pearsonal branding blog

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Personal Branding: Deconstructing the need of it

As marketing geeks, we often want to establish a personal brand. We strive for the same day-in & day-out. Personal branding is where you’ve successfully created a perception about yourself in the minds of your target audience & your competitors as well. It is an impression of you for people to understand you better as a professional.

According to Harvard Business Review it can be defined as,” It is the amalgamation of associations, feelings, beliefs, attitudes & expectations that people collectively hold about you.” Avery, a HBS Executive write in the Harvard Business Review.

Why Personal Branding? (Relevance)

  1. Imparts a communication style:
    It imparts a different way to interact with your target consumers. Consumers now-a-days want goods from brands that have clear corporate purposes about what they’re doing. Your personal brand can give the audience a peep into your mind as you interact with them building your own perception.

  2. Leads to Opportunity:
    Via personal branding, you make yourself known in a way that is uniquely your own. As your peers may have a degree & work history as same as you, you can formulate an area of expertise & look for prospects in that line.

  3. Builds trust:
    People trust the human, not the brand. Digital interaction allows companies to cross geographical barriers & reach more customers than ever before. This builds an emotional bond with the customers & they feel a bond with you which enhances trust.

Origin

The origins of personal branding can be traced back into ancient civilizations such as ancient Egypt, Greece & Rome. More than 3000 years ago, the Zhou Dynasty of China, used displays with block printing, opening the doors of mass communication. Also, the Sung Dynasty was an age of Chinese history beginning as early as 960 & lasted till 1279. It was a hugely rich & technological time in India. During this era, block printing, paper money & most importantly, a movable type of printing with letters arranged for a new page, were created.

Need

Apple has branded itself as an innovative, reliable brand & has built a distinctive image in the consumers psyche. A sports brand like Nike passes on the message of “Just Do It” which imparts a message of being fixated on performance & power. Personal branding works in the similar way. Your brand conveys your image, story & position into the industry. It also talks about your narrative & values as a brand. But why do we need personal branding. What is the need? Let’s have a look:

Why Personal Branding? (Relevance)

  1. It helps you connect with people:
    A personal brand gets success when a compelling brand storytelling which relates to the target audience. Conduct a deep research on who your target audience is. Relatability & revealing your vulnerable side as a brand can build authenticity towards a brand. Building that authenticity is a key part of the personal branding process which automatically erases the flaws as they become less noticed automatically.

  2. It helps you accomplish your goals:
    Your marketing psychology should be such that as a brand the focus should be on fulfilment of goals at all times. In today’s competitive brand world, promoting your products to catch attention of the public can be a daunting task. It separates your brand from the crowd which builds brand consistency.

  3. Enhances your visual image:
    A visual image of any brand is vital. It is your brand identity which is perceived by the people into their minds. Think about the raw material you have to work with. Also take into consideration the customer connection you will build via crafting your brand identity. You should spend some time formulating your signature style.

  4. Helps to gain a competitive advantage:
    Personal branding when crafted helps you gain a competitive advantage as there’s a unique factor in you. You specialize in it like nobody can. This exact differentiation makes you memorable & attractive to potential clients, employers, or partners. Well-crafted competitive advantage for branding, clearly communicates your unique value proposition. It makes it easier for decision-makers to evaluate why you’re the best fit for newer opportunities.

  5. Builds credibility:
    Into the branding process, trust of the consumers is an extremely important factor. Your brand persona should exude consumers importance. By frequently sharing value added content, displaying unique skills, & engaging in meaningful conversations showcase you as a learned & dependable professional. The higher the credibility, the higher the opportunities.

Benefits of Personal Branding:

  • Strong personal brands create more employment opportunities.
  • Your business endeavors are in line.
  • Add value to the society as a whole.
  • Networking.
  • Develop & showcase your skill set.

Process:

  1. Identify your USP:
    It’s crucial to understand that everyone has a unique story to play. Your brand is nothing but the narrative that you put forth to the world. Delve into your past lessons of life, the challenges you’ve overcome & elevate your personal growth.

  2. Understand your target audience:
    A target audience goes beyond just the normal demographical aspects. The interests, behavior patterns, motivations & pain points are needed to be examined at a deeper level. Try to map their journey to identify the touchpoints where there is scope to make an impact.

  3. Create Compelling content:
    Creating enchanting content is imperative. There should be a uniformity in the frequency of posting the content. Also, one should measure results of your content posted on order to study further which type of content creation really is helping.

  4. Sustain your unique style:
    Continuous content posting with value addition increases the chance of your brand upsurging at a faster rate. Establish a tone of voice which is in line with your core values & brand vision & mission.

Conclusion:

Personal branding is a milestone which one achieves in life. It generates job opportunities, you add value to people’s lives & set an example for fellow peers or the future individuals. You come across as a thought leader & a seasoned marketer as people get inspired from you & your client base is full of praises for you