You’re a business owner, entrepreneur, creative, and you want to build your personal brand online.
The internet and social media has opened up so many doors for small businesses and entrepreneurs to brand themselves online. Gone are the days when you have to have huge ad budgets and PR teams in order to be seen and get noticed.
You can build a personal brand online.
And, good news, I’ve got the not so secret answer – it starts with YOU.
Building a Personal Brand Online Starts with You
It’s true, building a business starts with you.
The unapologetic, authentic, real version of you.
>>There are people out there who are doing what you do, and while you may think they’re better-equipped, more savvy, or more cut-out for the job, they will NEVER be able to do what you’re doing, how you’re doing it.<<
Jasmine Star
So don’t worry about other people and focus on you. I’m willing to bet they are probably worried about the exact same things as you are.
Secret #1: There is Only One You
You can build a personal brand based off of your unique characteristics, quirks, and strengths. Because only you possess the special combination of traits. I like to call it your secret sauce. Often imitated, but never duplicated!
Honestly, be yourself. There’s only one you. It’s hard to copy someone else. That’s why you have a secret sauce. It’s a hundred percent just YOU.
Sure, you can get some inspiration and insight from other people in your industry, but the most direct path to building a personal brand online from the start is being yourself. Don’t be afraid to show off your personality, things you like, insights you have, and tips you can share.
Secret #2: Give. Give. Give.
Want to build a personal brand online that people keep coming back for? Give. Share your knowledge. And share your tips. Share your juicy secrets. Give, give, and give some more.
Think about the accounts you follow on social media. Why do you follow them? I’m guessing it’s because they either entertain, educate, or give you something to aspire to.
When you’re a business owner, educating your audience on what you do, tips for how you can help them, hacks and shortcuts that are tangential to your business are great things to “give” and share.
There’s magic when you give. It helps to build that know, like, and trust factor with your audience. Your audience may begin to feel like
“Wow, this business owner is giving me so much value, I wonder what their paid offers are like!”
“If this is the “free” stuff, I’m intrigued by what their coaching would be like!”
When you’ve built up that know, like, and trust factor, your audience will be more receptive when you put your paid offers out there, rather than focusing on “sell, sell, sell!” all the time.
People like content that is helpful and educational. They don’t want to watch commercials. Because what do you do when you have a commercial on TV (and you’ve DVR’ed it)….you skip the commercials!
Secret #3: Be Consistent with Your Personal Brand Online
Consistency is key. It’s not easy, but it’s important. When you show up consistently online, your audience will know what to expect. They’ll know that you share a blog post on Tuesdays. Or that you go live on Thursdays. Or that your email newsletter comes out on Wednesdays.
I also recommend having the same headshot/profile photo across all your social media platforms. That way, your audience will start to recognize your profile photo and know it’s the same business online.
If you offer tips or techniques regularly, your audience will begin to expect it. And if you suddenly drop off and never return, your audience will wonder what happened to you. And then, they might forget about you altogether.
It’s the truth. With the algorithm, it feels like social media decides what it wants you to see. And honestly, when there’s an account that hasn’t posted in MONTHS, I do wonder if they are still in business. If I’m interested enough, I’ll try to do some recon to figure it out.
Choose a consistency schedule that works for you
Furthermore, if you want to maintain your personal brand online, be consistent. Choose the frequency level that’s going to work for you. It doesn’t have to be every day. But it does have to have a (mostly) consistent cadence.
For example, if you’re blogging, can you commit to one post a week? Or two posts a month?
With email marketing, can you commit to two newsletters per month?
If you’re on Instagram, can you commit to two feed posts a week and one reel per week and a few stories per day?
Decide what works for you and stick to it. You’ll see the most gains from that consistency rather than sprinting and then sporadically taking breaks.
In conclusion, don’t be afraid to embrace your secret sauce, be yourself, and build the personal brand you’ve always been dreaming of!
HELPFUL ONLINE RESOURCES TO PREPARE FOR YOUR PERSONAL BRAND PHOTOSHOOT
Personal Branding Photography – What You Should Know
When to Hire a Brand Photographer
Find the Right Brand Photographer for Your Business
How to Use Your Branding Photos
READY TO BOOK YOUR OWN BRANDING SHOOT?
Step 1. Get in Touch – click and contact today
Step 2. Discovery Call – we’ll chat about your business and your vision for brand photos
Step 3. Book your Shoot – if we’re a “match” let’s get you on the schedule and start planning
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