Have you heard of ‘Personal branding ?
It’s a process where you differentiate yourself (rather than your company) from your competitors in order to stand out in a crowded market place and make an impact whether it’s in person, on an email or via social media.’
On the 17th October, I was a guest on Oge Okesieme’s Masterclass Series. It’s a monthly question and answer session where members of the public can ask the guest speaker on how to improve their personal branding.
Oge describes herself as a pathfinder for spiritual entrepreneurs. Her aim is to guide entrepreneurs who want to make a difference and help them to ‘shine’. Now this may sound a bit esoteric, but if you look at her steps to discovering what your personal brand is, you really can start to create a picture about how to think about the ways you want to portray yourself and what you have to offer as a brand.
Think about the following:
- What is your Personal Brand?
- Why you should care about your Personal Brand?
- How can your Personal Branding help you make an IMPACT?
Once you figure out how to answer the above and develop the perception you would like to create about yourself, then the next step is where I come in. One of the main topics I was asked about was how to promote your personal brand over social media. From this point of view, Personal Branding is the process whereby people and their career are marketed as brands. If you want to promote your business on Twitter and LinkedIn, your personal brand will determine how favourably your business is viewed.
Research has shown that 50% of a company’s reputation is driven by the CEO’s reputation. 95% will decide whether to invest in the company based on the CEO’s reputation and 88% will decide whether to recommend the company as a good place to work. So if you’re the boss, your personal brand matters!
To communicate your Personal Brand effectively over social media, here are a few things to think about when managing your LinkedIn and Twitter profiles:
1. You HAVE to find a USP when creating your Linked In profile
Find your own USP, drill down into your own experience and think about what’s unique about you. e.g. Don’t just say I’m a lawyer. Describe what area of law do you work in and how you feel you make a difference to your clients?
2. What can you say on your Twitter bio that will make you stand out?
What are your interests, what industry do you work in, how do you help customers? Use specific keywords – your Twitter profile makes you searchable and you only have 160 charatcers within which to do this. Use this opportunity wisely.
Use the following tips to create both profiles described above:
1. Find inspiration – Look at what other people are saying in their bios and updates. This will give you inspiration. You can search your competitors on Twitter with a simple keyword search. Don’t be scared to share a bit of personal info. E.g. If you’re a cricket fanatic, that may be an advantage in winning over some people. If people feel somehow connected to you, they will go to you instead of others because they feel you will be on your wavelength.
2. Stay fresh – this is an evolving process – think about how often Coca-Cola change their slogan!
Once your biography is complete, continue to use your unique insights and background in your updates.
Personal Branding is a never-ending exercise, using social media to grow it will give you instant benefits. Good luck!
