6 tips for building your personal brand
Branding is what distinguishes your business from your competitors. It can be based on anything from a symbol (logo), the name, the design look, the reputation, to the emotion it makes customers feel. Branding isn’t just for large companies; if you’re a freelance yoga teacher you still need to establish your brand if you want to build a client base. You might even want to build a brand in preparation for job hunting to ensure that you’re not just another faceless CV.
However, for some people, this is a daunting task. Where do you start, for example? We’ve put together some tips that will make the process easier.
- What is your vision?
Businesses create vision and mission statements. Creating a personal brand begins in much the same way. Think about where you want to be in several decades time. What does your life and work look like?
- Who are your people?
Who do you envision as your ideal clients? What values do they have? These are important questions to answer in defining your target audience. If you know who they are and what they like it is much easier to get your brand message across ot them.
- What assets do you need?
You will need an online and offline presence for your brand. Getting the right domain name for your website as well as deciding on how to present your brand across social media channels is crucial for building your community.
- Where are your clients?
All brands need exposure to the right people – the ones who share the brand’s values. Finding out where can you physically meet them and network is an important part of your strategy. There is a temptation to let social media and advertising do everything for you, but when you talk to potential clients you’re leveraging the power of being personal and the power of word of mouth recommendation.
- How to get free publicity
There are a number of ways to get press coverage. Perhaps you can give a free seminar to a local business group, or for example leisure groups relevant to your business. You can also offer to write a free article or blog, or if you see a story that is relevant to your business, you can contact the press to see if they are interested in your expert view of the story.
- Where is your mentor?
Having a mentor is invaluable. They will help you to keep learning, not just about business, but also about yourself and help you maintain focus. You can find mentors in a number of ways. Some people have a family member or friend who takes on this role. Others may use a former boss, or colleague, and you may find one within an industry organisation or networking group. You may need to sell the idea of mentoring to some, especially if you want a well-known person in your business sector, and there is plenty of advice about how to do this online and in books.
Bring Peppermint your vision and we can help with the design and media messaging elements of your personal brand. All you have to do is contact us!