What pops into your head when you hear the term “personal brand”? It could be daily LinkedIn posts with supposedly inspirational messaging. What about regular thought leadership articles with thousands of shares? It’s probably a carefully cultivated Instagram feed. At least according to my kids.
The truth is, everyone has a personal brand already, conscious or not. From first impressions to how someone responds to an email, the way somebody problem solves to how they present themselves to clients, individuals offer something of themselves in daily life. What’s more, personal brands are no more intrinsic or recognisable than in the workplace – and they can play a huge role in catapulting careers.
A well cultivated brand can give you the edge against other candidates in a competitive industry. It might even broaden opportunities with high-value clients or in-house projects or get you on the path to senior management. Vitally, being individually known helps to build professional integrity.
If you’re looking to establish a presence in your industry, here’s how to get started
First of all, you need to ask yourself a simple question: What do I want to be known for?
This is your starting block. What you want to be known for will give your personal brand a good direction and define how you present yourself and to whom.
It’s a simpler question to answer when you have a career goal in mind.
For example, if you’re looking to become a chief content officer in a B Corp. company in the next few years, you might want to be known for sustainability, ethics, and social responsibility. If you’re running a tech startup and about to start an investment campaign, you might want to be known for complex integrations, blockchain, or AI innovations.
You get the picture. Determine what exactly you want to be known for and how it applies to your career trajectory and it’ll be much easier to forge a brand that helps you achieve those goals.
Five ways to build your personal brand
1. Content is king. And it’s fully accessible. You don’t need to have a weekly column or a 50K-strong following on LinkedIn to get started – there’s a wealth of opportunity to post thought leadership content or even quick insights on social media. A word count of 400-600 is your sweet spot, and finish with a strong ‘takeaway’ or conclusion.
2. Work smarter, not harder. Simple tricks go a long way. Set up LinkedIn notifications for leaders and professionals most closely aligned to your brand to receive alerts when they post. It’s a quick way to ensure you’re commenting, sharing and engaging with relevant individuals. And do the same with hashtags to easily pick up on organic, relevant content.
3. Expand your audience. Once you’ve built up your profile, pitch for a few forward features or opinion pieces in industry publications. Think about the titles that are relevant to you, your audience and specialisms, and provide the editor with a good overview of what you intend to say. Offer a fresh take to readers.
4. Show your face. The world is open – it’s time to stop pretending like business is still fully digital. Attending client meetings, networking breakfasts, and events or conferences plays a big role in enhancing your personal brand. And if you have something to add to the conversation, pitch yourself as a speaker for that next event.
5. Hire a ghostwriter. If it’s good enough for Prince Harry… The point is, producing insightful commentary takes time, forward planning, and usually a bit of experience. If your schedule’s full to the brim, or you’re staring at a blank page, hiring a ghostwriter is a fairly common practice for business leaders. A ghostwriter will be able to take your brief and produce content that adds something fresh to the conversation, and will usually spend a little time understanding your voice and goals too.
Be in the now, too
Honing a recognisable brand can boost your career in the long-run, even help you land your dream job or position elsewhere. But it’s not all about the next big thing – it’s about where you are right now too.
Producing content, speaking at conferences, or even simply sharing more insights around teams demonstrates to your employer that you take your career development and your position in the industry seriously.
It builds your presence as someone in-the-know and who actively seeks opportunities to learn and share those learnings. It brings fresh thinking to a company and encourages a positive, productive culture.
That alone can open doors for you exactly where you are – you don’t need to launch your own business or join a FTSE 500 to create impact.
