5 Steps to Creating a Successful Personal Brand

Taken from https://feelmeflow.com/building-a-personal-brand/

Step 1: Brand Your Personal Brand

If you really want to distinguish your personal brand with a degree of freedom in your business, then you must know where one starts and the other ends. Remember, your brand is just one facet of you. When you zoom out of your life’s bigger picture, you’ll see a wide variety of interests, expertise, and experiences that can differentiate your personal brand from your business. 
Of course, your business is your baby, and like any proud parent, share the big, exciting, and memorable moments. Just don’t let your business be the whole focus of your personal brand. You can start by doing these three things:

1. Create a logo of your name

2. Pick brand aesthetics like colors and fonts

3. Outline your messaging strategy 

Step 2: Pick a Social Media Platform that Works for You

To create a consistent messaging strategy, you must pick and dedicate yourself to a platform your audience uses. We recommend starting on one platform and getting consistent and comfortable in one space before you dive into another. Some of the best influencers started on one platform, grew their audience, and honed their niche before expanding. One platform is a lighter lift and will feel less overwhelming when it’s time to create.

However, if you’re going to use multiple platforms, remember it’s hard to create content that’s individualized for each platform. Make sure your content strategy accounts for material that can adapt to video, blogs, and images.

Tip: If you’re not sure what social media platform will work for you, then start stockpiling a library of content. You can always sift, refine, and publish later when you have clarity on what kind of content you enjoy making.  

Step 3: Map Out Your Content Strategy 

Figure out what you want to talk about and why. Ideally, you need to understand your audience, your message, and which platforms you will distribute to and cross-promote. Ask yourself questions like:

• How will I create content?

• Where will my content live?

• How will I organize my content?

• What is the process from ideation to distribution?

• What’s the timeline? 

• Who’s responsible and accountable for creating content?  

With a solid strategy, you can create and distribute way ahead of the game. That way, you’re not stressed and scrambling in the 11th hour before your post goes live.

Step 4: Get Offline and Network IRL (In Real Life)

While you can be building a personal brand significantly through digital means, IRL connections and word-of-mouth still go a long way. People will connect with your voice and message more than your photos on your website. Thus, when you get offline and let your audience hear you spread your message in person, then your brand starts to become contagious. 

Thus, you must get off the computer and into real life. Show up places and start networking. Speak at events, join groups, host parties, do whatever you need to do to share your personal brand, and spread your message in the real world. 

Plus, it’ll allow you to meet your audience face-to-face and learn what kind of content would benefit them instead of always trying to analyze and figure it out behind a screen. People will come up to you and say things like, “Your story really hit home with me.” Not only is it immensely fulfilling, but the feedback will let you understand what your audience wants way better than online analysis would. 

Step 5: Write a Book 

By the time you’ve done steps one through four, you have experience in the creation process. You understand what it’s like to create and manage a successful personal brand. Books are expensive to develop and expensive to market. It’s a huge project to dive into, but at this point, you know who you are and what it takes. Your audience is engaged and growing. You’re ready to write a book. 

A book gives you credibility and authority. It’s an opportunity for you to expand your audience to new platforms, guest posts, and speaking events. It’s an experience not many corporate brands have, but personal brands are uniquely qualified to deliver. With your blog and book in hand, you’ll have a sound system that will attract and convert leads into more buyers for your business.