Want to improve your personal brand? Here is a guide to help you figure out where you should start and how to boost your personal brand. It’s an important factor in establishing your identity and growing your business!
Creating a brand for yourself is not an overnight process.
What is a personal brand and why is it important?
What’s in a brand? There are thousands of ways to describe it, explain it, and create it. The most important part of a brand is having one for yourself.
Since I started blogging, and eventually freelancing, I’ve learned a thing or two about building and developing a brand.
As a way of providing value on my blog, I wanted to share some tips on what I’ve done recently that’s transformed my personal branding for the better. You may have tried some of them, or all of them.
Whatever the case may be, I’d love to hear about the techniques that have helped you develop your own brand.
How to Improve Your Personal Brand
Let’s dive into my own personal branding tips that have worked well for me:
Establish Your Mission
The first thing you need to establish is your why. What are your passions and your skills? Do you want to combine the two? What is it that you want to do? What message do you want to share with the world?
Identify Your Target Audience
A target audience is a specific type of personal that you want to speak to. The best way to determine your target audience is by visualizing a specific person.
Invest in Professional Headshots
This was the biggest game-changer for me, which is why I’m sharing it first. Paying for high-quality portraits was worth every last penny. Previously, I had a vacation photo on my Facebook profile and a different photo on all my social media profiles.
The inconsistency was inexcusable, especially for someone like me that was supposed to know social media like the back of my hand.
Well, maybe that is a bit harsh. But, I definitely knew I was lacking and needed to do something about it, and continued to do nothing. I made excuse after excuse debating if the investment would be worth it. Now I can promise you that $100 for a handful of photographs has really made a difference.
Potential clients are coming to me, and reaching out to me first. I believe this is because I present myself as a professional gal who knows what she’s doing.
Just remember that a picture is worth a thousand words. And I invested in 5 of them.
Create a Facebook business page
For several months, I hesitated to create a business page but knew that it was in my best interest to have one. Facebook groups are where I utilize my networking skills, gain visibility, and interact with potential clients.
So it made sense to have a business page where entrepreneurs could easily find my contact information or learn more about me.
When you create a business page, you can add it as a place of employment on your personal profile. Keep reading, and see what I’m talking about.
Optimize Your Facebook Profile
Plenty of ladypreneurs told me that I really needed to change my Facebook profile. Don’t be afraid to be visible, they would say. Unfortunately, I was afraid for a while, and it did cost me.
I had a profile picture that did not reflect my business. Nobody knew who I was or what my talents were.
Here’s the thing about Facebook… people will poke around and be nosy, but only when it’s really easy for them to do so.
Exhibit A: Look at the image on the left. This is the little box on the left-hand side of my Facebook profile. I included my business page under my employment on my profile. It’s a brief introduction to who I am and what I do.
Then there is a link to my business page. It’s so subtle yet so effective.
Create a Portfolio Showing Your Best Work
Related: Why You Need a Virtual Assistant Portfolio
What have you done to step up your branding game? I want to hear about it!