I never thought of myself as a brand until recently. I’ve been in public relations for more than twenty years and without even realizing it, I’ve become my own personal brand that builds relationships and shares advice on social channels. And I’ve even secured my own personal web profile. 

When most people think of a brand today, a company is usually the first thing that pops into their heads. In the age of digital marketing, everyone can be their own brand.

Continue reading to learn how to create and maintain your personal brand.

I love this simple formula when describing the definition of a personal brand: how you look + how you act + how you speak = your personal brand.

Most people know Martha Stewart, Richard Branson or Kim Kardashian, but these “brands” didn’t become household names overnight. It takes time and a lot of hard work. And in this age of social media, it only takes a few steps to begin the process.

Here are five tips for kick-starting your personal brand:

What is your value?

Determine who you are and what relevance you bring to your niche.

Your brand should be a reflection of who you are. Spend time thinking about your strengths, your passions and what makes you different from your peers. And remember, your brand is about being your true, authentic self.

Who is your target audience?

Be specific when defining the audience that you want to reach wit
h your content. This will allow you to clarify which social platforms to use and your tone of voice.

Start small and don’t try to appeal to everyone.

This is a big mistake that many people make. Are you looking to connect with potential clients or other people in your field of experience?  Maybe you want to be noticed by your competition. These are just a few questions your need to ask yourself when outlining your target audience.

Build Your Social Platform

Thanks to social media, we have a wide range of platforms that we can use to express ourselves. Think about your current social media profiles and evaluate the relevance of each account Are they professional and full of valuable information to your audience? Are you creating or curating content that’s in line with your brand? How often are you interacting with your followers and adding new content?

If you don’t have a website for your personal brand, think about securing a spot on About.me, a personal web page that links to your online identities and popular social networking websites such as YouTube, Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn.

Develop Relationships

Building and maintaining relationships is critical to success in many industries today.

Reach out to thought leaders within your niche to help grow your social following on Twitter and LinkedIn. This will help you open doors and find other people to collaborate with.

Remember to make friends with like-minded people and ask them to help share your content. Local and industry events are still some of the best places to meet new people.

Always keep a goal in mind when creating your personal brand. This will help guide you through the process of success in defining your voice and reaching new audiences.  

Building a brand takes time. Download our eBook to learn how to successfully reach new audiences.