Will I come off as arrogant if I build a whole brand around myself?

I’m not an influencer, can I start a brand based on my name?

Who am I to be a speaker, author, online thought leader, business owner or [fill in the blank]?  There are so many other people who already do what I do…

Why can I clearly see how to position, create offers, and write messaging for other businesses or even my own business brand, but when it comes to my personal brand I feel unclear and stuck?

These are common questions that I hear when it comes to building a personal brand.  I get it.  Building a personal brand can feel 10x harder because, frankly, it is!  When you build a personal brand it means you have to clearly have a vision for how you’re different, where you’re headed, how to communicate why you are your customers’ first choice, and how to package yourself to create not only a holistic experience for your consumers, but a positive brand perception that will allow you to have the impact you desire.

Yes, it can be daunting because when it comes to yourself, everyone has a more difficult time having the perspective to see clearly.  You also have to be willing to step out and step up as a leader because building a personal brand means you’re positioning yourself as an authority in your industry based on your expertise. 

Here’s where you’re not alone - we all have natural blocks, unseen walls of protection, and oftentimes unconscious fears about what we are capable of and putting ourselves out there in the world in a visible way when it’s unknown what the outcome will be.

Let’s start by alleviating some of the worries and fears around building a personal brand and talk about the benefits of it.

 5 Benefits To Building A Personal Brand

 

01 – THERE’S ONLY ONE YOU

Want to be different than other businesses in your field?  Building a personal brand means your business is built around your personal authority and expertise.  No one does what you do like you do it.  There is literally only one you.  Don’t compare yourself to anyone else.  Stay in your lane, do what you do best, and the right people will be attracted to what you offer.

 

02 – A FASTER PATH TO ESTABLISHING TRUST

People trust people.  By creating a personal brand, you can establish trust and credibility for your brand faster because you are front and center as a person your audience can meet, engage with and come to know as the expert you are.

 

03 – OTHER BRANDS HAVE TO INVENT THE PERSONALIZATION – YOURS IS BUILT IN

Have you noticed how the first thing a business brand tries to do is establish a personal connection with their audience?  You can think of some big brands that do this - - - think, Progressive insurance and their iconic character Flo in all their commercials.  Consider how brands like Nike get professional athletes to endorse their products.  And what about Dr. Dre launching Beats - - - notice how his name is inextricably linked to the product name?  It’s because big brands understand that people want to connect with people and stories about people.  With a personal brand, you’ve got that built in and ready to go!

 

04 – IT’S AWESOME FOR MULTI-PASSIONATES & MULTI-HYPHENATES

A personal brand is much more flexible than a business brand which tends to be named after what you do in some meaningful way.  If you tend to have multiple interests or you do more than one thing (speaker – author – podcaster – founder, etc), then a personal brand allows you to pivot more easily without having to rebrand everything.  Want to change directions for your business?  Update your messaging, your audience and even your products / services, but you don’t have to rebrand your whole company.  Pro-tip: you don’t want to change direction too quickly or too often and confuse your audience, but pivoting with purpose is easier with a personal brand.

 

05 – THERE ARE MANY TYPES OF PERSONAL BRANDS

There are so many ways you can leverage your personal brand:

• Personal branding for career advancement

• Personal branding for your business

• Personal branding for authors, speakers, public figures

• Personal branding for influencers

• Personal branding for students

Essentially we are all personal brands whether we realize it or not – because we all leave an impression with the people we interact with.  Defining why you’re building your personal brand means you’re now intentionally focusing on the experience you’d like to create and the impact you’d like to have for a particular audience and with your specific talents & expertise.  You can get started by understanding the purpose of your personal brand: are you using it to build a business, impress your boss, to create a platform you’re known for? 

 

Personal Branding Tips – Get Started Here

 Do a SWOT Analysis on yourself based on your purpose for building a personal brand.

STRENGTHS

Define your biggest strengths.  Think about the things you naturally do really well and those topics that people ask you about the most because they already consider you an expert at it.  It’s your special blend of strengths that are drawn from a combination of your interests, experience, knowledge and expertise that will help you stand out and find your unique differentiator.

 

WEAKNESSES

Why focus on your weaknesses?  It’s simply an exercise in being aware of those things you’re not good at, or not an expert in, so you don’t unintentionally position yourself in a way that’s not your best foot forward.  It can also tell you what areas you may want to work on and improve or where you might want to hire team members or consultants for your business to bolster what you’re not great at for maximum success.

 

OPPORTUNITIES

Take a look at your industry – how are others positioning themselves?  What is their unique value proposition?  What’s your unique approach to what you do?  Do you have a proprietary framework or method (or can you create one? - - - the answer is yes!)?  You want to identify a niche of opportunity where you can shine and not position yourself to blend in.

 

THREATS

This is just another word for competition…it’s competition in terms of others offering something similar to you, but also competition for your audience’s attention and loyalty.  Be aware of what is capturing your ideal clients’ attention so you better know how to position yourself to breakthrough the noise.

 

Now that you’ve gotten clear with your SWOT Analysis, take that clarity and these affirmations below to help elevate your mindset around your personal brand and build the foundation for your brand that includes your target audience, brand perception, experience, vision, mission, core values and overall messaging to position yourself uniquely and successfully to deliver on your brand promise.  (and yes, if you have questions about any of these things, comment below as I’m writing more blog posts and doing free live trainings around building your personal brand coming up!).

 

3 Mindset Motivators

We began this article by admitting that building a personal brand can feel 10x harder.  That’s why I wanted to leave you with some simple but effective positive affirmations that can help you get out of your head and into the heartspace of serving your audience with your awesome personal brand.

 

Affirmation #1: I believe the knowledge I have can help others and I’m willing to be the leader I was born to be in order to help and create more positive impact.

Affirmation #2: I’m not bragging about how good I am, I’m informing my audience about how I can best help them be successful.

Affirmation #3: What I bring to the table is unique, and I have a clear message to share. 

Have more questions about personal branding?  Drop them in the comments below!  And don’t forget to join in the free live weekly trainings over in The Brand Building Entrepreneur Facebook group – I go live every Thursday at 11am PST.