Building Your Personal Brand

Introduction

• Personal Brand: Your online/offline reputation.
• Common Misconception: Seen as bragging, but it's crucially about your reputation.
• Reality: Everyone has a personal brand whether they like it or not.

Importance of Personal Brand

• Reputation: How people perceive you and what they say when you're not around.
• Narrative: Every interaction and online engagement contributes.
• Control: Decide if you want to shape your story or let it be shaped by chance/algorithms.

Key Steps to Building a Strong Personal Brand

1. Determine Your Goal

• Purpose: What do you want your personal brand to achieve?
  • Career Change: Reflect new skills.
  • Promotion: Highlight accomplishments.
  • New Business: Align brand with products/services.
• Actionable: Write it down and be specific.

2. Identify What You Want to Be Known For

• Professional Identity: Beyond job title.
  • Example roles and their focus (teacher, project manager, artist).
• Clarity: Think about what makes you unique.
• Exercise: Make a list of skills and expertise.

3. Define Your Audience

• Focus: It's about others, not just you.
• Criteria:
  • Goal Alignment: Who benefits from your skills?
  • Value Proposition: How can you help them?

4. Create a Mission Statement

• Components: Who you are, what you do, for whom, and the impact.
• Examples:
  • Teacher: Focuses on social and emotional learning.
  • Project Manager: Specializes in sustainable fashion marketing.

5. Build Your Brand Online

Personal Website

• Control: Over your online reputation.
• Depth: More comprehensive than a CV or LinkedIn profile.
• Differentiation: Through personal stories and photos.

Social Media

• Platform Selection: Based on goals and audience presence.
  • Artists/Creatives: Instagram.
  • Corporate: LinkedIn.
• Engagement: Be helpful, share relevant content, and interact constructively.

Final Thoughts

• Growth Opportunity: See branding as personal growth.
• Self-Discovery: Clarify who you are and who you want to be.
• Impact: Understand how you can make a significant impact in the world.