As consumers become more informed not only about the brands they invest but the people connected to them, it is imperative for entrepreneurs to create a positive personal brand. This is essentially how others view you as a person and as a business owner based on representations of you online and through other mediums. For entrepreneurs, how they are perceived by their employees, competitors, colleagues, and the general public is essential to the growth and success of their brand.
When a positive personal brand is developed, it helps to build your credibility within your industry, boosts customer/client base, increases sales, build a strong network, and plants your brand on a platform to make more money and gain access to better opportunities.
As these are all things necessary for standing out and succeeding in this ever-evolving market, it is imperative that entrepreneurs continue to work on developing their brand. Here are some suggestions on how to do this:
Create a Personal Website
Though you may have a company website, putting a face to the person behind the business is of extreme importance. Creating a personal website gives visitors the opportunity to learn more about you as a professional. Here, you can place information about your educational and professional experience, upcoming business ideas and strategies, and direct contact information for interested parties to be able to contact you.
Online Business Directories
Another way to work on developing your personal brand is to create accounts through online directories. These are large databases where visitors can come to search for links and contact information related to their search. As you can see, Jim Plante, Founder and CEO of Pathway Genomics, created a personal account through an online directory and email search database to make it easier for potential clients, employees, colleagues, or other entities to find him and contact him directly.
Social Media Accounts
Separate from your company and personal social media pages, entrepreneurs looking to build a positive personal brand need to have separate social media accounts. These accounts should be a balance between personal and professional providing followers with more insight to who you are outside of your brand. You can use your social media accounts to post content that matches your personal interests or reflects your industry, strike up conversations or engage in conversations of others, comment and provide feedback, share stories, educate others on things you’re knowledgable in, network, and collaborate with others.
Diversify Your Content
Content is still king in the world of experiential marketing but the various platforms used to share content have changed through the years. If you want to build your personal brand you must have a diversified content marketing strategy. Going beyond your personal website or blog you must find other platforms and mediums to share who you are.
For example, you might start recording mini vlogs to show followers what a day in the office is like. Perhaps you’re interested in starting a podcast and interviewing headliners in your industry about innovative ideas and strategies. Another idea might be to try a monthly newsletter that you email to interested parties about the latest industry news, upcoming ideas within your business, tips, and advice with your area of expertise, etc. When you take the time to invest in various content forms and mediums you expand your reach and increase your chances of connecting in a positive way with your target audience.
Networking and In-Person Meetings
Though building a strong presence online is imperative to cultivating a positive personal brand, traditional methods are also necessary. Networking through business events, charities you support, public speaking, and even hosting meet and greets or events of your own are imperative to helping people to put a face with a name. This provides an opportunity for real-time engagement where potential clients, colleagues, employees, and others can get to know more about who you are, what you stand for, and why they should support your products and/or services.
While it is important to show your target audience just how great your products and services are to be a successful business, it is equally as important to show them the name and face behind the brand. It is when people are able to make this personal, in-depth connection with you outside of business that they are more inclined to want to support your brand. If you have not already done so, begin taking steps such as those provided above to enhance your personal brand in the upcoming new year.
