Personal Brand: Why, When, How? [Examples]

How does a person become a brand?

No, it is not a scenario from a sci-fi movie like “The Fly”, where you enter a machine, and come out transformed.

Think of it more like a transformation of your personality. Or better yet, an intentional effort to create a public persona that is an industry expert, a wellspring of credible information, etc.

A personal brand follows the same core principles as branding a product, with some slight differences, of course.

Today, we are going to outline all the essential elements of personal branding, and why it is important to have a personal brand.

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What Is a Personal Brand?

Picture yourself as a brand – you have a name, a tone of voice, a personality, core values, and design. It is up to you to choose how you want to be portrayed.

Typically, when we think about the word “brand”, we picture a certain product made by a certain company. Big Mac is a product of McDonald’s, KitKat is part of the Nestle brand, and so on.

It is pretty much the same when it comes to personal branding. Take a look at Elon Musk, for instance. He is well known for the controversial decisions he makes, and is great at generating attention, whether it’s positive or negative.

Whatever you think about him, one thing is for sure – he is unique, and that is all thanks to the way he has branded his personality.

Of course, having to brand a person comes with its own challenges but we will get to that in a bit.

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Why Is Personal Branding Important?

Personal branding can greatly improve your reputation both online and offline, all while leveraging the credibility of your business.

Some of the main benefits of personal branding are:

• Connecting with your target audience. People will understand your story, your values, and your goals. This will make them more likely to connect with you on a more personal level.
• Networking opportunities. Becoming famous comes with certain benefits, such as being more recognizable, and therefore attracting more attention at public gatherings. Simply put, more people will want to talk to you and even seek your advice if you have developed your personal brand well.
• Building personal confidence. Naturally, establishing yourself as an industry leader will give you a boost of confidence. As you gain more recognition, you will also come into contact with more like-minded professionals.
• Growing your business. It goes without saying that your exposure will also influence the growth of your business. In a way, both become synonymous, and quite often business owners name their businesses after themselves.
• Developing trust. Establishing trust is a big deal. Once people start trusting you, they will be much more likely to do business with you.

A great example we can give is the CEO of DevriX, Mario Peshev, whose personal brand is not only successful, but is also very well-developed, well-rounded, and established… This has allowed him to position himself as a go-to source for investing, business consulting, growing revenue, and more.

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How to Build a Personal Brand in 5 Easy Steps

1. Define Your Goals
2. Evaluate Your Current Presence
3. Strategize for Consistency
4. Share Your Story and Socialize
5. Adapt and Adjust as Needed

1. Define Your Goals

Needless to say, the first step towards building your brand is to clearly define what you want to achieve. Outline your short and long-term goals, the values you want to represent, and the way you want people to perceive you.

Make sure to also think about how you can stand out from everyone else. Practically, every niche has an abundance of well-known personalities, so it is important to add your own personal touch and, if possible, some extra value that currently does not exist.

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2. Evaluate Your Current Presence

Another important stage of establishing your personality is to check what is already out there. In other words, look up online to see what people are already saying.

Think about what they are currently associating you with, and whether you want to use that as a base, or try to move past it. Use this information to judge how much you need to change from what is already established about you to how you want yourself to be seen.

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3. Strategize for Consistency

Consistency is always very important, no matter what you are doing. Developing your brand is no different. You need to think ahead and do everything you can to be consistent.

Inconsistency is one of the biggest obstacles your identity can face. This is why steps one and two are so important, as failing to maintain the personality you have created could result in confusion and have a bad outcome.

Still, keep in mind that this does not mean you need to create a fake identity and/or persona or present yourself as something you are not. It is more about showing yourself in a positive light and making sure you do not lose track of who you are, and how you want to appear in the eyes of others.

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4. Share Your Story and Socialize

Storytelling sells. It is one of those fundamentally embedded human characteristics that we cannot ignore, even in times when technology is ever-evolving. Telling stories is the best way to engage audiences, and connect with them on a deeper level.

Furthermore, it reveals you as a real human being with emotions, experiences both good and bad, and so on. At first, you might feel a bit uncomfortable, but remember that you decided to delve into personal branding, and you have determined your own strategy. Plus, you do not need to share things that make you feel uncomfortable.

Last but not least, remember to think about the proper social channels through which you will share your story. Just like product marketing, your aim is to ensure that your story reaches as many people as possible.

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5. Adapt and Adjust as Needed

The ability to adapt and readjust is essential. From time to time, we all need to evaluate our progress, and this is especially true for people with large followings. So, don’t get too comfortable and think that you will always be liked no matter what.

Try to assess how you are doing every so often. You need to know if the value you were once offering is still there, and if not, make the necessary changes.

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Summary

Creating and establishing a personal brand takes time and effort. In the end, though, all your dedication and hard work, will be rewarded once you have reached the top, and everyone associates you with success.

Establishing yourself as a brand will boost your self-confidence as well as provide you with more opportunities to grow your business.

Of course, remember that you can always rely on us to help you achieve your goals, as well.