Personal branding is a great way to set yourself apart from your competitors and will help you establish yourself as a thought leader and expert in your field. Having a strong personal brand can lead to many opportunities and the opening of new doors.
Without a strong personal brand it’s easy to become part of the crowd. Personal branding helps you to differentiate yourself and whether or not you want to, you’re already branding yourself every day thanks to Google and every interaction you have online and in person.
Here are some ideas on how to build a strong personal brand:
Identify your personal brand – self reflect, think about your career goals and brand attributes. Your personal brand should reflect who you are and your unique qualities. Build your brand story by asking the following questions:
- What excites you most about what you do?
- Where do you want your business to go in the next 1-5 years?
Do your research
- Develop a social media strategy and a strong LinkedIn profile
- Know what your online persona looks like and regularly audit it (regularly Google yourself)
- Make a list of contacts to follow up with – former colleagues, referral sources, friends and family, classmates from law school, former clients
Say YES! Say yes to most opportunities that come your way that interest you, even those things that make you a bit uncomfortable, and even when you don’t have the time for them.
- Maybe it’s writing, speaking or taking on a leadership role
- Volunteer roles can help you build your brand and make valuable connections. Always do a good job in these roles – you don’t want to let people down, drop the ball or it can be damaging to your career.
- Becoming a lecturer/adjunct professor is a great way to establish yourself as a subject matter expert. Often, these opportunities will come through your professional network. Take the time to promote them on social media, and go a step further by publishing a series of articles on the topics you’re teaching about.
I hope this list has given you some inspiration for how and why to build your personal brand.