Who you are. What you do. What makes you different from your competitors- there is one way to address all these queries- personal branding. It is not just a resume or an elevator pitch.
Personal branding is more than a collection of words describing you- it’s the essence of you. It is the number one criterion for entrepreneurs today in the digital marketing field if they want to stand out.
What do people think when they see you or your profile? It should be a personalised professional image. Your brand is about you and for you. But its main purpose is to connect with your target audience.
Crafting a strong personal brand can be the key to various opportunities and building a loyal customer base. But where do you start?
In this comprehensive handbook, you will learn how to build a personal brand that resonates with your target audience and establishes you as a thought leader in your industry.
Propel your startup to new heights through the power of personal branding!
Why Do You Need a Personal Brand
Before we even get to the strategies and the plan to build a personal brand, let’s stop and think- “Why would start-up founders need a personal brand?”
Here are some compelling reasons why:
Visibility and Credibility: In a crowded space, you need to stand out. This is also applicable to the startup space. With more startups establishing, you need to differentiate yourself from the others. This would allow potential investors, partners and customers to recognise you easily. Also, people are more likely to trust and engage with individuals they perceive as credible and knowledgeable.
Networking: A personal brand with connections can open doors for networking. Other industry leaders are more likely to connect with you if they are familiar with your brand and reputation. This can lead to collaborations, mentorships, and strategic alliances that can benefit your startup.
Recruitment and Talent Acquisition: A compelling personal brand can attract top talent to your startup. Your brand can help you attract individuals who are aligned with your vision and values, thus strengthening your team.
Thought Leadership and Influence:Establish yourself as a thought leader in your industry. By sharing your insights, experiences, and perspectives through various channels such as social media, blogs, and public speaking engagements, you can influence conversations and shape perceptions within your niche.
Investor Relations: A strong personal brand can instil confidence in potential investors by demonstrating your competence, leadership skills, and vision for the startup. It can also help you attract the right investors who share your values and goals.
Customer Trust and Loyalty: Consumers are more likely to engage with brands that have a human face behind them. By building a personal brand, you humanise your startup and create a connection with your target audience.
Knowing the power of personal branding, it is just a matter of time to build one. Here is how you can do it.
How to Build a Personal Brand for Startup Leaders
Here are a few common steps to building personal branding that you need to follow if you want to stand out online.
#1 Define Yourself
When it comes to personal branding for the CEO, there are a few questions that you may have never asked yourself directly. But they hold the key to unlocking what is your brand personality. This is a critical step in building your branding statement,
Ask yourself these questions:
- What are you all about? Represent your hobbies and interests, your desired industry or career. What excites you?
- What are you not about? What do you want to avoid people thinking about you?
- What are your defining characteristics? Ask your colleagues friends and family to describe you. Compare their answers with your assessment of yourself.
- What are your values? Which causes or social issues are important for you? Are they central to personal brand?
- What is unique about you? You have to set yourself apart from the crowd which will determine your value later.
- What are your goals, short-term and long-term?
- What are your strengths?
- What impacts do you want to make?
- Do your personal and business brands overlap?
Once you have the answer to all of these questions, you can move on to the next section of “How to build a personal brand”.
Who is the audience? Let’s define that and curate the profile accordingly.
#2 Define Your Target Audience and Focus
Now that you know yourself, let’s address your “Why”, shall we? Why does your company need a personal brand? Is it trying to become a lead-in to a business or a product. Or, is it creating a professional public image to help you secure funding?
When you answer the “whys”, it defines your audience. Are they customers investors or employers? Upon identifying the customers and target audience, companies need to brainstorm what they can offer them.
#3 Create a Tempting Offer
To create a successful personal brand, companies need a USP that attracts their audience. This USP will help the audience solve a specific problem or achieve a specific result.
A lot of companies make the mistake of creating a product or service that they want. That is why it does not always end up being successful. Therefore, they need to identify their client before they create a product or service.
When companies know who they want to help, it is easier to create a product for them.
The first step to creating an irresistible offer is to position the company or the startup as a specialist and not a generalist. Promise clients a very specific outcome. A generic offer with a vague promise is not good.
But how will the company advertise their expertise? For that they need a social media presence. Today,. Building a personal brand is much easier with networking, thought leadership and other tactics on social media platforms like LinkedIn.
How to build a personal brand with social media platforms like LinkedIn? Let’s see that in detail.
#4 Optimise Your LinkedIn Page
LinkedIn is at the helm of your startup’s personal brand. Your target audience will research your company on the network before deciding to work, hire or refer you. So, create a compelling page.
Here are some tips for startup founders for personal branding that quickly address a few of the important elements on your page:
- Choose Your Picture Carefully: A high-quality, professional picture is a must-have. Depending on how you are trying to differentiate yourself, choose a picture that shows a certain image of yours. Attempting to attract buyers in an industry? A suit, tie and direct, confident gaze will do the trick.
- Optimise Your Headline: Don’t just list your title and company. Use the positioning statement as your headline. See these tips for headlines. Enhance your summary. Keep it to three paragraphs. Emphasise the results you have helped drive for your clients.
- Add Visual Content: Whether you are creating content or curtains it, you should include eye-catching visual content. This interests the audience. Select images that go with your content and reinforce your vision. Infographics are a good example.
As we have understood “why do startup founders need personal branding”, we need to understand the storytelling aspect.
#5 Tell a Story
Your personal brand statement is the starting point to tell the rest of your brand story. It is better to have a short and longer version of your story in your toolkit to use for varied purposes.
The best person to tell a story is you. Revisit the Define Yourself section for more clarity.
Example
Do, now that you have a story, let’s craft it. How can you do so? See one of the many personal branding examples:
See what Steven Barlett has to say about it. He is the co-founder and former CEO of Social Chain, a global social media marketing agency.
Steven Bartlett has masterfully utilised personal branding by:
- Maintaining an active presence on social media platforms, sharing insights on entrepreneurship and marketing.
- Transparently sharing his journey, including successes and failures, fosters authenticity.
- Consistently creating high-quality content across various mediums, showcasing expertise.
- Actively engaging with his audience through comments, discussions, and live sessions, building community.
- Speaking at events and collaborating with influencers and brands, increasing visibility and credibility.
Through these strategies, Bartlett has positioned himself as a thought leader in entrepreneurship and social media marketing, resonating with a global audience and establishing a strong personal brand.
Visuals Matter
As they say, “A picture is worth a thousand words”. Your profile also needs visuals that set you apart. What is your brand colour that represents it the best? Casual? Fun? Professional?
You need a proper tone that defines your personal brand online. Work with designers to build portfolios that align with your aesthetic to have a polished brand story!
#6 Role of CXO
Chief Experience Officers (CXOs) play a vital role in shaping brand narratives and customer interactions. This emphasises their importance in establishing trust, driving innovation, and engaging stakeholders.
By defining their personal brand, CXOs build credibility and inspire a customer-centric culture. Through thought leadership and authentic engagement, they amplify the organisation’s brand presence and lead by example, fostering alignment with the company’s vision.
This addition underscores the evolving dynamics of leadership and the pivotal role CXOs play in driving organisational success through effective personal branding strategies.
#7 Engage and Connect
Engaging and networking are crucial aspects of building a personal brand for startup leaders. Here’s how they can curate and maintain a personal brand:
- Actively participate in discussions
- Respond to comments
- Network with Industry Peers
This expands your reach and fosters meaningful connections. When you engage with your audience, you demonstrate accessibility, authenticity and a genuine interest in their needs and opinions.
Ultimately, consistent engagement and networking efforts contribute to “how to build a personal brand” that strongly resonates with your audience and positions you as a respected leader in your field.
FAQs: A Comprehensive Guide on How to Build a Personal Brand
How to define your brand personality?
Know your audience and determine what makes your brand unique. Next, decide its core traits and make a personality statement and brand style guide
Why is LinkedIn important for personal branding?
LinkedIn serves as a professional platform where individuals can showcase their skills, accomplishments, and professional network to potential employers and collaborators. This makes it ideal for personal branding.
Do startup founders need personal branding?
Personal branding for startup founders establishes credibility, attracts investors, builds trust with customers, and helps recruit talent, crucial for the success and growth of their ventures.
Conclusion
As an entrepreneur, a personal brand is a must-have. By defining yourself, understanding your audience, crafting compelling offers, optimising your online presence, telling your story, and engaging with your network, you can elevate your startup’s visibility and credibility.
As you learn how to build a personal brand as a startup leader, you can propel your ventures towards success in the competitive business landscape. Consider the expert services of Midas Touch to alleviate your brand on social media platforms.