How would you describe yourself? What kind of person do you want to be perceived as? If you don’t know, then you should start thinking about it now.
Personal branding is a powerful marketing strategy that allows you to stand out from a crowd. When done correctly, it helps you build trust and credibility with potential customers, generate leads and even close sales.
“Personal branding is a set of impressions a person leaves with the people that they interact with. It certainly can be professional expertise. But it’s also how you make people feel, your values, your mission and how you amplify the things that you care about.”
Madeline Fetterly | CEO & Founder | Be The Brand
To start building your personal brand, try these tips inspired by Madeline Fetterly during her appearance on the Lead(er) Generation podcast. As the CEO & Founder of Be The Brand, Madeline is an expert at helping marketing leaders create their digital brands. Then, leverage it to attract opportunities that matter.
RELATED PODCAST: How To Use Your Personal Brand To Generate Leads
Be Authentic
Authentic professionals are needed now more than ever. People want to work with and work for real leaders who aren’t one-dimensional bots. That’s why personal brands need to be authentic and reflect the real world.
Madeline says, “If you don’t feel like your personal brand embodies who you are, it’s just not going to work or be a successful endeavor.”
That’s why it’s important to make your brand multi-dimensional. Showcase your professional experience and highlights of your career. But make sure your personal brand also reflects what you’re passionate about and who you are as an individual.
In the end, you should feel good about your brand. It should reflect your personality and show why you love doing what you do.
Be An Influencer
You don’t need to become a famous celebrity to be an influencer. As a marketing leader, you can create influence within your professional network.
Your thoughts, opinions and expertise matter. Build your personal brand and online presence by posting content on social media. Use platforms such as LinkedIn, Twitter and YouTube to share information about yourself and your work.
As an influencer in your network, you’ll attract attention and gain trust from others. Then measure how many people notice your influence and what kind of results you get in terms of the number and quality of leads. This will help you generate new opportunities for your business.
Don’t Sell Yourself Short
Imposter Syndrome is a common problem among marketers who want to start building a personal brand. Many leaders feel like they lack expertise or experience in certain areas, and this causes them to doubt themselves.
These feelings of inadequacy mean a lot of people are afraid to do something new, like build their personal brand, because they might fail. But failure isn’t the end of the world. You should try your best and learn from your mistakes.
Be proud of your work. Put yourself out there. Let people know who you are. Because your personal brand is important, and it can help you get ahead.
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Personal branding is a great way to build trust and credibility with potential customers. Be transparent, communicate effectively and put yourself out there to create a positive reputation that will help your business increase its success.
With 20+ years of marketing experience, Cheryl strives to clearly understand client goals and user needs. She then helps plan, develop and deliver relevant, high-value content that brings the two together.
Cheryl Boehm, Director of Copywriting