Are you showing yourself off in the best possible light? If not, then maybe you need to think about your personal branding. Just like all good companies use branding to give off an image, so people can, too. It doesn’t matter whether you work for yourself, or are an employee, personal branding can take you further in life.
However, it’s easy to take things a little too far. And, you don’t have to look in obscure places to see some good examples of personal branding gone wrong. There’s a fine balance to strike between coming across professional and overegging the pudding. So, in today’s guide, we’re going to go through some of the things you need to watch out for. Here’s our gentleman’s guide to personal branding.
Decide on your goals
First of all, it’s vital to establish some goals. All branding needs the vision to aspire to – and it all depends on what you want out of life. Need more business? Then working on your selling skills is going to help. Want to get into TV? Then you will need skills to sell, to look fantastic, and invest in a personal stylist. Project yourself over the next 10 or 20 years or so. Ask yourself where you want to be and what you want to be doing.
Fix up, look sharp
Branding is all about appearance, and people’s first impressions of you are vital. So, think about your wardrobe and how you present yourself to others in all social scenarios. You’ll need at least a couple of sharp suits for your business dealings – but also for nights out, too. You never know who you are going to bump into, and any chance meeting could turn into an opportunity.
Develop your assets
Another major part of personal branding is your assets. It can apply to your home, your car, your business websites – and anything else you can think of. The important thing to remember is that everything is an opportunity and needs to be as professional as possible. To help you achieve a brand that reflects your personality, you can hire the services of a brand creation company that specializes in name branding like WANT Branding.
That goes for your Facebook account all the way through to your private number plates on your vehicle. Keep the tone of everything you say as neutral and positive as possible – keep it clean, in other words. Unless, of course, part of your personal brand is to be an antagonist.
Networking
Now everything is in place; it’s time to take your personal brand on the road. Networking is vital no matter what industry you are in, from engineering to making music. It’s all about who you know and getting your face seen in the right places. Start by attending some local business events – or even start one of your own. It might be tricky for some – but once you start talking to people, you will begin to understand how things work. It doesn’t matter how well dressed you are, or how good your website is, you need to get out there and meet people if you want to grow your personal brand.
Follow-up
Finally, make sure that you keep in touch with your contacts a much as possible. You can do this in person at meetings, or start building an email list. The point is, personal branding is all about keeping yourself at the front of people’s minds. You will find a lot of opportunities come your way if you follow up with your contacts.
Any more tips to add? Feel free to leave them in the comments section!
