7 Popular Ways To Brand Yourself

Being an entrepreneur in any industry is all about building a brand. Whether your focus is on your company, or you want other’s to recognize you, it’s important to realize that having a strong personal brand helps improve your business. Though creativity is applauded, these are 7 popular ways to brand yourself well.

Have A Website

This should be your building block for personal branding along with your logo. Having a website allows you to freely express yourself and reveal details of your personal brand. Do you want to be seen as an uber-successful businessman? What about an easy-going philanthropist?

It’s also important to recognize the opportunities having a website does for your brand. Leverage your expertise and voice by writing a blog and regularly up keeping it. Writing a blog not only sharpens your brand recognition, it drives traffic to your site which can be used as a gateway to your business or services.

However, you choose to brand yourself, make sure your website reflects your intentions and make it an integral part of you.

Using Social Media

What’s the difference between sharing a picture of your cat and an industry blog on your social media platforms? None.

Nowadays, social media is nearly synonymous with a personal brand. Everyone uses it to communicate with one another and showcase an image of themselves. People want others to see them in a certain light and you should do the same for your personal brand.

It’s recommended to actually separate your personal accounts with your business pages as to limit what other people can view in your personal life and eliminate any brand confusion.

Using social media also has the added benefit of allowing you to connect with so many people outside your circle. It’s almost a requirement for your personal brand to be on at a few platforms as it will boost your image, credibility, and reach.

Offer Your Expertise

Do you like to help others? Then you’re in luck.

The timely old saying “you scratch my back, and I’ll scratch yours” is definitely applicable when building a personal brand. In fact, it’s a common business practice that can pay enormous dividends down the line.

Helping other entrepreneurs, businesses, and people not only spins your reputation to a positive light, it can also be used as leverage in return. Think about it like this. You’re an expert in accounting and you encounter a business owner from a brand that you like. They need to crunch some numbers for a small project but have limited resources. You can offer your help and do your job diligently. In return, they’ll ask what they can do for you, and that’s when you can capitalize.

You’ll have a reputation as a kind person, dedicated worker, and people will begin to notice you. In addition, you’ll have an impressive resume and have very beneficial allies on your side when it’s time for you to take your career to the next level.

Endorse Other Brands

Similarly to the previous point, endorsing brands is another excellent way to brand yourself. It’s almost a win-win situation if you play your cards right.

Endorsing other brands allows you to associate yourself to an untapped audience you want to be involved in. If you’re a business consultant, and you endorse American Airlines for travel, chances are they’ll notice and can offer you discounts, perks, and much more.

It’s all about give and take and what value you can provide to the other brand. Don’t assume that another brand will take notice or do anything just because you’ve endorsed them. This is literally building a relationship and offering your audience as leverage for someone else.

Create A Video Series Or Podcast

With YouTube being the second largest search engine and the popularity of podcasts on the rise, this should be a no-brainer. Creating videos or hosting a podcast is a great way to showcase your expertise as well as adding personality to your brand.

Creating a personal brand is just that, being personal. Let your audience learn more about you and relate to you better with engaging content. Videos always do well as they can put a face to your brand and learn simultaneously.

Are you camera shy? Then a podcast is a perfect route for you to explore. Podcasts have the unique trait of being versatile. People can listen to you at their convenience, much like videos. The only difference is your podcast has the ability to be featured on other mediums such as radio and iTunes, and at a much higher success rate than being featured on a TV show.

The important thing to remember is to leave your audience with a positive impression about your personal brand with genuine and confident content.

Host Events

Part of developing a personal brand is to become popular. So what better way to do that than to host amazing events?

You don’t have to throw lavish parties or over-the-top excursions (unless that’s your brand). A simple networking mixer or a seminar can draw your audience in, bring in fresh faces, and create new opportunities for you.

Hosting events also allows your to gauge how people perceive you. You get face-to-face interactions to strengthen your personal brand and learn more about who is following you and what they expect and want from you.

Have A Unique Quirk

If you’re going to build your personal brand, you’re going to need something to stand out. It can as playful as using a novelty item or as professional like using a metallic business card.

The secret to coming up with your own quirk is that it has to be unique enough to define your brand, but not so over the top where you’re not taken seriously or looked at as an imposter. Quirks such as wearing colorful ties, styling your hair a certain way, or throwing intimate soirees are great ways to add a unique quirk to your personal brand.

A quirk doesn’t need to a loud, obnoxious siren to let people know you exist (unless your brand calls for it). All you need is a differentiator to let your audience and potential advocates know how to distinguish you from the rest of your niche.

This can come in the form of the content you share, the beliefs you stand by, and even the lifestyle you live. As long as it’s cohesive to your personal brand and company, your quirks will set you apart from the pack.

These are just a few popular ways to brand yourself. You’ll need to be constantly tweaking and evolving over time, but these methods are a great start to propel your personal brand and begin to create a powerful image for you and your business.