WHY YOU CAN'T AFFORD TO NOT BE A PERSONAL BRAND IN 2020 | DESIGN YOUR IDEAL LIFESTYLE BUSINESS

The 2020 Coronavirus Pandemic has encouraged a lot of people to consider new ways of online and from home. Going forward more people; Professional Corporate Workers, Entrepreneurs and Companies are most likely to start embracing innovative Digital way of working.

If you have 1-2 Social Media Profiles you are a Personal Brand, you represent something. The question is what do you represent?

This means that the Digital Marketing could potentially become overly saturated with millions of people want to a piece of the Digital Pie. Additionally, this could also mean more competition within your Niche Market.

According to Forbes Magazine “personal branding is the definition or meaning of your public persona. It consists of your core values, beliefs, purpose, and goals. It has a lot to do with your personality and what you currently stand for.”

This is where Personal Branding and having an online personal branding image will become essential for you as a Creative Entrepreneur and/or Small Business Owner, to help you stand out from the masses. It will help you to become unique and to stand out from peers within your Niche Market who are providing similar products and services.

Personal Branding goes beyond creating nice logos, images and branding designs. It is about personalize who you are as a person and what you stand for. You can no longer afford to be behind the scenes if you want to become successful in a Digital Spaces which are becoming saturated.

ü Nowadays, consumers invest emotionally based on how they feel about you (the personal brand). Their buying decisions are driven by whether they resonate with your values and beliefs.

Your voice in personal branding matters

Personal Brand makes it easier to communicate and curate meaningful content which adds value for your audience and prospective clients. It adds more meaningful social, community and financial value to know what you as a person and business owners believes in and the causes you stand for.

If you are looking to become successful, there is no escaping people part of the Social and Digital Movement.

Kelly Millar, Founder and Branding Specialist of KM Transformational Branding recommends being strategically purposeful, intentional and authentic when it comes to developing your personal brand. She also recommends the following questions to consider about your Personal Branding.

What is personal brand story and personal characteristics?

How do you authentically show up as a Personal Brand?

To choose three words which best describe who you are. After you have written your three words, to ask 3-5 people you know trust to describe you in three words as well. Then compare and analyze against your own.

If the words match or are close to the ones you chose, then that is an indication that you have a strong personal brand. People perceive you exactly how you intend them to.

But, your words do not it is not a match, according to Kelly it means you need to do some work on how you are presenting your story to those around you. And then it is up to you to decide how to proceed with changing that narrative.

4. Do you want to inspire others? Do you want to be sympathetic or motivational?

As with any other Marketing Strategies it helps to know what your goals and objectives.

1. What are your motivating factors for why you do what you do?

2. Who do you want to connect with in terms of ideal clients and audience?

3. Why do you want to connect with them specifically?

4. What type of solutions and educational information/guidance will you provide to help address their questions/problems? Namely personal challenges and solutions they are looking for.

5. How will they resonate with your Personal Brand Story?

Be Strategic and Purposeful with what you share:

It’s critical for Creative Entrepreneurs and Small Business Owners to invest your strategically planning/mapping out your personal brand story. Doing so will help in building trust, credibility, inspiration, and success within your Niche Market. It will also help you eventually to become an educational authority in your own right.

Building your brand is about strategically curating the content you share to become a recognizable persona and trusted source that people want to connect with.

When you consider Personal Brand Stories, it also helps to pay attention to people you aspire to be (such as Public Figures and Influencers). What is about them that magnetically connects you to them? What do you know about them in terms of their brand story and personality? Do they often show up as their true self, as much as possible?

We are living in a time where we were Digital Connected and Plugged in More than ever. A time which goes beyond selling to people. More about being able to connect on a humanistic, compassionate, empathetic, and understanding nature.

It is also a great time to show up and be yourself, as we have seen on platforms such as Tiktok; where it pays to be yourself. Additionally, social media platforms, which are rewarding more Creators for their contributions. Basically, paying you to be yourself. Therefore, it pays to be authentic, as we have seen that the more you try to be someone else the harder it is to become successful. The unique people and personalities stand out due to being themselves most of the time.

Your personal story and your background is what made you and did not break you. Never be ashamed or guilty to share some aspects of your person story.

You story could help someone else, who has yet to go through the experience or is currently going through.

Your story could also help connect you with people who share your experience equally.

Your personal brand story helps you to connect with a community of like minds

“If you don’t give the market the story to write about, they’ll define your brand’s story for you.”– David Brier

What sort of personal qualities and values do you exude online?

Are you showing up as your true self on and off camera?

What key values and personal qualities connect to others?

How do you show up across all Social Media and Digital Mediums in terms of personality and commitment to people you are serving?

Are you using the right Social Media and Digital Platforms where your audience with similar core values are represented?

How do your clients feel after they receive a service, or product from you? What are they saying back to you via their Feedback?

What is your Reason Why & Purpose? Why Do You Do What You?

As for me, my reason why and purpose is ..... "I do it for Young Malawian Girls, through them I see me. They are the vision, I saw when I was going through my career transition process. They motivated me to take the leap into becoming a Creative Entrepreneur. I could have been one of the thousands of Malawian Girls in rural villages persevering through extraordinary personal life challenges, whilst still try to maintain basic human needs and an education.

Beyond my family, Mentoring Women and supporting Small Business Owner this is what motivates me to wake up every day and to not take my life for granted. Reason being I know there is a girl out there right now who is struggling to access basic daily needs, is trying to remain a young girl for as long as she can, and is looking to become an Entrepreneur in her own right, so that she can in turn give back to her local community.

Your reason why and purpose has to be something which enables you to feel emotionally connected to doing whatever it takes to achieve your vision.

Lastly, I will leave with you the following thoughts to consider about your Legacy looking back.

What do you want people to say when you are no longer here?
What meaningful contribution and impact would like to have made? No matter how small or big.

Thinking about our own mortality enables us to wake up to our own sense of being. To not take things for granted and to make more meaningful steps going forward, whereby you are left feeling a little bit more fulfilled each day.

This Blog Post was inspired by Kelly Millar Founder and Branding Specialist of KM Transformational Branding.

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