career. The idea that employees should build their own personal brands has become popular in the last few years and for good reasons.
To me, this means being up to date in my industry, making me more resilient and adaptable. It means being recognized for our unique self and skills, and increasing my visibility, access to opportunities, and growth. A positive personal brand is beneficial to both us and our organizations. Our personal brand should highlight our strengths, establish a reputation, build trust, and communicate the unique attributes that we bring to our current (or desired) industry.
About the Author
Muhammad Sajwani is the Founder and Managing Director of Evolve HR which aims at transforming, enriching and evolving Human Capital of Pakistan, Evolve HR thrives in challenging assumptions that hinder organisational aspirations, by creating innovative solutions that yield maximum impact, scalability & benefit to a wider base of stakeholders. As a Business Coach and Organisational Consultant, Sajwani knows how to combine business insights with people insights to transform organisations and put them on the path to growth.
