The digital world is getting noisier and noisier, which means it’s more important for you to find a way to stand out from the crowd. It’s also crucial that you create something around you that’s going to last. This is where your professional brand comes in, and now is the best time to start building it.
A robust professional brand will see you through the tough times in business. The good news is that it’s not hard to build one. It takes bravery and consistency to show up as yourself. All you need to do is follow the following steps and you’ll create a powerful safety net for you and your career.
Get brave
Everything that you build online is about helping people to get to know you. A solid professional brand is something that enables people to get to know you before they even come into contact with you. To do this, you are going to need to show your face. It means you are going to need to share your stories and your experiences. You need to let people in.
Many people fear that they’re not qualified enough yet or that they don’t know enough. They allow their mindset to get in the way. Focus on your strengths and the experience that you do have.
Know your audience
I know you likely want to help everyone and let’s be honest, you probably can. Your brand is going to have less power if try to do this, though. The more you hone your audience, the faster they will respond to you.
Start with thinking of who you want to work with. What are their problems? What are their troubles and stressors? What are their goals, dreams and desires? You need to know your audience intimately if you want them to feel like you understand them.
The power of positioning
Positioning is the art of creating the perception and reputation that you are an expert in your field. You need to work on this if you want your brand to be sustainable.
To do this, you need to create content. You need to write blogs, write articles, film videos and write posts online, that share your knowledge and your opinions about things in your industry. You could even write a book if you want.
Choose your platforms
Many make the mistake of trying to be on all platforms, all the time. This can be exhausting. Instead, choose two main platforms that you can commit to being present on daily. Know which ones your audience are most likely to be on and choose those.
For instance, if you are a graphic designer for solo business owners, you would choose Facebook and Instagram. If you’re an accountant, you’d choose LinkedIn and Facebook.
Note: Facebook is a must with more than 2.4Billion active monthly users on the platform. Your audience are on there. Choose the other platform based on where your audience is most likely to be.
Be you
Because the online world is so noisy, people are very quick to detect any BS, in particular, they are highly attuned to when someone is being inauthentic and trying to be someone they’re not.
Use your personality to your advantage. If you are chatty, be chatty online with your content and your audience. If you’re more serious, take heart that you can be this way online and know that your audience will love you for that.
A well-cultivated professional brand will withstand the tests of time. Most of all, you just need to be brave enough to be you from the onset and be consistent with what you put out there.
 THE EXPERTNicola Moras is an online visibility expert, author of Visible a guide for business owners on how to generate financial results from social media and digital marketing. Nicola helps clients around the world achieve visibility, impact and profits, enabling them to become ‘professionally famous’ online. Find out more at www.nicolamoras.com.au |
