The Independent Voice of Southern Methodist University Since 1915

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The Daily Campus

The Independent Voice of Southern Methodist University Since 1915

The Daily Campus

The Independent Voice of Southern Methodist University Since 1915

The Daily Campus

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How to Build a Personal Brand [2021 Guide]

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Building a reputable personal brand can help secure you the best career opportunities. Why? It makes you one of the most valuable assets the company has.

One study saw that employees had, on average, ten times more followers than a company’s page. Not only this, but employee social pages also get more engagement. Content shared by employees was engaged with eight times more than what was shared on company pages.

But how can you build a personal brand in 2021? Continue reading to learn the most basic information you need to know to get started.

Figure Out Who You Are

Your brand defines who you are. To adequately build this, you need to figure out who you are. Ask yourself essential questions, like:

  • What do you want to be known for?
  • What makes you unique amongst others in your field?
  • What is your story?
  • How can you promote that story appropriately?

Once you’ve figured out who you are, you can move on to acting on the answers you’ve provided yourself. To protect your personal brand, you must invest in some kind of reputation management for individuals. Once your reputation is damaged, it can be shed a negative light on your brand.

Stick to Your Values

Transparency and reliability are essential to the success of your personal brand. Once people know what to expect from you, showing (or telling) them something different can quickly break other’s trust in you.

Stick to your values and evaluate each potential job or connection based on them. Does this new opportunity align with the values you’ve built your brand on? If the answer is no, it’s always better to politely decline an opportunity until an appropriate one comes along.

Know Your Audience

When businesses build their brands, one of the first things they do is define a target audience. Building a personal brand is much the same. The only difference is your target audience will likely be different than that of a business.

Are you building a personal brand targeting other thought leaders in your industry? Are you branding yourself to reach hiring managers and company leaders in your niche? Or, are you a freelancer targeting clients and potential customers directly?

Your brand will vary based on who your target audience is. Being more casual may be appropriate for targeting clients but not for targeting company leaders. Using many complex terms may work well for targeting other thought leaders, but not for customers.

Expand Your Network

Making connections can make all the difference. Work on expanding your network to include important people in your industry. There are many ways to network.

One of the easiest ways to network is online. You can use LinkedIn and other social media to reach out to others in your industry. Connect with them to share ideas, host events, and more.

Industry events and on-the-job are other great ways to network. Your coworkers can be great connections for future references on job applications, for example.

Do You Have More Questions About How to Build a Personal Brand?

Building a personal brand is critical when trying to stand out in your industry. With most industries oversaturated with people vying for attention, anything you can do to stand out is helpful.

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