JAMILLAH RAHMAAD SAYS:
Your personal brand speaks for you, sometimes without even saying a word. You need to build your credibility as a personal brand and show people why they should choose your services versus those of the business down the street. If you are most interested in protecting your most valuable asset in business — you — then it is vital to your success to learn a few ways to build your personal brand and avoid doing harm instead of good.
As an entrepreneur or small business owner, your personal brand is equivalent to your reputation. It informs what people think or say about you when your name is mentioned. It allows you to become a leader in your industry. It is the value that others see in you. When it comes to generating business leads and getting new opportunities, your personal brand is your calling card.
Personal branding is just as important as the branding of your business.
Why Build A Brand
Building your personal brand will give you credibility in your field. Your brand showcases you as an expert who can be trusted in your particular niche. It can highlight you as the go-to expert in your field, thus creating more business opportunities for you in the future. It also helps you promote your services and products without coming across as trying to sell something all the time. People are most inspired by those they can trust.
Our job as business owners is to make sales so we can stay in business. Yet, as small business owners, our reach can feel limited because new or potential customers have no reference point of trust built with us. Because of this, I have found that CEOs who are willing to step in front of their business brands have been successful in building their personal brands.
Your personal brand helps you to differentiate yourself from others because it allows you to showcase your unique, individual voice. You do not want to sound like every other company or service in your field. You want to be unique in what you say and how you say it.
Building a brand also makes you relatable to your clients. You must be transparent in how you promote yourself. It helps you to share all the aspects of your story, whether good, bad or just plain ugly.
Tips To Build Your Brand
Here are a few tips to help you build your personal brand:
• Self-publish: Create relevant content. Use blogs, videos, podcasts, and other avenues to create social media content that has a purpose. Make it relevant to your niche and to your clients.
• Produce in-person events: Consider hosting events that showcase your expertise or provide industry education for your field.
• Gain media coverage: Media coverage can help you expand your brand and showcase your events to more people than you could on your own. It can also help get the word out about your business and promote you as the expert you are.
• Seek public speaking opportunities: Share your knowledge by participating in speaking events around your own community. It helps to showcase you as an expert in your field when you can offer timely and relevant talks.