Posted: 25th February 2019
When you start your business or advance your career, it’s likely that the last thing on your mind is raising your personal brand, unless the business is all about you. You will undoubtedly be focussing on the need to market your business, get your logo recognised and your business name out there. Your marketing message and collateral take priority as you set about getting your business brand noticed…everywhere. In effect, you market your business as the brand and you sit comfortably behind it.
You may be an avid networker and introduce everyone to your company and what you sell or produce. You may even enter your business for Awards and raise the profile of your business. You, and your team, revel in the excitement as you carry off the award and get great exposure in the process.
However, people move on and many business owners start their business with a plan to exit at some point in the future, possibly five or ten years down the line. So, what then? The business is sold or merged and the brand you have so painstakingly built suddenly belongs to someone else, or possibly gets merged into another brand, and is long forgotten.
But what about you? Where do you fit into all this?
So, the business is sold. Great…now what? Do you stay or do you go? Many of you will start on a new business journey. Perhaps setting up that business you’ve always dreamed of, creating a product or coaching, mentoring or consultancy, which is a great way of sharing all that knowledge you’ve built up over the years. You may even start speaking to inspire others to follow their business dreams. However, if you haven’t built your personal profile, no one knows who you are and you may find yourself having to start again from scratch.
There is absolutely no reason why you can’t start building your personal brand now. Just follow these ten simple steps and there is no limit to what you can achieve:
At some point you may decide to market your expertise or speaking from stage. If you buy your own name, you’ve got it for the future. It’s probably best to secure it before someone else does. You can also set up a personal website.
Awards such as Young Entrepreneur, Entrepreneur of the Year, Business Person of the Year, Networker of the Year all give you the chance to shout out about youand your personal achievements, as well as your business.
Writing articles is an excellent way to highlight your personal expertise to a wider audience. You can soon share them via your website and social media channels and build up a following.
They say that there is a book in everyone. It may be a full-sized business book or an e-book but either way, you are getting your name, knowledge and experience out there.
People buy from people. Small short videos sharing top tips and information can soon encourage people to follow you so you build those all-important trusted relationships. With smart phone technology and social media channels you can do this easily.
Start small at a local networking group and you will be amazed at how your confidence grows. Book onto a Speaker Masterclass or have some personal coaching. These skills will be vital further down the line.
As well as your business pages, make sure that you grow your personal social media profiles. LinkedIn is an excellent way to do this.
Having a seat on a Committee or Board will not only help your confidence and benefit a local organisation, but it will also increase your skill set and highlight you as an individual.
People love to hear your story, your business journey and the challenges you have faced along the way. Start telling it and sharing it. By inspiring others, you will create a trusted following.
If you can help someone, they will remember it and they will tell others about you. Everyone has to start somewhere and by being a “go to” person, your personal profile will reach new heights.
Sandra is the founder of Woman Who and the creator of:
© Sandra Garlick
Non-Exec Director, Public Speaker, Author and founder of Woman Who Events and Awards.
www.womanwho.co.uk
