You know it takes a lot of hard work and dedication to get your business off the ground. But what about your personal brand? Do you have a personal brand?
Many entrepreneurs put all their focus into their businesses but while doing so, they neglect their own personal branding. This can be a huge mistake…
A solid personal brand can help you build a loyal fan following and authentic engagement. Having a solid Personal Brand strategy in place from day one is beneficial to help you get off on the right foot. In this blog post, I will discuss tips and strategies for building a reliable personal brand as a startup.
Personal branding is a massive leverage
You got it! You wear many hats as a founder and business owner. You’re the CEO, the marketing manager, the sales team, and the janitor. You must be able to do it all, and you must be able to do it well. But too often, there isn’t enough time or focus on one of the most important hats you’ll wear – marketing yourself and your startup…
This is known as personal branding, and it’s essential for any entrepreneur who wants to attract readers, followers, customers, partners, or investors. It is imperative that you take time to strategize and incorporate personal branding in all you do. Think of personal branding as a marathon, and not a sprint. It takes time and is a long-term initiate that will pay considerable dividends.
In fact, personal branding may be the difference between success or failure of your startup. A key point that I want to make is that you need to start off with a Personal Branding strategy from the very beginning.
Your personal brand is essentially what people think of when they see or hear your name. It’s the sum of your values, personality, and reputation. And it’s something that you need to have complete control over. So why is personal branding so important for startups?
Personal branding can help you attract the right kind of attention. If you can position yourself as an expert in your field, you’re more likely to attract readers, followers, and potential customers, partners or investors who see you and your offerings as a value or an asset.
Additionally, personal branding can help you build trust with others. In an era where anyone can start a business with very little investment, people increasingly turn to brands they know and trust. Establishing a solid personal brand will give people the confidence they need to align and do business with you.
Ultimately, personal branding is all about creating a positive association with your startup in the minds of others.
By taking the time to craft a strong personal brand, you’ll be able to build relationships with the right people and grow your startup into a success story.
There are many benefits of having a solid personal brand, such as:
• Growing your business and your following!
• People will be more likely to buy from you or use your services.
• You will build trust and credibility.
• You will be more likely to attract investors and partners.
• You will have an easier time recruiting top talent.
So now, we know a few of the many benefits of growing your personal brand, so let’s move on to the best steps to do it. In this blog post, you will gain a better understanding of building a critical foundation and primary steps to create a compelling personal brand for business and long-term goals.
Personal branding steps for founders and startups
Develop your personal brand strategy and road map as part of your business plan. The personal branding strategies that you will be using will integrate into other components of your business plan. Don’t just leave branding to a time in the future when you “have more time”. A good personal brand strategy will help in many other components of your business and help guide you in how to promote, market and communicate.
Determine Your Personal Brand Archetype
The first step in building a strong personal brand is to figure out your personal brand archetype. This will help you understand and assess the image you want to project and how you can appeal to your target audience. There are 3 primary personal brand archetypes that you can choose from. Which type feels like the best fit for you and your business? Are there benefits of one type vs. another for you and your business strategies?
There are many archetypes, however the 3 most common are:
The Innovator
This archetype is all about change and disruption. If you’re running a startup, chances are you may fall into this category. As an innovator, your personal brand should be all about showing people that you’re constantly pushing boundaries and coming up with new and better ways of doing things.
The Thought Leader
This archetype is all about expertise and authority. If you want to position yourself as a thought leader, you need to focus on building a personal brand that showcases your knowledge and experience. This can be done through blog posts, speaking engagements, coaching, or influencing and interacting on social media.
The Changemaker
This archetype is all about making a difference in the world. If you’re passionate about social issues or causes, this is the archetype for you. As a changemaker, your personal brand should be all about showing people how you’re working to make the world a better place, or that your business, products, or services will make the world a better place.
Once you’ve figured out your archetype, you can start to build out the other elements of your personal brand. How will you communicate and promote yourself? What types of platforms will you use to deliver content, information, products, or services?
Develop your message and tone
Once you have determined your archetype, you can begin to develop the overall tone for your personal brand and use the tone to develop and drive clear messaging. This will help you stay consistent across your channels and ensure that people always know what to expect from you. When crafting your message, make sure to focus on what you want to be known for the type of impact you want to have.
Your tone should be aligned with your archetype. For example, if you’re positioning yourself as a thought leader, your tone should be confident and authoritative. If you’re trying to appeal to a younger audience, your tone should be more casual and approachable.
Create a strong visual identity
Your visual identity is one of the most important aspects of your personal brand. This includes everything from your logo to your social media profile pictures to how you dress when representing your brand. Your visual identity should be cohesive and consistent across all platforms.
If you’re not sure where to start, consider hiring a professional designer to help you create a strong visual identity for your brand. There are plenty of opportunities to get high quality results, which I will note below.
Use social media to build a community around your brand.
Now, it’s more important than ever to have an engaged online following. This includes people who follow you on social media, subscribe to your newsletter, or read your blog. An engaged online following is essential for any personal brand because it allows you to reach a larger audience and build relationships with people who are interested in what you do. Social media is a great way to grow your following through engagement such as comments, likes and shares.
There are a few different ways to build an engaged online following:
• Create interesting and shareable content: This could be anything from blog posts to infographics to videos.
• Be active on social media: Interact with people discussing topics related to your brand.
• Participate in online communities: Join forums or groups relevant to your industry and participate in conversations.
• Network online and offline: Attend events, meetups, and conferences where you can connect with people in your industry.
Create valuable content that helps your audience solve their problems
One of the best ways to build a solid personal brand is to create content that helps your audience solve problems, issues, or concerns. Above all, provide value.
This could be anything from blog posts and articles to podcasts and videos. If you can provide value to your audience, they’ll be more likely to remember you and recommend you to others.
Some ideas for creating valuable content:
-Share your expertise: Write blog posts or articles that offer advice or insights on topics related to your industry.
-Interview experts: Conduct interviews with people who are leaders in your industry and share their insights with your audience.
-Create how-to guides: Help your audience learn how to do something by creating step-by-step guides.
-Review products: Share your thoughts on products or services relevant to your industry.
-Create learning materials, courses, or membership sites.
Be authentic and transparent
People are drawn to brands that feel real and human. In order to build a strong personal brand, you need to be authentic and transparent with your audience. This means being honest about your successes and failures, sharing your personal story, and being open about your values and beliefs.
People can see through inauthenticity, so you must be genuine in everything you do. If you’re unsure where to start, consider sharing a vulnerable story or experience that helped shape who you are today. Share your personality and make yourself personable.
Developing a solid personal brand takes time and effort, but it’s worth it. By following the tips and strategies in this post, you’ll be well on your way to building a personal brand that will help you achieve your goals. Thanks for reading!
Invest in quality design and branding elements
A solid personal brand requires quality design and branding elements. This includes everything from your website and logo to your business cards and social media profile pictures. If you want people to take you seriously, you must invest in quality branding materials.
Hire a professional designer or agency like ours that focus on helping startups with their design and branding.
Stay consistent with your branding across all channels.
Your personal brand should be consistent across all channels, from your website and social media profiles to your email signature and business cards. This means using the same colors, fonts, and logo across all your materials. Consistency will help people recognize your brand and remember you when they see it again.
Strategize for success
When developing your personal brand, it’s important to consider how you want to be perceived. What are your core values? What do you want people to know about you? What kind of image do you want to project?
Answering these questions will help you determine what kind of content to create and how to present yourself to the world. Keep in mind that your personal brand should be an accurate reflection of who you are and what you stand for.
Staying true to yourself while building your personal brand
It can be challenging to stay true to yourself while you’re building your personal brand. After all, you want people to like and respect you, so it’s only natural to try to put your best foot forward. However, staying authentic to who you are would be best. Otherwise, people will see through the facade, and you’ll end up losing their respect.
Here are a few tips for staying true to yourself while building your personal brand:
-Be honest about your successes and failures: Don’t try to hide your mistakes or paint yourself as perfect. People respect honesty and vulnerability.
-Share your personal story: Share what made you who you are today. People will appreciate your transparency and authenticity.
-Be open about your values and beliefs: Let people know what you stand for. This will help them understand who you are as a person and what you’re all about.
Building a strong personal brand takes time, effort, and commitment. But if you stay true to yourself, you’ll be rewarded with the respect and admiration of your audience.
Call to action
Don’t miss out on any opportunities. We have discussed that personal branding is important for all entrepreneurs, but it’s especially critical for starting up. You will want to strategize to set yourself up properly with the right foundation and footprint to create the right personal brand for you.
A strong personal brand will raise your profile in your niche or industry and differentiate yourself from the competition. It will also help attract the right investors, employees, and customers as you grow. So, as you strategize on the various ways you can promote, don’t miss out on any opportunities to utilize calls to action.
Use all “space” opportunities. You will want to strategize on how best to maximize CTAs in all your postings, blogs, and articles. Don’t miss opportunities to add additional information and CTAs on your checkout pages, thank you pages, or confirmation pages. Be creative in utilizing all avaialbe space, including something as simple as a “PS” at the end of your emails.
You don’t want to come across too “salesy”, but you do want to take advantage of space opportunities. A typical rule of thumb that I use is that if the content of your CTA is relevant to the subject, or can be helpful to the recipient, it is fine to include. Strive to incorporate CTAs whenever and wherever possible and appropriate.
Tools to build your personal brand
There are various tools that can be valuable for entrepreneurs looking to build a profitable personal brand. With so much noise on all platforms, it can be hard to stand out from the crowd. Here are a few tools that can help get the most out of your activities. Whether you’re looking to grow your business or just establish yourself as an expert in your field, these tools can be your best friends.
Looking to get the most out of your Twitter activity? Tweethunter is the perfect solution. This powerful tool automates your tweets and provides valuable insights into which ones are performing well. This means you can save time and ensure that your tweets reach their full potential.
Pricing: Free and Paid. Free version is offers a great introductory to capabilities. Tweet hunter has a premium version that starts from $49/month and can unlock extraordinary features like AI tweet generator and Tweet schedule like no other tool.
Sign Up link: tweethunter.io
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If you’re looking for a way to monetize your personal brand, Gumroad is a great option. With Gumroad, you can sell digital products and courses. This is a great way to make money with your passion and expertise and grow your brand. Plus, Gumroad makes it easy to get started. Create an account, add your products, and start promoting. Gumroad provides powerful marketing tools to help you sell more. So, if you’re looking for a simple and effective way to make money online, check out Gumroad.
Pricing: per transaction. Gumroad charges 5% + $0.30 fee from creators and has a lot of tools and groups available for learning.
Sign up link: Gumroad.com
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Canva is the perfect way to create visuals for your personal brand. Easily create beautiful headers, logos, and more – all in just a few clicks!
Canva makes it easy to start and is perfect if you’re not a graphic designer. Simply choose a template, customize it to your liking, and voila – you’ve got a professional-looking image that’s perfect for your brand!
Plus, with Canva’s built-in tools and extensive library of photos, illustrations, and fonts, you can really let your creativity shine.
Pricing: Canva comes with free and paid versions. The free version serves most users well and should be on everyone’s bookmarks.
Sign up link: Canva.com
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One of the best ways to drive traffic to your personal website or blog is to include a link in your bio. But what if you have more than one link that you want to share? That’s where LinkTree comes in. With LinkTree, you can add multiple links to your bio – perfect for promoting your latest blog post, video, or product. Plus, LinkTree makes it easy to track your link clicks, so you can see which links are performing well.
Pricing: Free and paid versions are available. The free version allows for one link, while the paid version starts at $6/month and allows for up to 5 links.
Sign up link: LinkTree
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Grammarly is a must-have tool for anyone serious about personal branding. With Grammarly, you can be sure that your writing is error-free. This is essential for building a credible and professional personal brand.
Plus, Grammarly can help you improve your grammar and spelling – two important factors in personal branding.
Pricing: Free and paid. The free version is basic, while the premium version starts at an economical $11.66/month.
Sign up link: Grammarly
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Traffic is the lifeblood to any business, website, or blog and achieving high traffic is key to personal branding. Traffic Generation is a tool to help manage your social media presence and websites. This free membership site provides strategies, tips, and tricks to exponentially grow traffic to your sites and get more eyeballs on your content. Getting comments, likes, and shares is a great way to expand and leverage your personal brand.
Pricing: Free and paid. There is free access to the membership with a ton of resources and additional features.
Sign Up link: Traffic Generation Club
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Buzzsumo is the perfect tool for researching personal branding content. As a leading Content & Social Analytics platform, Buzzsumo helps marketers create more engaging content and grow their personal brands. Discover and quantify the impact of your coverage, and a whole lot more!
Pricing: Free and paid. The free version allows you to track up to 5 topics and receive results.
Sign Up link: Buzzsumo.com
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Hootsuite is a great personal branding tool for managing your social media presence. With Hootsuite, you can quickly and easily schedule tweets, posts, and more. This is a great way to save time and ensure that your content is being seen by your target audience. Plus, with Hootsuite’s reporting tools, you can track your social media activity and see which content is performing well.
Pricing: Free and paid. The free version will let you manage up to 3 social media accounts and provides a few additional features.
Sign Up link: Hootsuite
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Systeme.io is a new all-in-one platform touted as “the World’s Easiest All-In-One Marketing Platform”. Create a powerful website to sell services, hold webinars, post, and position yourself as an expert. Host online training, create webinars, communicate with your audience, and create your personal brand. Systeme.io has all the tools you need on a single platform. AND they will move all your products, pages, funnels, and customers to systeme.io at no extra cost with any paid subscription. Save business costs with this inexpensive platform!
Pricing: Free and paid. Their free plan offers more than most standard platform paid plans… A great business cost savings!
Sign Up link: Systeme.io
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Finally, Success Upgrade is the perfect tool to help anyone develop the right mindset. Learn and develop the important qualities and characteristics of the most successful entrepreneurs. Mindset, attitude, and your personal perspective are all critical components to your success as an entrepreneur. Success Upgrade is a free site that provides access to strategies and tools important to personal development. Plus, with Success Upgrade free access, you won’t leave out the mindset component that so many overlook, or don’t make the time to develop.
Pricing: Free and paid. The free level offers plenty of great information to get anyone started on the right path.
Sign Up link: Success Upgrade
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Remember, the key is to start off right with a Personal Branding strategy and incorporate that strategy with everything you do and across all your platforms. Personal Branding can be simple steps and does not have to be elaborate or costly. Just do it in a methodical, planned way. Don’t underestimate the importance and long-term benefits and opportunities of Personal Branding.
With a bit of creativity and the right approach, you can boost your personal branding to shine a positive light on you and your business. Work smarter, not harder. Have patience! All good things take time. Social marketing and personal branding are no exception. And utilize tools to maximize your efforts.
To your success,
Dave Seth
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Resources
Tweethunter.io – Automation and Performance of tweets.
Gumroad.com – Self-publishing digital marketplace platform.
Canva.com – Graphic design platform to create social media graphics and visual content.
LinkTree – Freemium social media reference landing page.
Grammarly – Cloud-based typing assistant using artificial intelligence to identify and search for an appropriate replacement for the located errors.
Traffic Generation – Free membership to discover strategies and growth opportunities for traffic generation.
Buzzsumo.com – Discover the best engagement, content, and outreach opportunities across social and search.
Hootsuite – social media management platform supporting social network integrations.
Systeme.io – All-in-one platform to market and sell your products and services online. Sales funnels, autoresponder, membership site, affiliate program & more.
Success Upgrade – Personal development of mindset required to succeed in marketing, business, and entrepreneurship.
Affiliate U – Courses and learning opportunities for marketing, coaching, personal branding, and more. Includes podcasts and journals for ongoing news and learning.
Power Copy – Free Membership site with tools and strategies to learn and thrive with the art of copy.
Web Profits – Everything you need to know about making money online, including positioning yourself to create a thriving business.
Power Marketers – Strategies, personal growth, and mindset for successful Entrepreneurs online.
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