Building a Strong Personal Brand

by Yasmine Moulin

In today’s business world, to break that glass ceiling, building your personal brand is extremely important. To stand out from the crowd and showcase your talents and expertise, you must distinguish yourself as an influencer, a strong leader, and the go-to person in your industry or field.

Your personal brand should be able to answer the following: Why should I hire you, buy your product or services, promote you to an executive leadership role? What makes you special? What makes you the best person for the job or project?

Here are five tips to help you build your personal brand:

1. Be authentic

Bring your whole self to work. Be real – nobody likes a phony. Lead by example. Show your clients, colleagues and business associates who you are, what you stand for and what your values are. Be trustworthy and don’t be afraid to trust first.

People connect with people who are real. Do not be afraid to show your strengths, but also don’t be afraid to be transparent and show that you do not have all the answers.

A great leader brings out the best in their team. If you are a sole entrepreneur, surround yourself with people that have the exceptional skills you need to succeed. It comes down to having strong relationships.

2. Have a Strong Social Voice and Presence

It’s all about building relationships. Whether you are selling a product, service, or part of a company team and supporting their goals and values, success is built on strong relationships. People ‘buy’ you first, then the product, service etc.

To build your brand and establish yourself as an expert in your field, there is no getting around it – today, a strong social media presence is needed. People want to know who you are, your interests, what causes you support. Again, be real, be approachable, be social.

Be proactive with your personal brand. Make sure you have a professional and friendly and consistent ongoing online presence that showcases you and what you do. Be visible – interact with others and build a strong social voice and presence.

If you do not have the expertise or time to have a regular online voice and presence, invest in yourself and hire a social media specialist.

3. Be a Life-long Learner

To establish yourself as indispensable, as the ‘go-to’ person and an expert, you cannot wing it. It’s a very fast world out there and staying up-to-date with the latest and greatest is challenging.

You cannot fake being an expert, you will be discredited very fast, and reaching the pinnacle of your professional and personal goals will only be a dream. Stay relevant, invest in yourself and your brand.

The rule of thumb that I follow and suggest to my coaching clients is to devote five hours a week to update your skills, learn new skills, update your technology and computer knowledge, take courses, workshops, online seminars, podcasts. Being at the top of your game and respected as an expert takes effort and time.

4. Public Speaking

To let people know who you are and build your personal brand, you need to be a clear, confident communicator. Whether you are a sole entrepreneur presenting a proposal of service, or presenting a department update, or department achievements toward the common goals and vision, you need to speak from a place of knowledge and power.

You want to come across as someone who knows what they are taking about. Public speaking is an essential skill. Seek out a public speaking coach and sharpen your public speaking skills.

5. Hire a Professional Coach

There are many reasons to hire an executive or business coach. But it boils down to one or two  things – being the best version of you and reaching personal and professional success. What that looks like is different for each individual.

If you are looking to build a strong personal brand, move forward in your career, establish and reach your goals, a coach will keep you motivated, and keep you accountable on getting you from where you are now, to where you want to be.

Having a strong personal brand will accurately showcase who you are, what you stand for, and give you credibility as being the best person for the project, job, or service. The ROI, whether it is time and/or money, will have a powerful impact on your career. Here’s to Bossy Women!