One of the biggest mistakes that I see people making when it comes to personal branding is the fact that many assume that simply branding their name will magically create an income for them. Simply throwing up YOURNAME.com will not provide “branding” for you and your business. There are millions and millions of websites out there but if you don’t stand out in some way and learn to market your brand appropriately, your branding efforts will splutter very quickly.
Your branding persona needs some serious thought and consideration. The key to personal branding and monetizing that brand is finding your passion. What are you passionate about? Where does your knowledge base lie? What do you know that others would want to know?
Ok, I get to this part many times with people and they say, HUH? I don’t know anything that someone else would want to know. BIG GONG! Wrong!! Everyone has something that gets them fired up and that they have some sort of “knowledge” base or a particular area of expertise. It might be your current job or it might be something you have treated as a hobby or something that you simply enjoy doing. Whatever this “THING” is…brush it off and take a look at it. Roll it around in your mind, research it online and see what else is out there and how you can bring something to the subject that will make it stand out from the rest.
Discovering your brand is about figuring out what you are passionate about, setting goals, writing your personal branding statement (what you provide and who you SERVE) and then developing that plan into a reality.
Once you uncover what you are passionate about; THEN you are in a position to decide how to move forward with your branding.
I want to provide a few stories so you can see where I am going with this…
Heather had lost her job and was struggling financially. Her savings was almost depleted and she knew she needed to do something but she couldn’t get a handle on what. She was trying to use Facebook as a way to connect with others in her field; hoping to land a new job that way. She saw one of my posts on Facebook, and the rest is quite a story. Through some personal coaching, I helped her look at what she did have, not what she didn’t have (no income producing work!). What she did have however was an incredible contact list that she had accumulated over her years with her previous employer. This contact list is in a niche field that is expanding BIG TIME in the social media areas of the Internet. VIOLA! Enter her opportunity to capitalize. I helped her set up a business plan for her new “social media manager” business, designed some promotional information and she started visiting a few of her previous contacts. They obviously knew her and there was an immediate trust factor which was to her advantage. In her first week, she generated two contracts with a monetary value of $5,200.00. Way to go, Heather!
Susanne was involved in a home based business opportunity and she was struggling to make her business grow. As we chatted a little about what is important to her and what her background was, I discovered that she was a teacher by trade. Long story short, Susanne has established a blog where she shares her day to day “teaching stories”. She is providing “content” that others, both parents, other teachers, etc. can identify with. This builds RELATIONSHIPS and a sense of community within this niche area. Her network marketing business is growing because of the relationships she is forming through her site! PLUS, she is currently working on her first product FOR SALE that will address a need that all teachers have. I can’t wait to see her business evolve.
In conclusion, do not be fooled by the myth that if you build it, they will come. Personal branding for business purposes revolves around passion and building relationships that will result in INCOME producing opportunities.
I invite you to join the Brand You Community on Facebook today to connect and learn from others.
http://www.facebook.com/brandyoucommunity
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Well said Kim. Having passion coupled with an honest, real and open discussion is key. Creating a persona that is truly you or your company is so very important and so often overlooked.
Great thoughts … it really is about the persona, which is driven by the passion to provide something exceptional. This is so true in company branding too, getting to the heart and soul of an organization, their reason for being, then articulating that in the brand spectrum. I'm passionate about this and it's amazing how people respond when you talk passionately about what's possible for them and their organization!
Hi, Thanks for this article. This is really inspirational article. I hearty agree with you that every 1 has something. They just need to utilize it properly. Branding is very important for products and even for a human beings. Btw, I have joined you on Facebook. Thanks.
Kim, Thanks for a great article/post… Keep them coming:0).
Great info! Looking forward to learning more from you! Loving Internet social media!
Glad you dropped in Lisa!