Do you find building your personal brand a bit tricky? Don’t worry! If you follow my expert advice, you can make your online reputation soar. What may seem like a locked door can be opened with the right key. In this article, I am going to provide you with the key to success.
Before I get started, it is important to me that you understand what personal branding is. In a nutshell, personal branding is how others view you in public and on the internet. Think of all the celebrities you can. What is your opinion of them? How do others see them? In most cases, the star has worked hard to define their personal brand. You are going to do a lot of the same things they are doing to develop and build your personal brand.
Define Your Brand
People will only see what you show them. Therefore, it is essential to note your skills, attributes, strengths, weaknesses, and competencies. At the end of the day, this is what you are going to use to define your brand.
When you are looking at the above points to define your brand, make sure you are 100% honest and transparent. Pick words that are positive and clearly define who you are and what you can offer your prospective clients. If you do have any weaknesses, it is essential to use those negatives and spin them into a positive one. For example, if you tend towards being late, turn it positively that you try to cram too much work into a small amount of time. The reason you are late is you are trying to give too much time to a particular project because you care a lot. This will let people know that you are dedicated to making people happy.
Before you finalize your brand, it is vital that you ask for feedback from others. Sometimes you will not be able to see all that is good or great about you. Besides, in the long run, it doesn’t matter as much how you see yourself, but how others see you. The results of the feedback may open up several different areas of your life that you want to put emphasis on as well as some areas you want to suppress.
Possess Some Specialty
Specializing in a specific skill will allow you to stand apart from others in the same industry as you. Take marketing, for example. Until recently, marketing only had a particular way of doing things. Then the internet came along. Marketers had to think in an entirely different way. If you can specialize in just one part of online marketing, you may prove to be valuable to a company.
Some businesses that are lacking a lot of innovation in online marketing are manufacturing companies. In fact, many of them barely have a navigable website. Approaching these companies to increase sales can be your specialty. The more that you work with these companies, the more your brand will stand out. You will be the go-to person when it comes to online marketing for manufacturers.
While others are focusing on companies that already have some level of online marketing, you set yourself apart from the crowd and built a brand for yourself. This is just an example of how you can distinguish yourself. There are countless other ways.
If, for whatever reason, you are unable to find a niche that you can specialize in, then learn one. Take classes that will help you to differentiate yourself from others. It is a competitive world out there. If you are not different, then you are just another number.
Create A Blog
Blogging can be a lot of fun. It also gives you a chance to exhibit (or display) your skills. It also is a straightforward approach to revealing your imagination and initiative. Potential customers or partners will be able to find out about your work process and characteristics before they even meet you. This will give them a clear picture of your individuality and what characterizes your work style.
As if that wasn’t already enough, you will be able to consistently have the ability to create new SEO terms and develop new content for them to read. On a side note, make sure when you create this blog that you have an easy way for people to get in touch with you. It is not only essential to have that information on your website, but every blog that you write. You can never be sure how people will come across your blogs. It is crucial that they have a way to reach out to you if they like what they see.
Build Your Network
You may do everything listed above, but find you are falling short. Chances are, you overlooked building your professional network. There are many ways to accomplish this, but I suggest you start by making a LinkedIn account. Remember to use the same name you are using on all your other platforms. This will help others to connect with you easier.
Once you have created your account, it is time to get out there and talk to people. In case you didn’t know, LinkedIn is the business world’s Facebook. Instead of “friends,” you have “connections.” As most companies hire based on who they know, you will be in a great position to land a job if one becomes available.
Adapt and Adjust
You should never go more than a few months without evaluating your brand. This will allow you to keep it fresh at all times. Besides, there is a good chance that you have learned some new things since the last time you updated it that can be relevant to your current endeavors.
Conclusion
Online branding and reputation management are not as hard as people think. It only takes the right tools and knowledge to achieve greatness. With any luck, I have provided you with that in this article. I wish you the best of luck in all your upcoming ventures.