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5 Questions To Ask Yourself About Your Personal Brand

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The world of personal branding is ever-changing. It is no longer a field reserved for influencers or celebrities, but for every person and every business. There are no set rules or formulas when it comes to building your personal brand. But there are some questions you should ask yourself before you even build your personal brand. Because it is your unique identity and how others see you.  

Let’s start with the meaning of personal brand and why companies and small businesses should focus on it.

What is a personal brand?

A personal brand is your identity, how you are perceived by others, and how you want to be perceived by others. It’s about how you want to be remembered. And it’s something that you can develop over time.      

The concept of branding has been around for a long time. In fact, companies have been branding their products since the beginning of capitalism. But only recently have people started thinking about branding themselves. These days, it is more important than ever!

A personal brand is more than just a resume or career objective. It’s what makes you stand out from the crowd. It helps you connect with others in an authentic way that builds trust, loyalty and respect among peers and clients.

Doesn’t everyone know Elon Musk? No matter what you think of him, his drive and follow-through have shown us a whole universe full of mysteries that are yet to be solved. It is a perfect example of a well defined personal brand!

Why Should Companies & Small Businesses Focus on Personal Branding?

The reason why companies and small businesses should focus on personal branding is that it can help them promote themselves and their business more effectively. People who run their own businesses can utilize social media to build their personal brands as well as promote their products or services.      

A bad personal brand can have an equally negative impact on your business. Consumers who don’t trust you won’t buy from you — no matter how good your product or service might be. Elon Musk is the man behind Tesla and SpaceX, but what makes those brands so influential is the fact that he is behind them.

Did you know that consumers are almost 3x more likely to consider a brand that shows personal value more than business value?

Questions To Ask Yourself About Your Personal Brand

1- What sets you apart from the others?

Everyone has their own story, but the details of those stories are different for each person. What makes you different from other people who could potentially do what you do? Is it your experience in a particular field? Is it your education or training? Do people find your personality engaging and relatable? Whatever it is that makes you stand out from the crowd is an important part of your personal brand identity — so make sure it’s clear on all of your social media profiles and websites!      

When I speak with clients about their brands, one of the first questions I always ask is “what sets you apart from the others?” The answer to this question will help shape the direction of your brand development strategy.      

Do you have unique experiences that make your story more compelling? Are there certain skills that make you stand out among peers in your industry? How can you leverage these assets into opportunities that will allow others to see them too?

2- Why should anyone care?

This may seem like a silly question, but it’s actually very important.      

If you’re trying to build a strong personal brand, it’s essential to know why people should care about what you do. If there’s no reason for people to pay attention to what you do or say, then there’s no point in investing time or resources into developing a personal brand strategy or persona for yourself.    

3- Is it aligned with my goals?

This may seem like an obvious one, but how many times have you started working on something and then given up because it didn’t align with your goals? If you want to create a successful business, then make sure that all of the things that go into creating that business are helping you achieve those goals.       

For example, if being more social is part of your goal then maybe starting an Instagram account will help. But if being more professional is part of your goal then maybe creating a website might be better than starting an Instagram account.

Your personal brand is not just a tagline or a logo; it’s a reflection of who you are. When you’ve defined your values, mission and vision, it will be easier to make decisions that align with those things.  

4- Do I have brand consistency?

Building trust with your audience requires consistency. When they see you contradicting yourself on social media, they will have a hard time trusting what you say in the future. The same applies if they see different content on different websites, newsletters or blogs.

Read our article > Brand Identity & The Importance of Brand Consistency

5- Am I being authentic?

Your personal brand might be the most important question to ask yourself as it can make or break your success. Your audience needs to know that everything you’re saying is genuine because if they don’t trust that, then they won’t trust anything else either!

Final Words

If you’re looking for a bit more direction with your personal brand, you can get all the help you need by asking yourself these questions. Chances are if your personal brand isn’t clear to others, it’s probably not clear to you either. Our advice gives you the framework you need—all that’s left is for you to do the work.

Social Influence

Damla is the founder of Social Influence. She has spent over a decade working and leading digital marketing positions for some of the world’s most exciting and forward-thinking brands. She writes about digital marketing, websites, entrepreneurship and more.

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