What is Personal Branding?
Personal branding is the art of shaping how others perceive you, aligning it with how you want to be seen. As former president and CEO of Amazon Jeff Bezos said, “Your brand is what people say about you when you’re not in the room.” Building a strong personal brand requires intentional management of all aspects of yourself that others witness and experience.
It sounds exhausting, but showcasing your genuine characteristics rather than becoming a character should feel natural. If you put on a facade, your brand will feel inauthentic and hard to maintain.
That said, successfully repositioning your brand is possible and often necessary. Take Arnold Schwarzenegger, who began his career as a world champion bodybuilder, transitioned to acting, and later served as the Governor of California. While his core identity remained consistent, he had to adjust his branding to make those transitions, molding the public’s perception of him to achieve his goals. “I’ll be back”…with a slightly adjusted brand image!
Why is Personal Branding Important?
Business owners are often guilty of putting personal branding on the back burner, focusing on company branding alone to carry them to success. While corporate branding is undeniably valuable (50% of consumers are more likely to buy from brands they recognize), personal branding can amplify the success of your business even more. Here’s why:
-
People do business with people they like
Would you rather work with someone you like or someone you don’t like? As relational beings, we gravitate to those we connect with. Positive personal branding reflects well on your business as your reputation makes it easier for consumers to want to work with you. In other words, less hard selling and more trust from those you work with!
-
Credibility and thought leadership
Consumers in any industry seek trustworthy providers to meet their unique needs. It’s your goal to be the one they turn to first for expertise and services in your wheelhouse. Personal branding is key in positioning you as a thought leader as it enhances your credibility. If people believe your input or service is among the best, they will keep seeking you out.
-
Stand out from the crowd
What makes you stand out in the sea of professionals with the same degree, working within the same industry, and serving the same people? Without personal branding, you’re another name people have to remember. With personal branding, you’re a name with a memorable identity.
Personal Branding vs. Corporate Branding
Personal branding focuses on personal image, while corporate branding focuses on corporate image. No surprise there! However, the two go hand in hand.
People find it easier to relate to individuals than businesses. According to Ambassify, nearly 76% of consumers are more likely to trust the content shared by a brand’s employees than the brand itself. So, how do companies bridge that disconnect? One way is through positive personal and corporate branding, driving mutual growth.
As a Rowan graduate, museum lover, and fan of Jurassic Park, I’ve eagerly awaited the opening of Edelman Fossil Park & Museum of Rowan University (EFM) on March 29th. If we look at the museum’s branding, we’ll find two unique strategies. On one hand, we see the corporate branding of the EFM with its visuals, tagline, attractions, and mission. On the other hand, there’s personal branding of its employees, especially Dr. Kenneth Lacovara, founding executive director of the museum.
Dr. Lacovara has positioned himself as a leader in paleontology through his groundbreaking discoveries, book, viral TED talk, awards, magazine features, documentary appearances, and history as dean of the School of Earth & Environment at Rowan University. Now that you know about Dr. Lacovara, are you even more interested in the museum? I don’t know about you, but I sure am! That’s because I trust in the personal branding of an individual heavily involved in EFM’s development, which lends to trust in the museum itself. Additionally, I want to hear more about Dr. Lacovara’s experiences and I can connect his face to his work and expertise. There’s a collaborative strength in this branding strategy.
What is My Personal Brand?
Personal branding starts with self-reflection. You need to understand your mission, values, vision, and goals to make a desired impact. To get the ideas flowing, ask yourself the following questions:
- What skills do you want to be known for?
- What personal values do you want to make clear to others?
- What do you want to contribute to the world?
- What quality do you like best about yourself?
- What adjectives do people use to describe you?
- What adjectives would you like people to use to describe you?
- How are other professionals viewed within my industry?
- What makes you different from other people?
- In what situations are you your most authentic self?
- What do you want people to seek you out for?
- Who do you want to form relationships with?
- What kind of content do you want to create?
Ways to Build Your Personal Brand
Now that we understand the why of personal branding, we can discuss the how. Begin by assessing your current digital and physical presence. In addition to the above questions, take note of the channels you currently communicate through and how they align with your new goals. From there, you can determine what action steps make the most sense. Consider the following marketing tools and channels to help establish your brand:
Brand Guide
What visuals come to mind when you think of Chick-fil-A? Maybe the chain’s chicken-themed logo, cows, a messy font, bright red…and delicious sandwiches. Anyone else hungry? The franchise uses a brand guide (marketing elements like colors, fonts, logo, etc.) to keep its promotional materials and image consistent for consumers. You can do the same thing! Having signature fonts, colors, graphic design templates, and so on can help strengthen your audience’s ability to recognize and recall your brand when you release content.
Website
When you Google your name, do you control the narrative—or do others? In other words, do searchers get information about you directly from you? With a personalized website, you can control your digital presence, showcase your work, build credibility, upload educational content, post upcoming events, increase visibility with SEO and SEM optimization, and build a platform that’s easily shareable with the click of a link. It’s like a digital home; people can visit, hang out, and see what you’re about firsthand.
Blogging
To be a thought leader, you have to share some thoughts! Blogs are a space to share personal experiences, educate your audience, and showcase your personality through writing. It’s a great strategy for building trust and establishing yourself as an active and leading expert in your industry.
Outside of relationship building, blogging can also help you reach more people. According to Tech Client, websites with blogs have 434% more indexed pages. When pages are indexed, they become visible in search results, increasing the chances of driving more traffic to your site. More content lends to more clickable connection points!
Social Media
Social media is one of the most cost-effective, authentic ways to strengthen your brand, and audiences love it! According to Sprout Social, 63 percent of respondents say CEOs with personal social profiles are better representatives for their companies than CEOs without. Furthermore, 32% of consumers agree that a CEO’s social media transparency would inspire them to purchase more from the business. Social media humanizes leaders, showing them in an approachable light that feels real and trustworthy (qualities you want your personal brand to have).
Social media is a creative hub that combines photos, videos, design, and writing. Create cohesive content with differentiating factors like colors and templates while maintaining a recognizable tone—whether it’s funny, educational, conversational, promotional, or inspirational. Posting keeps your network updated and involved, fostering a deeper connection.
Collaborations and Cross-Promotion
Your content influences whoever sees it, which means each output has the potential to create an input of opportunity. Consider your target audience and the impact you want to make through your work. When done effectively, the content you share can lead to collaborations with industry leaders and brands with similar audiences, creating mutually beneficial growth and engagement. Collaboration and cross-promotion can take many forms, including social media engagement, sponsorships, brand deals, network expansion, mentorship, and relationships built on mutual advocacy. For example, an artist might partner with another artist or a craft store on a new project, or a doctor might share an informative article from another healthcare professional.
Speaking Events and Public Relations
Have you ever watched a TED Talk? As an active and leading professional, conferences, lectures, and seminars are perfect opportunities to show your expertise. Securing a speaking event that makes sense for your goals and skill set demonstrates that you are a leader with insights to share. Even if you’re not speaking, attending these events offers valuable networking opportunities and helps establish your presence as an active community member.
Podcasting
According to Statista, the number of people who listen to podcasts is projected to reach over 110 million in 2029. This growing marketing tool allows listeners to hear your thoughts and to get a glimpse of your character, whether you are a host or guest speaker.
Photography and Videography
Smile, you’re on camera! Or at least, you should be. Have you ever noticed that your social media posts perform better when they feature people? A study by the Georgia Institute of Technology and Yahoo Labs found that Instagram photos with faces are 38% more likely to receive likes than those without. People like seeing people, and the more you show your face, the more recognizable you become (your work included).
Beyond social media, professional photography and videography can elevate your brand. Capturing your work, the events you attend, and the moments that define you provides content for various marketing channels like your website, emails, and blogs. High-quality visuals reflect your personality and reinforce your brand identity in a way that words alone cannot.
Email
Most of us are no strangers to emails from brands about the latest sale or company announcement, but what if you could leverage the power of email for your personal brand? According to Forbes, 88% of people check their emails every day. This, in combination with email’s high reliability of message delivery, provides an excellent opportunity to connect with your network, building another layer of trust and visibility.
Physical Branding and Visual Identity
When you think of Lady Gaga’s wardrobe, you probably don’t picture pieces you could wear to buy groceries. Gaga is renowned for her avant-garde fashion sense, so much so that it’s sewn into the fabric of her very being. In one Billboard interview, she said, “My fashion is part of who I am, and though I was not born with these clothes on, I was born this way.” The pop star’s genuine, outward expression of her colorful inner self played a massive role in solidifying her brand and gaining media attention.
Am I telling you to wear a meat dress to your next networking event? Absolutely not. But appearances make a huge impact, and clothing is often one of the first things people notice about someone. Whether you want to look colorful, casual, or confident, fashion can help convey that.
For those who aren’t overly drawn to fashion, there are other visual branding opportunities to create consistency. Just as you “dress up” a company with colors, fonts, and promotional materials, you can do the same thing with your brand. Consider these fun options:
- Branded apparel
- Giveaway items
- Trade show setups
- Printed materials (brochures, postcards, flyers, business cards, envelopes, letterheads)
Volunteering
Show your community values by getting involved and giving back! Not only does it feel good to support a cause you’re passionate about, but it fosters consumer loyalty, builds brand awareness, and provides networking opportunities to meet people with similar values.
Next Steps
With so many options and considerations, establishing your personal brand can feel like a shot in the dark, and without a proper plan, it will be. From strategic messaging and brand development to seamless execution, our team can provide full-service support to build the brand of your dreams. Through meticulous research and strategic brand analysis, we identify the most effective path to success, ensuring a seamless transition from insights to action. Take the first step toward personal branding success, and contact us today for more information.
Author: Kelly Van Fossen
Date: March 19, 2025
