One of the best ways of improving your professional image is by securing your personal branding. Irrespective of your goals or the field you are working in you will be much more successful if you have a strong personal brand. This article has been written to help you get started in the correct way because it is of such great importance that you use the correct way to build your personal brand.
The Importance of Branding
One of the first things you need to realize
is the public perception that a personal brand can deliver. Whether we are looking at a major international company or the smallest corner shop the opinion of the public can make or break your business. The small shop needs those around it to support it if it is to stay in business. The same applies to any online business no matter what size it is.
Online businesses need to take into consideration the comments, praise, complaints, and even the shape of their business as these all have an effect on their personal branding and the way it should be tackled. A search of the business or personal name will bring back all the information there is to know about the business. You must be authentic and transparent when you go about creating your personal brand while remembering anyone can conduct a search and find out both the good and the bad about your company. This is why only truth and transparency will be accepted by those who are looking at your branding.
Brand Identity
One of the first things to look at when planning your new brand is the type of image you wish to portray and what the most important goals of the business you wish to show. It is very easy to start building a brand with no direction instead of building a brand just for the sake of it.
To use an example, it is pointless for an investment banker to build a brand relating to partying or fine dining as that is very unlikely to do anything to help with furthering career goals.
You want your brand to show what your passion is as this is what you are going to get paid for doing. Your passion is not necessarily your current field of work, but moreover, something you wish to aspire to and do full-time later down the line.
You will not be helping your branding if you build a business up with one brand only to change your mind further down the line. Focus more on what your final intentions are and build your brand with that in mind.
Create a Resume.
The fact that you are not applying for a job at the moment is not important, but what is important to others is what you have done in the past and what qualifications you have for the business you are branding. Remember there may already be some things written about you online already so make sure you do a search on your own and your business name and incorporate that information. Others can also find and see the information held on you.
Post your resume on places such as LinkedIn and make it public. This will then come up when others do a search on you. You can also use your resume as a covering letter in meetings or other interactions in the future. This will help you build up your personal brand. Be as concise as you can while highlighting your key skills where they will help you to reach your end goals. If you are in a creative field, then you should also include a portfolio of your past work.
