Is it true that you can use it to promote your business, make connections, and get your dream job?
- 92% trust recommendations from people more than brands (Nielsen).
- 82% are more likely to buy from a company whose management actively posts on social media (BRANDfog).
- 77% will give preference to a company whose social networks are successfully maintained by the owner (BRANDfog).
A personal brand is.
A recognizable and discussed image among potential customers, which has two main characteristics: reach and reputation. Coverage does not have to be great – it is enough to be known in the professional community and among your target audience. But the reputation must be good – without this, a large coverage will only do harm.
A personal brand is built from skills, personal qualities, style, affiliation with the company and the ideas communicated. That is, everything with which the person-brand is associated with others. “Richard Branson”, “Steve Jobs”, “Mark Zuckerberg” immediately conjure up images and a number of associations: Zuckerberg – Facebook, young genius; Steve Jobs – Apple, black turtleneck, bad character; Branson – Virgin, courage, innovation.
Even if you don’t name names, just show pictures, most people will recognize these entrepreneurs
Why you need a personal brand
People listen to experts and want to work with the best. Designs by “Artemy Lebedev Studio” are in demand and have a high price tag not because they are objectively the best on the market. It’s also because Artemy is working on a personal brand and thereby promoting his business.
A personal brand:
- Attracts the “right” clients.
- Makes it easier for an HR manager or recruiter to find them. (If the person is known online, he or she is easy to find through referrals and even just Google. A resume may not be necessary in that case).
- Closes questions and objections from a potential client. When values, skills, and personal qualities are in plain sight, a decision can be made right away.
- Helps you make connections. Media personalities, professionals, agents, recruiters, and advertisers are often friends. A person with a strong personal brand expands professional influence and makes one’s life more interesting.
- Attracts partners and investors. A brand persona makes it easier to find like-minded people willing to invest time and money in new projects.
When and who needs it
A personal brand is one of the tools to promote a business and a person – as a reliable professional. It helps you earn more with the same effort: the product, service or time costs more and it is cheaper to attract a client. Among thousands of people with similar offers, they are more likely to choose the one whose personal brand seems more convincing to the client.
A personal brand is especially important when competition is high.
It’s not true that only media personalities like politicians, actors, athletes, or showmen need a strong brand. It also comes in handy:
- Entrepreneurs – to promote their own businesses.
- Professionals, teachers, experts – to increase the number of consultations and appearances, to increase the value of their services.
- Marketers and salespeople – so as not to be “cobblers without boots”, to attract more clients.
- Freelancers – to increase rates, to make portfolios more weighty.
When not to promote a personal brand
However, personal branding is not a panacea. Don’t get your hopes up too high and take up this tool just because “the competition is doing it.
Now it is a trend: some passionately promote themselves, while others teach how to do it. But few people ask why they need a personal brand. Moreover, it is not created from scratch, you need the foundation: achievements, the ability to present themselves, time and, preferably, a good budget for promotion.