Learn how to build your personal brand step by step. Building your personal brand is similar to creating the brand strategy for a company, but in this case, the company or project is you. In a world where marketing and networking are so important for any business or project you want to create, it is fundamental to start building your personal brand. Many experts and entrepreneurs say they wish they’d started building their personal brand earlier simply because of how important it is. In this post, we’ll cover why you need a personal brand, what a personal brand is and what it’s not, and the five steps to building your personal brand. 

Let’s start with Defining some Concepts.

Branding: when you have an irrational, emotional connection to a brand. Branding generates Differentiation and Preference. There is value in Difference. 

🎯 Brands have gone from offering functional value to emotional value and building a relationship with the consumer.

• They care about aligning with what their customers value. So, they create something (a brand) people can relate to and connect with. 
• They build customer relationships, which are about how brands make their customers feel.
• They market to us to get us to do something.

What successful brands have:

• Identity. A brand is identifiable from a mile away. You recognize it and know what it stands for.
  • They create identity, a point of differentiation.
• Differentiation: “The most successful brands in the world became that way by being different.” Dr. Talaya Waller
  • “Everything looks and sounds the same.” Rob Brown
  • As more people specialize, they have to distinguish from one another.
• Followers or community. As Marty Neumeier –branding expert and author– says: “We don’t want to be sold things, but we love to buy. We don’t want to buy, we join tribes.” (paraphrased by Chris Do)
• A competitive advantage. There is a disproportionate amount of options.

🚫 What Your Personal Brand is Not:

Your personal brand is not self-promotion. It is not talking about you all of the time, emphasis; it’s not all about you. It’s also not a story in which you’re always the hero. You are not marketing a product. And it’s also not self-serving. Chris Do says it’s remembering who you are. Can you remember who you are?

“It’s not invention, it’s memory.”

Chris Do

✔️ So, What Is Your Personal Brand?

• A powerful tool to accomplish your goals.
• It’s about “creating and sharing human experiences.” Dr. Talaya Waller
• It can help you share your story, expertise, and make an impact on society.
• You are the project; you need to increase the value proposition of your project.
• It’s remembering: can you remember who you are?
  • What’s your story? How manufactured is your story? What is the integrity and authenticity of your voice?
  • Our ego manages who we are in the world.          
    • The persona: who you pretend to be to be accepted in society.
    • Shadow self: your ugly self, what no one wants to talk about.
• Reputation: what people see, feel, think, do, or say when they encounter you or your name.
  • Observations turn into opinions very quickly: How people perceive you, what people think about you, and what they say when you’re not in the room.
  • It’s about what other people know you to be.
  • People talking about you when you’re not there. 
  • “It takes a lifetime to build a good reputation and a second to destroy it.” Warren Buffet

❗️Three Reasons Why You Need a Personal Brand 

1. You win more. Life is one negotiation after another. You need to know what the other person values.
   • You are always being evaluated. Even for things that may not exist today.
   • You want people to choose you. To promote you. To hire you.
   • You want to become the number one choice for what you do.
2. You lead more. People think they know who you are, so they follow you and get others to follow you.
   • Attention: you get noticed
     • Solve the too many of choice
     • How do you make sure they pick you first
     • People who stand out are the ones that get picked 
   • Respect
     • People encouraging you. People defending you or your name
   • With a strong Personal Brand, people will find you and invest in you. People buy from people.
3. You earn more. 
   • Invest in yourself. The bigger your brand, the more you will earn.

“2/3 of lifetime wage growth occurs in the first 10 years of a career.”

Ann Bastianelli

1️⃣ Start with You

Start with a Personal Audit. You start with your values, what you stand for, and your principles. 

This step is about self-awareness: not just who you know yourself to be, but also:

• Your reputation > Who others know you to be: How do others perceive you? How would they describe you when you are not in the room? How would somebody summarize you if they are referring you for a job or an opportunity?
• Find people who will be honest with you about 
  • How are you as a friend. How are you as a colleague.
  • Seek feedback from work, family, and friends.
• We are all like Mr. Potato Head 🙂 no one knows everything that’s inside us.
  • Your Personal Brand is the manifestation of all the things you have inside.

Action Items

• Define your Values: decide who you want to be.
  • Write down values that are important to you. Use them as your guide. Define what these values mean.
  • When someone talks with you, can they identify those values?
• Guiding Questions:
  • What have I done professionally? What have I achieved?
    • Make a list of concrete items of things you have achieved, things, not titles.
    Who do you want to be defined as?
    • Think about what you want to be known for 
    What do you want your brand to reflect?
    • How can you prove that to people, you can’t fake this.
    Be clear on what you want to be Known for: How do you want people to describe you.
    • How do you answer the question: What do you do?How do you represent yourself to everyone else?Dig into the What, How, and Why behind your work. Make it concrete and easy to remember.
  • Identify your Goal: What do you want your personal brand to help you accomplish? 
• Identify what you like and what lights a spark on you.
  • What are you passionate about? 
  • What do you love doing most?
• Clarify who your network is. This is not your LinkedIn. These are persons you can talk to when you have an issue, and they will find a way to help you.

➡️ If you want to dive deeper into figuring out what you like, you can see more guiding questions and exercises in How to Build Career Success.

2️⃣ Identify your Uniqueness

Considering the noise, activity, and clutter, How Can You Stand Out From Others?

Be authentic: don’t try to be somebody else. Be yourself.  You can’t look or sound like everyone else. Don’t talk about what everybody else is doing. 

You grow, learn, and build experience that is unique to you. This includes skills, talents, expertise, and knowledge. 

“You should be great at being you.”

Rob Brown

Differentiate yourself: What is your differentiation?

• What are your strongest attributes? What sets you apart?
• What are the things that make you unique? Talents and Expertise.
• How do you stand out? How can you make a difference?
• What about you will be difficult to copy or replicate?

If possible, don’t do it on your own; find a mentor.

Think about the audience: It’s about the people for whom you want to provide value. Consider:

• The Goal and the people who can benefit from your unique talents or skills
• Who can gain the most, and how can you help them?

3️⃣ Messaging and Storytelling

Build your character. Strat describing yourself as a known brand. The more you practice, the better you get at telling your story.  

• “Every product has a story.” Chris Do. Tell your story with your life. 
• Provide proof: you are what you say you are.
• The relevant benefit you offer to the world has to be clear. 
• It has to be memorable.
• All of the messages come from the inside.
  • Reputation: What do people think when they come in contact with those personal messages? When they interact with your personal brand, what are they thinking?

Be consistent in how you articulate You and Your Brand. Everything counts. Your personal brand is everything, how you talk, work, and interact with others.

Example: Apple. Their story is about simplicity and convenience. 

• Then, they find new ways to simplify your life.
• It’s not only about covering current needs but also about thinking ahead and offering value in the future.
• Anticipate what people will need before they ask.

At some point, the Personal Brand becomes Ours

• At some point, you will not control the brand. You can reach a point where your audience knows you so well that, when you’re inconsistent, they can point it out.
• Marty Neumeier: “Your brand is not what you say it is. It’s what they say it is.”

How can you summarize You? Create a Mission Statement: use it to communicate.

Two-Word Brand

It’s the title of the book; it has to be intriguing. You use it to tell a story. 

1. Come up with words that you don’t like about yourself, words that someone who doesn’t like you would say about you.
   • Write down as many as possible.
   • Then, identify which ones don’t have an emotional triggering effect 
   • Look at those that have a triggering effect 
2. Take one or two of those words
3. Add a transformer word
   • Make the negative a positive
   • You take a liability and turn it into an asset 
4. You can unlock your memory and discover you have many stories to tell. Stories that people want to be a part of.

For more on the two-word brand concept, I’d recommend Chris Dos’ How to Build a Success Full Personal Brand masterclass.

4️⃣ Build Your Network

Build your Reputation. Build a Network: build your brand with more people. Deepen your relationships. It’s about building trust and loyalty.

“Your network is who you know, and your reputation is who knows you. The bigger your network, the bigger your reputation.” “Your richest resources will always be in your richest relationships.”

Rob Brown

“More business decisions occur over lunch and dinner than at any other time, yet no MBA courses are given on the subject of networking.” Peter Drucker

“Network continually. 85% of all jobs are filled through contacts and personal references.”

Brian Tracy

5️⃣ Build Your Profile

“It’s no good being the best-kept secret in the world.” 

Rob Brown

Build your profile: Don’t be brilliant and anonymous. People often associate fame with skill.

💡 Two of the best things you can do: speak and write. Share your ideas.

Key Personal Branding Assets

• Personal Website: you can take full control of your online reputation and share it with others beyond a resume or LinkedIn profile.
• Social Media: share your personal brand with the audience you want to connect with. People like to interact with others they like, know, and trust. Choose the networks that align with your goals.
  • Make your posts helpful for others— provide valuable and relevant content.
  • Your profile should accurately describe you and peak people’s interests.

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