And while you’re reading, think… How you’ll be perceived depends solely on you. Each of us creates (sometimes without even realising it) our own personal brand, so how do you want to present yourself – with fries or with mashed sweet potato?
You might say, I’m neither a product nor a brand, I don’t have one and I don’t need it. Maybe not very shocking, but the truth is that everyone has it to some extent. A personal brand is how we present ourselves through our values, appearance, public activities, statements in the public space, and many other components that allow others to form an impression of who you are. While the concept of personal branding or how an individual represents themselves in society was not coined yesterday (more precisely, Erving Goffman did so in 1959), in our extra-modern daily lives, personal branding has transitioned into the digital realm. Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, Twitter, and other social networks have become the stage where we can create our own identity.
Why is this needed?
Creating a personal brand can help achieve various goals. If you’re a company leader, thoughts shared from your personal profile about company management, work specifics, or company initiatives will reach a much larger audience than a post from the company’s official account alone. Here, the human factor comes into play: we are interested in what real people face, while what the entire company experiences together does not evoke strong emotions. It’s like watching a movie: we mourn the death of the main character the most because we already know them, we identify with them, while the deaths of other characters in the background don’t affect us as much.
Speaking specifically, consider this example: Microsoft founder Bill Gates has 53.3 million followers on his Twitter account, while the official Microsoft account has 9.6 million. So the insights of a real person are much more interesting to the reader. Even the recent incident with Cristiano Ronaldo, when he deliberately removed a Coca-Cola bottle during a press conference and offered everyone to drink water. After this footballer’s action, the stock of one of the world’s most popular drinks plummeted.
Both for an executive and a freelancer
Is it necessary to rush to upgrade your personal brand now? It’s not necessary, but definitely worth it. Even if you are a recognised expert in your field, you cannot predict when you will need to change jobs or establish new connections with customers and partners, who will likely first look into how you represent yourself in the social space.
Will it cost time and effort? Absolutely, creating a quality personal brand doesn’t happen on its own, it requires attention. However, if you have clear goals and see the benefits, the effort pays off.
Strategically developing the personal brand of a company leader builds trust not only in them but also in the company, so a CEO without a LinkedIn profile picture may cause potential customers to doubt your credibility. For those seeking young talent who would like to work for your company, it’s also worth investing in a personal brand – it’s very likely that a prospective employee will review your social media profiles.
However, personal branding is not only important for executives: if you are a hired employee or a freelancer, building your image can help you get the desired job and attract quality contacts. Show that you are an expert in your field, and this will influence the employer’s decision to choose you.
Being authentic
Deciding to start developing your personal brand raises the question of how to do it. The answer here is both easy and difficult. The easy part is writing, sharing thoughts sincerely, respecting your beliefs, but the difficult part is creating truly valuable content. Each time before writing an insight, consider whether it can really be useful and interesting to someone? If you write about your work experiences, also consider that you are shaping not only your own but also the image of the company you work for. In any case, no one can provide instructions on how to create a personal brand, firstly because to stand out, you must be unique. Your writing style, the topics you discuss, even the visualisations you use – if you don’t provide your insights or ways to apply them, attracting the reader’s attention will be difficult, and sincerity copying seen ideas disappears.
You might say, I’m neither a product nor a brand, I don’t have one and I don’t need it. Maybe not very shocking, but the truth is that everyone has it to some extent. A personal brand is how we present ourselves through our values, appearance, public activities, statements in the public space, and many other components that allow others to form an impression of who you are. While the concept of personal branding or how an individual represents themselves in society was not coined yesterday (more precisely, Erving Goffman did so in 1959), in our extra-modern daily lives, personal branding has transitioned into the digital realm. Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, Twitter, and other social networks have become the stage where we can create our own identity.