Recently, I shared about how to build a personal brand online so that you stand out, no matter what kind of brand or business owner you are. After that post went live, I was asked about ways to actually make that brand come to life. So, I wanted to take an even deeper dive into how to create a personal brand that actually makes you stand out, whether you are a business owner or brand growing online. Personal branding has been a key factor in my growth. As a service based business owner and content creator online personal branding has helped me to stand out in a saturated market. As you build your personal brand online, there’s three things you need to get clear on immediately. Let’s talk about them today! 

KNOW WHAT YOU STAND FOR

The first thing is to know what you stand for as a brand and business owner. It’s really important that you know what your values are and what your brand stands for. This ties directly into knowing what you want your audience to feel after they’ve engaged with you. If you know what you’re about and what you stand for, you can truly attract the right audience and customers to your account. You’ll be able to make an even bigger impact in their lives and experiences with you because they’re the people that really fit with you and your brand! Being different will help you grow faster because it’s way easier to stand out. 

Consider asking yourself these questions:

What are your values?

What do you want your audience to walk away with when they experience your brand?

Why should someone invest in YOU versus someone else?

What is your “why”? 

List some of the “quirks” or things that make you different from your competitors or that people can connect with. 

If you need help figuring out what makes you different, make sure you review the first personal branding video! 

KNOW WHO YOU ARE FOR

The second thing to be super clear on is knowing who you’re for. You should not (and are not) for everyone! A personal brand should absolutely repel some people. I always remind myself that when I get those hate or mean comments, while they’re not fun, they tell me that I’m doing the right thing. Those comments show me that I’m repelling people that aren’t a good fit for my brand. The goal of your personal brand should be for a potential customer to quickly be able to tell if you are someone they’ll quickly connect with and understand. 

INCORPORATE THESE THINGS INTO YOUR BRAND

When you’re clear on the first two things we discussed, you need to begin incorporating your responses into your brand. This is your action step! You don’t need to do a big brand overhaul, but make sure you start including these things about yourself and what makes you different online. Start to change out your social media and website. Write copy in your emails or on your blog that really fits your voice and the people you’re trying to reach.

As you begin to connect with more of an audience, make sure you’re engaging with those new people who are excited about what you’re doing! That’s how you truly grow an audience – building connection points AND keeping up with them. As you do this, you can also learn a lot from your audience. Their responses to your content and their feedback can inform what you create in the future. It’s another way your brand will be different from your competitors because they know you’re listening and care about their experience. 

I hope those tips are helpful as you continue to build out your personal brand! Remember to go watch the first video HERE so you can really understand what a personal brand is and how you can start to build one online for your business. I truly believe my personal branding has been what helped me the most as I grew my business and then pivoted in the last few years.