One of the biggest misapprehensions about personal branding is that it is only relevant for celebrities or social media influencers. This isn’t true at all.
It is true that the rise of social media has amplified the importance of personal branding. It has never been easier to get your voice out there; there are so many platforms - most of them free - for telling your story.
However, personal branding is just as important in a B2B context as in the world of influencers. If you are a c-level executive or in a visible, strategic or influential role, you should be thinking about communicating your values and your story in a measured, intentional way.
Figure out your ‘truth’
The biggest challenge when developing a personal brand is deciding what that brand should be. ‘Generic excellence’ is a particular problem for c-level executives who usually have years of experience and do many things very well - what do you focus on when you build your personal brand? The answer is to home in on that unique something you bring to the game. Perhaps you are a ‘turnaround CEO’ or are passionate about a particular sustainability or social issue. You may have to do a little digging to work out what your truth is but once you do, you can articulate this and become known for it. The key to good storytelling is being specific rather than generic.
Work out where you want to be
Personal brands are aspirational. They are an articulation of where you want to be in the future. You might be a CEO with years of experience who can grow a company, but want to be seen as an industrial innovator with progressive sustainability ideas. You aren’t there right now, but you can build a path there.
Keep your core consistent
Consistency is vital when developing a personal brand. The key to creating a powerful brand is maintaining consistency over time. You can alter your focus but the soul of your brand should remain constant. If you don’t have that strategic foundation you lay yourself vulnerable to shifting tides and reinventing yourself with every idea that pops into your head.
Establish who your audience is
Who is it that actually matters to you? Who do you want to connect with? Another misconception is that the success of your personal brand is measured by the number of followers you have on social media. Some of the most effective personal branding examples involve people who are very niche. Often, the more niche you are, the more magnetic you become. You could be a B2B ‘celebrity’ to a podcast audience of 1000 people and if you have projected your voice and your personality in a way that is valuable to them, that is personal branding working effectively. You only need to appeal to the people who actually matter to you.
Tell your story
Once you are clear about yourself and who you want to connect with, you can start to tell your story. But just because it is your story doesn’t mean that you are the best person to tell it. Hire people with the skills to emotionally captivate people. Brief them well and you should get the results you are looking for.
Work out if it is working
Feedback is the only way of establishing whether your personal branding is working. Are people recognising you as you want to be recognised? Take a leaf from the stand-up comedian’s book and test your material: they don’t just write a joke and keep it to themselves. They need the feedback because they know that if the audience laughed, it worked; and if the audience laughed and clapped, it worked even better. You need to pay attention to how people are receiving your information. When you reach this stage, it’s no longer about you. It’s about ‘them’. You need to relate to your audience and the only way to make sure you have established a connection is to obtain feedback.
Everybody has a personal brand. Your brand is already out there. It’s a question of taking ownership of it.
Reach out to us, and let us help you create your perfect personal brand.
