Personal branding is very in style. Everyone talks about it.
But what is a personal brand anyway?
Everyone has a personal brand, whether you work on it or not. Your brand is what people think about you. It’s what they say about you when you’re not around.
Personal branding, in essence, is working on your public figure.
You can try and actively influence how people think about you, or you can take a more passive approach and let them decide on their own.
But, actively working on your personal brand has many benefits. We’re going to go through ten reasons why investing in your personal brand can greatly benefit your career.
After all, some of the biggest companies in the world were built on personal brands. Do you think Virgin would ever become what it is if Richard Branson wasn’t as memorable as he is?
Let’s look at the top ten benefits of personal branding.
Build Authority
How do you see the biggest authority figures in the marketing world? Seth Godin, Gary Vaynerchuk, Neil Patel, Brian Dean?
You probably see them as big brands that made it because they are the most skilled individuals in their respective fields.
What they’ve done is they’ve worked on their brand from day one. Do you know how Brian Dean always uses the color green on his Backlinko blog? He’s been doing this for years to create a memorable impression.
This helps people remember his blog and his website. When you pair this with his impeccable writing skills, you get an unforgettable brand.
When you make a brand out of your personality, people are more likely to see you as an authority.
| Every brand starts with a strong name. You can use your personal name for your brand name, or you can create a completely new brand name to represent yourself. You can use our brand name generator if you need help coming up with ideas for your brand. |
Become Memorable
There are nearly 8 billion people living on this planet at the time of this article. More than half of them have stable access to the internet. How do you make people remember you when competing with 8 billion other individuals?
The easiest way to become memorable is by turning yourself into a brand. We already mentioned that personal branding can help you build authority. This goes hand-in-hand with memorability.
The fact that you actively work on your personal brand immediately separates you from most of the people in this world.
Find the things you want to be associated with and tie them to your name. It might take a lot of effort, but in time, people will start connecting you and your brand with the things you want to be associated with.
A personal brand makes you memorable.
“Too many companies want their brands to reflect some idealized, perfected image of themselves. As a consequence, their brands acquire no texture, no character and no public trust.”
Richard Branson
Stand Out
Standing out is very similar to becoming memorable. You have to find a set of attributes you want to be known for. The important thing is this set of attributes is different from the attributes other people in your niche are known for.
You have to find something that is truly yours. Think about all the things you do differently than other people in your field.
Do you have any special skills that no one else has? Do you have any personality traits that can be deemed unique?
It’s impossible to stand out if you compete with other people on the things they are good at. Instead, find your own niche and dominate it. It’s better to be the top player in a small niche than the third-biggest brand in a large niche.
Find what makes you different and embrace it.
“You have to understand your own personal DNA. Don’t do things because I do them or Steve Jobs or Mark Cuban tried it. You need to know your personal brand and stay true to it.”
Gary Vaynerchuk
Boost Your Resume
We already mentioned that personal branding helps you build authority, stand out, and be memorable. All these things combined should result in you having an impressive resume.
You will get invited to industry events as an authority figure. People will want to hear your opinion on current events in your industry. You will gain access to people and events you wouldn’t get if you didn’t build a brand.
The experience you gain will serve as an amazing boost to your resume. Imagine you decide to apply for a high-profile job in your industry. You’ll probably compete with a lot of people for that position.
Just imagine how big of an advantage you’ll have because you’ll have an impressive resume where you list all the talks you had at important events.
Become An Asset
Let’s say you’re a freelancer that does work for different companies. It’s probably fair to assume most of them see you as a pair of hands that helps them with different projects. You’re seen as a commodity for the team.
But, if you build your authority and stand out in your field, you can turn yourself into an asset. Your goal should be to become the one person companies can’t function without.
Build your brand, and people will start looking at you differently. Companies that hire you will see you as the authority leader that’s there to lead the team and help them succeed in the next project.
“Your brand is a gateway to your true work. You know you are here to do something – to create something or help others in some way. The question is, how can you set up your life and work so that you can do it? The answer lies in your brand. When you create a compelling brand you attract people who want the promise of your brand – which you deliver.”
Dave Buck
Charge More
Here comes the fun part. If you become an asset, you get to charge more for your services.
The truth is this – companies are willing to spend a lot of money on consultants that can deliver meaningful results. If they believe you have the capability to do so, they will pay a lot of money for you to work on their problem.
Your authority often determines how much you’ll get paid. It’s worth the time and effort you invest in building a personal brand if you can charge ten times as much as you did when you were just one of the freelancers.
Build authority, stand out, and become an asset to charge more in any field or niche in the world.
Be Easier To Find
Having a strong personal brand means you’ll be easier to find. We already mentioned how the essence of personal branding is to find things you want to be associated with.
If people associate you with certain things, you immediately become easier to find. Let me give you an example. I’m sure people had difficulty remembering the name Elon Musk as he started making noise in the industry.
But everyone knew about the “electric car guy” that is about to change the world. And everyone could find Elon Musk without even knowing his name if they wanted to.
This shows what the power of personal branding is. You will not only stand out, but you will also be easier to find.
Build A Network
Let’s play a simple game. Imagine you want to advance in your career, and you have the chance to pick ten people you want to become friends with. Who would you choose?
I’m guessing you picked industry leaders and authority figures with a proven track record of successful projects in your field. Am I right?
People will want to connect with you if you are the authority figure. I’m not only talking about regular people. Other authority figures will also want to know you.
The more known you are, the easier it is to build strong relationships that can help you move even further in the industry.
“If you want to go somewhere, it is best to find someone who has already been there.”
Robert T. Kiyosaki
Gain Confidence
A lot of us suffer from impostor syndrome. We sometimes get in situations we don’t think we deserve.
But, if you manage to create a strong personal brand and build authority, you’ll have all the reasons in the world to be confident about your next project.
People with strong personal brands get invited to events. Feeling confident is easier if you know people want to have you there.
The more followers and brand advocates you gain, the more confidence you’ll have. The people that support you should motivate you to continue doing what you’re doing.
The one thing to note is that confidence can quickly become arrogance. Make sure you don’t become too cocky, even if your personal brand takes you to places you never thought possible.
And don’t forget about your initial followers. They are the reason why you made it where you are.
| Be big on social media! You can gain a lot of followers on social media, but you have to make sure you start your profile with the right name. You can use our social media name generator to create memorable name ideas. You can also try our YouTube name generator if you think videos are more your style. |
Examples Of Successful Entrepreneurs With Amazing Personal Brands
We showed how personal branding can help you build thriving careers and businesses. Let’s now look at three real-world examples that demonstrate the power of personal branding.
Gary Vaynerchuck
It sometimes feels like he has a cult following. Some people love him, and some people hate him. The fact that he’s so polarizing makes him stand out.
Gary embraced his personality. He’s not ashamed of his positive and negative traits. He speaks his mind, and he doesn’t pretend to be someone else.
His authenticity and hard work made him one of the most followed individuals in the world.
Everything Gary Vee touches turns to gold. And his enthusiasm and drive don’t seem to be slowing down.
Bill Nye
You’ve probably heard of Bill Nye, the science guy. His unforgettable appearances on various TV shows turned an average scientist into one of the most prominent authority figures in the science world.
He has a knack for explaining complex things in a simple way. His way of presenting scientific problems attracts the attention of ordinary people who aren’t even interested in science.
Bill Nye became the face of science thanks to the personal brand he built for himself.
Melyssa Griffin
Have you heard of her? The answer is almost definitely yes if you’re a women entrepreneur. Her example shows how important it is to find a niche for yourself and dominate that space.
Melyssa helps entrepreneurs grow their online businesses. She runs a very successful website and is very active across different social media platforms.
People love her because of her optimistic outlook and energetic personality. She’s authentic and unique.
She’s a great example of a personal brand that grew from a personal blog.
Conclusion
There’s no doubt that everyone should invest in branding themselves. We covered some of the biggest benefits of personal branding and looked at famous examples of entrepreneurs with amazing personal brands.
It’s now your turn to build your brand. Are you going to turn yourself into a memorable brand?