Personal Branding In Practice
Achieving Goals, Career Enrichment, Entrepreneurship, Get That Job, Personal Branding
Welcome to part 3, my friends! Now that you know your professional purpose, that one thing you’re known for, that feels meaningful and inspiring to you, here’s how you go about actually making it into a brand.
But first, let’s review!
In part 1, we talked about what actually is a personal brand and why should you want one. Quick recap: your personal brand is what you want to be known for (usually in the professional world), and it’s important because it helps you connect to other people in meaningful ways. Then in part 2, we discussed how to find your personal brand, which is ultimately the way you are best suited to contribute to an organization; how you best help people. Throughout this article, I’ll refer to you doing “your thing.” That “thing” is your personal brand. If you don’t remember or haven’t defined your brand yet, you should go back to Part 2.
Great. Let’s rock and roll.
Hold up, why do I need to do this part?
Very fair question. Short answer: so you can do the thing you love to do more and better. So you can connect with other people who either are doing the same thing, or who want to help you do your thing, or who want to give you a job doing that thing.
You’re establishing yourself as the person who knows a lot about it. Who cares a lot about it. You’re the expert. It’s your thing. You want people to know.
Become an expert
I don’t really care how you consume information, but you need to start consuming information. That might be the radio, podcasts, magazines, books, blogs, YouTube videos, documentaries…there’s a lot of ways to do it. This shouldn’t be painful or hard for you, tbh. You’ve picked the topic that you love the most, that gets you the most excited, in some way, shape, or form, I hope you enjoy learning more about it. If it’s not, please revisit our last post and start over. Remember, it can be music or sports or fashion. It can also be gene-splicing. Whatever gets you excited and happy to dig into the subject in your free time!
Pick your channels
Oof. Channels. What the heck are those? Well, if nothing else, when you’re talking about your job, it’s probably LinkedIn and maybe Twitter. Let’s keep it simple, shall we? Channels are ways to talk to other people. LinkedIn and Twitter are the best-known and most widely used of them for networking purposes. Depending on your industry, it could also be Instagram, maybe YouTube, maybe TikTok? I don’t know, I heard it’s something the kids are using these days.
Don’t make it complicated. Unless you have reason to believe you need to use something else, stick to LinkedIn. Twitter if you feel so compelled and want to post a whole lot. Your newsletter or blog if you have one. And I hope it goes without saying, it’s also every person you talk to in the real world. At a party, at the grocery store, everywhere.
Talk about it
Share the information you learned that’s interesting to you! Do it on LinkedIn. Maybe Twitter. In the lunchroom. Definitely with your boss and at that networking event. Talk about it at the grocery store and when you’re stuck between floors on an elevator. You are a wealth of knowledge dedicated to helping people and the world through your very special subject. Don’t be shy! Read, form an opinion, and help others by telling them what you know. And it’s true, not everyone will appreciate it, but that’s ok. You are broadcasting to everyone that you are passionate and knowledgeable about things that excite you. Over time this will open doors to new opportunities for you that will continually excite you and help you grow your career in a direction you actually want to grow.
Questions? Thoughts? My two favorite subjects are branding and your career, so please drop a comment below if you’d like to connect. Until next time, my friends!
XO,
Libby
