In order to stand out in today’s world of business, personal branding seems imperative for success. However, a well-intentioned brand identity is only as good as the strategy behind it. What might seem like an endeavour too comprehensive might nevertheless turn out to be the steppingstone your company needed, especially when just starting out as a young business.
The Main Goal of Personal Branding
In the world of business, we find ourselves increasingly confronted with the term ‘branding’, especially since everything and everyone can be turned into a brand. According to statistical data provided by The Federation of Small Businesses, there were, in fact, about 5.5 million small businesses in the United Kingdom at the start of 2021. So how should one distinguish themselves from others and what are the chances of making the grade?
As opposed to corporate branding, which in its core comprises the philosophy of a business and the more traditional ways in which a corporation presents itself, personal branding involves the process of creating a brand identity. More specifically, both strategies might include certain slogans, logos or symbols that represent the company’s services or products while the latter, however, adds a more personal touch by emphasising a particular brand identity.
Hence, personal branding is not necessarily the opposite of the more conventional corporate branding, rather, it includes a more personal approach when representing an enterprise. That way, a venture or organisation ensures that they are known for what they stand for. Accordingly, the main goal is to define one’s brand by attuning the business’s actions to its intentions, thus influencing how others see you, so they can connect with your brand emotionally as well as intellectually. Hereby, trust is created which might already set you apart from your competitors.
Advantages of Personal Branding
You Will Gain Your Target Group’s Trust
Personal branding might involve the creation of an identity for a particular person as an individual or for an entire business. Either way, a well-defined and consistent appearance and message is crucial when representing your brand. This concerns not only the corporate design, that is the visual aspects of how your business is presented, online (e.g., on your website) but also offline channels through which your brand identity is expressed. From communicating your brand identity with flyers or brochures to large-scale printed advertising in the streets, you need to convey a feeling of reliability and trustworthiness. This can be achieved by visual means, however, it also requires an unambiguous communication of who you are and what you have to offer.
You Will Stand Out From the Crowd
In addition, personal branding can help you stand out from the mass of other businesses. In a world in which everyone tries to be noticed, a solid and conspicuous personal brand is, indeed, imperative. With well-conceived personal branding, you can control the narrative about your brand, especially in times of social media and Google. This is yet another way of establishing one’s credibility and standing out from the rest. If your target audience sees that you are an expert in your field and that you have a strong personal brand, they are more likely to become your new business partners or clients, respectively. For this purpose, you can use your website not only for building your brand but also for adding value to your target group by sharing advice for instance. This way, you can use your platform to display your skills and expertise, winning over new people to do business with.
More Opportunities Will Arise
This will lead to new opportunities as you will attract increasingly more clients. Since your personal branding exhibits your unique set of skills and your experience, this will give you a competitive advantage. Showing that you are an expert in your field will thus result in more collaborations and new projects that can further your business and put you ahead of your competitors.
More Than Just a Reputation
As might have become apparent, one’s personal brand is not only the reputation one has. While reputation is first and foremost about credibility, one’s personal brand also revolves around one’s visibility and how you project your brand’s values to the world, which makes it a more intentional and elaborate endeavour.
Consistency and trust are essential when creating your brand identity as we live in a world where one’s target audience meets an endless amount of brands every day and what it comes down to at the end of the day is to mark oneself off from the mass.
