What Personal Branding Can Teach You
When I started my own business four years ago, I had to learn a lot about personal branding. Being in marketing and sales, I was familiar with branding but didn’t necessarily think about my personal brand. I have to say that when I started the process, I discovered it was a journey of self-discovery and healing.
Personal branding has helped me learn more about myself and where I want to go in life. It has helped me design a roadmap that includes living a purpose-driven life and continuing to do work that is fulfilling, creative, and helpful to others.
The first step in building your personal brand is knowing your why, values, and vision. Who are you, and why do you do what you do beyond making money? These questions and the other steps that follow in brand strategy all help you to really know yourself and the direction you want to take in life (professionally and/or personally).
One thing I learned in marketing a long time ago is that to communicate effectively and resonate with your target audience, you need to come from a place of authenticity. This is what builds loyalty and trust. It’s not just selling your services or products; it's communicating why you want to make the world a better place. It’s about appealing to the needs of your client and how you can help them with their problem.
The bottom line is people want to work with people they know, like, and trust.
The Most Important Lesson I Learned
I’ve learned that personal branding requires strategy and intention. Like a recipe, there are steps to follow to achieve the desired result. These steps—the roadmap you create—guide you. Without a strategy, you end up wasting a lot of time and money.
You can’t develop your messaging strategy if you can’t communicate the core essence of your personal brand, and that takes intention and knowing who you are, what you do, and for whom. Your messaging needs to align with your vision and mission and help communicate what you stand for. That helps ensure your message finds the people who need you - your target audience.
Personal branding has helped me focus on my strengths and use my life experiences to communicate my unique perspectives. This is how we create authenticity—when we know who we are and what drives us, the journey takes us to the places and people we were meant for.
That’s the beauty of developing your personal brand. You may go into it strictly for your business or professional career, but it’s so much more than that. You have to go deep to know who you are, what you value, and your goals. And when you know who you are, you are unstoppable.
