Who doesn’t remember Madonna for her iconic style and reputation, or Michael Jackson for his red leather jacket and sought after dance moves. Creating, developing and maintaining a brand was expensive 20 years ago, as it was shaped through television, radio and print. Back in the days of traditional media, personal branding came from an impressive resume, stylish clothing and other luxuries accompanied by a wealthy background. Today personal branding has evolved with new media and it has taken the world by storm. Social media platforms are available to everyone making it the ultimate way to to build your brand and show the world what makes you unique and stand out in the crowd. The tricky part is-how do you determine what your personal brand is?
Do you already have a brand?
Self awareness and intentional development of a personal brand is key. Some people unknowingly have developed their brand with online pictures of partying and intoxicated nights at the club. This is not a desired reputation to be known for. Especially when you don’t know who may be seeing your content. Case in point-potential or current employers. In 2018, according to a survey by Career Builder, 70 percent of employers use social media to screen candidates during the hiring process and 43 percent use it to check on current employees. Although your personal brand is targeted to your chosen audience, you never know who may stumble upon your content. Soft skills are often portrayed through a personal brand and they can be just as important if not more important than job skills. Several employers believe that soft skills like dependability, positive attitude, self motivation and team-orientation are just as important as acquired jobs skills.
In a world of virtual open windows, it is important to make an authentic impression by setting yourself apart from others and showcase the unique skills and attributes that make you who you are. Social media allows individuals to create a vision through creative tools of who they are. Colours, images, blogs and innovative posts tell the story of what your core values and intentions are.
Personal brands are more than just a perceived image or illusion. Your brand needs to be true to who you are, otherwise followers easily can see through the cracks of your facade. Social media is your tool to create a relationship with an audience and build trust. For example, if someone builds their personal brand around being positive, detail oriented with excellent organization skills they shouldn’t be a known complainer that makes spelling errors on published content and posts pictures of a messy living or work space online.
My Personal Brand: Areas of Specialization and Why I Stand Out
My official professional title is Marketing Specialist for an IT company. Although much of my work is spent with SEO and data analytics for our website and marketing materials such as email campaigns, a majority of my time is spent with social media. I specialize in mostly Facebook and Instagram however also use Twitter and LinkedIn. In addition to the products I market, I also have a few clients that have hired me to take care of their social media marketing. Content creation is what I enjoy most, as it allows me to tap into my creative side. I have been busy creating and defining a brand for my place of employment and for my clients, but what about my own personal brand?
When I began the Social Media Certificate program, developing my own personal brand intrigued me. There was a lot of reading and research directed into learning more about my own brand identity. I really wanted to find out what it was that I brought to the table that stood out to people.
Having a background in journalism, it was only logically to conduct interviews with some of the people in my life. I chose two family members, two friends and a coworker. The question was simply-name five characteristics that come to mind that would best describe me. It was made clear that both positive and negative characteristics are acceptable and that no hard feelings would be harbored. The results were very interesting and many were no surprise. Social was on everyone’s list. Empathetic, intuitive, dedicated, genuine and strong willed also appeared a few times. The one that really stuck out of the list was from my coworker. He described me as being incredibly confident and self aware. With this, I sat back and took inventory and realized that I needed more information (that would be the pesky journalist in me). I asked them which colors would best describe my personality. The answer was black and yellow. I had to laugh at this because quite often I see myself as a cheerful, round bee but willing to use my stinger when necessary! Black was chosen because it resembled elegance and professionalism. Yellow was for my sunny and positive demeanor. Then I inquired what object would describe me best. Three out of five people said a tree because it is ever changing in the most beautiful ways however it stays strong with deep roots. I finally had a picture and idea of what I can offer and why I stand out in the crowd. I am social, that means I have a story to tell, and am going to ask a billion questions until I get exactly the information I need to make an authentic, and educated theory on whatever my topic may be. I am incredibly intuitive and can pick up on cues that require sensitivity. Verbal interaction is often the smallest part of a conversation. The empath in me makes my audience feel heard. I can communicate effectively and build a relationship of trust with them. There is connection and engagement on all levels. With my confidence and strong will I am able to assure my followers will get exactly what they want, done with impeccable attention to detail and creativity. I stand out because I have a story to tell and it will be told while being real, raw and true to who I am.
Social media is imperative to my personal branding strategy. Without it I would not be able to build my content, and grow my audience. Social media gets my brand out quickly and gives the opportunity of my work catching the eye of a possible new follower or audience demographic. Of course as with anything there are downfalls but with the goal of remaining genuine and authentic to my brand, I hope to not only override the negatives but expand my horizons into other areas.
Do you need help developing your own brand? There are several sites, articles and books you can check out to give you some guidance.
What makes you unique and stand out from everyone else? Drop a comment below and tell us how you create your own personal brand.
Algonquin College Social Media Certificate Program 