Building Your Personal Brand: How to Stand Out in a Crowded Digital World

by Althea Greene

Photo by Ron Lach

Companies aren't the only ones who need to build a brand. Individuals do, too. Standing out in the digital space is an uphill battle, with millions of professionals competing with each other. However, a strong personal brand makes applying for a new job or growing your career much easier.

A personal brand is the image you broadcast to people online. It represents your values and your skills. It tells your audience what you can contribute to the community.

And yet, building a strong personal brand is a difficult task in itself. Competition is fierce, and the internet is inundated with content from brands, individuals, and corporate entities. It's hard, but it's a must if you want to be noticed and trusted.

In this article, we talk about personal branding, its benefits, and how you can build one to better market yourself.

What is personal branding?

Research published on Frontiers in Psychology defines personal branding as a

strategic process of creating, positioning, and maintaining a positive impression of oneself, based on a unique combination of individual characteristics, which signal a certain promise to the target audience through a differentiated narrative and imagery.

To build a personal brand is to take everything that is unique about you to create a positive image that stands out. What is your niche? What is your approach to problems? What are your values? What do you excel at? These factors build a unique image of you, helping you stand out among your peers.

Your personal brand is a "promise" to your audience that you can be trusted. It's a guarantee that working with you will be worthwhile. And just like branding as a whole, you relay this promise in the digital space through storytelling and graphics.

Whether you're applying for a job or attracting new clients as a freelancer, a strong personal brand is certain to give you a significant edge. In fact, a LinkedIn study found that 85% of hiring managers say that a strong personal brand affects their choices.

In more ways than one, building a personal brand is like starting a small business. You need a strategy. You need to be consistent. And you need to highlight a unique value proposition. If you do things right, your brand will grow and thrive in the long run.

How do you build a personal brand?

Building a personal brand is a much smaller endeavor than building a brand for an enterprise. But that doesn't mean it's going to be easy. What you need to understand is that it will take time. And for anything that takes a lot of time, you need consistency and determination.

To help you, we will share several steps you can follow in building a strong personal brand:

1. Identify what makes you different

As mentioned, a personal brand is built using everything that is unique about you. Make a list of these stand-out characteristics, such as:

• Strengths: What are your best traits?
• Passions: What do you love doing?
• Skills: What can you do well?
• Values: What do you stand for?
• Niche: What problems do you solve?

These components create a unique value that sets you apart from the competition.

2. Be consistent online

Inconsistency is the bane of any brand. Your unique components wouldn't stick together if your branding is all over the place. If these ingredients don't harmonize, people won't be able to recognize you immediately every time they encounter your brand online.

Use the same name, image, tone, and style in every platform. For example, if you go with a minimalist, monochromatic graphic style in your personal website, make sure to follow the same style for every content you publish on other platforms.

If you're consistent, audiences will recognize your brand at a glance, regardless of the platform they're on.

 

3. Share helpful content

What content should you create to build your brand? It's important to emphasize what makes you stand out, but too much focus on yourself is harmful to your brand. You will look like an attention-seeker if you do nothing but brag about your skills or preach about your values.

You must create and share helpful content; material that adds value to the lives of your audiences, no matter how big or small. Use your strengths and skills to help members of your community.

Are you a writer? Share helpful tips for beating writer’s block. An illustrator? Provide pointers in learning how to draw. By sharing helpful information, you hit two birds with one stone: you lend your audience a hand while also demonstrating your expertise.

Additionally, don’t overlook the power of employee advocacy. Engaging with your company’s content, sharing industry insights from your role, or participating in discussions about your field can strengthen both your professional reputation and your employer’s brand. Many companies encourage employees to share valuable content, which can help you gain visibility as an expert while also demonstrating your leadership within your industry.

4. Connect with others

Building a personal brand isn't a one-way street. You don't just publish content for your audiences and log off. You need to connect with them and build a relationship.

Interact with them in the comments section. Answer questions. Show gratitude for their support. Acknowledge criticism. Create or join a group with your community where you can exchange thoughts and insights with each other.

Make sure to attend virtual events when the opportunity arises. Such events are perfect platforms for engaging with your audience and putting yourself under the spotlight.

Final words

What do people find when they search for your name online? Does it reflect who you really are? In a world where attention is limited, and first impressions happen fast, your personal brand might be speaking for you before you get the chance. So, what is it saying?