Branding applies to businesses and people alike. If you’re a small business owner, crafting a personal brand is an important piece on the way to long-term success.
Why you may ask?
A personal brand makes a small business accessible.
It makes the business memorable and discoverable.
It puts a face to a name and affords different promotional opportunities.
Emphasizing who you are, what your personal brand stands for, and how you’re distinctive from your competition is a solid foundation for your business growth. While there are similarities between business and personal branding, there are four essential steps to establishing a strong personal brand:
1. Clarify the Foundation for your Personal Brand
While not a tangible product, you, as a brand, represent something different in the marketplace. To successfully brand yourself, you must be clear on your big why, establish your Values, Visions & Mission, figure out what you are really good at (skills and gifts inventory) and evaluate your Brand Perception.
To clarify the foundation of your brand, ask yourself these questions:
What makes me stand out from my peers?
Who needs to know me so I can reach my goals?
What are my values?
What’s my ultimate career goal?
Who makes up my support system?
What brings me joy?
What’s my superpower – the thing I do better than anyone else?
What’s my favorite way to communicate?
What’s my why?
Your core foundation should be clearly articulated and established if you are to build a solid brand that is future proof
2. Package your Brand Elements
Before marketing it is important to know what we are selling, to who and what the outcome is.
This aspect is also very important in the journey of building a solid personal brand.
You will need to learn amongst others how to craft your Mission statement, define Your Ideal Client, determine the Problem You Solve, design a Visual Identity that represents this and then build your community. Marketing involves creating a desired image across all platforms you choose to be on. Having your brand elements packaged to suit this image will go a long way to establish and communicate your brand effectively.
3. Communicate Your Personal Brand
Getting the word out about your brand and your business will require marketing principles that set you apart in the market.
This is where your communication comes in. Here you want to sell your brand and business to your desired audience. For that to happen you will need an effective Content Strategy. How will you go about sharing your expertise, gift with your audience? Which means of communication are most suitable for you and your audience? What channels will you use to reach them? What different ways can you repurpose your content to reach a bigger audience? How do you network with other industry expert to grow your influence and reach?
All of these are questions you ask when building a brand communication strategy.
This is crucial because it is the place where trust is built. Your expertise and authority in your domain is established and your ideal clients begin to seek you.
4. Cash In on Your Brand Expertise
Next up you want to figure out the different ways you can make money with your brand and business and selling! It is time to turn the fans, followers you have nurtured in your communication to long term paying clients.
Here you begin to consider your monetization strategies. How do you intend to sell your expertise to your audience? Will you have physical or digital products, sell services, Publish books…
Whatever it is that you will choose make sure they are evergreen.
As a small business owner, your business is part of your personal brand. With these steps, you are well on your way to increasing credibility and authority without your industry.
Do you have a personal brand? What stage are you at? I would love to hear from you.
Leave your comments below.
Do you desire to build thriving businesses around the experience, personality and expertise you have acquired over the years?
You know that you are worth the effort it takes to be the best you can be. You’re special, you have a gift the world is waiting for. You are here to fulfill your purpose and lead an extraordinary life but you don’t know how to go about it?
I am here to help you!
and let’s chat to see if the strategy I laid out above is a good fit for you.