How to Build a Personal Brand for Career Success

If you want to stand out in your chosen career, profession or business, building your personal brand can be a very good step to take.

Your personal brand is what you are known for or perceived as by other people in your industry. It is how you present yourself to the world. Among many people in your career/profession/business, a personal brand is what makes you stand out.

It gets people to notice you and with that attention, comes visibility, more opportunities, increased sales, promotions, and so much more.

In this article, I will be sharing practical steps to help you build a personal brand that gets you seen and remembered.

How to Create or Build Your Personal Brand.

Here is a simple step-by-step guide to help you build your personal brand:

1. Define Who You Are and What You Want to be Known for: The first step you want to take in building your personal brand is defining who you are.

• Who are you? What is your story?
• What are your strengths? What are your weaknesses?
• What do you do better than most people? What are your values?
• What are you uniquely good at? What are you passionate about?
• What do you want to be known for?

These questions help you determine who you want to be, what you want to represent and what you want to be remembered for.

For example, if you are a lawyer passionate about entertainment, you might want to be known as the go-to expert helping people understand entertainment laws and policies, etc.

Another example is if you are freelance writer with an interest in mental health. You might decide you want to be the writer who helps therapy brands explain mental health topics and connect with their audience.

2. Determine Your Target Audience: By target audience, I mean who do you serve? Who are you trying to reach? Knowing your target audience is very important as it defines how you tell your story, how you present yourself and where you show up.

Using our earlier examples, for a freelance writer interested in mental health, your target audience might be therapy centers or mental health startups. This means you will want to create a personal brand that attracts them to you i.e your messages, stories, etc., should relate to them.

Also, for a lawyer interested in entertainment law, your target audience might be upcoming artists, record labels, producers, etc. This means your personal brand should be one that positions you as someone that can help them.

3. Start Building Your Online Presence: Visibility is the backbone of a personal brand. Just knowing what you want be known for and who your target audience is, is not enough. Now, you have to tell it and show it. You have to prove to your target audience that you are the person they need.

Here is how you can build your online presence:

1. Get Active on Social Media: Choose the platform where your target audience hangs out and start sharing your expertise and stories there. This could be LinkedIn, X, Instagram, TikTok, etc. As a beginner, choose 1-2 of the social media platforms where your target audience is and start building there.

Using our previous examples, your target audience as a freelance writer would be on Instagram, LinkedIn, X and maybe TikTok. Choose 1 or 2 of these platforms and start sharing your stories, tips, lessons, how-tos, and content that proves to your target audience that you are an expert freelance writer for mental health brands.

Also, if you are a lawyer interested in entertainment, your target audience would most likely be on LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, etc.

Whatever platform you choose, start sharing stories, tips, lessons from your experience, legal advice and content that proves to your target audience that you are an expert lawyer on entertainment law.

Since, the major social media platform for professionals is LinkedIn, let’s talk about how you can utilize it in building your personal brand.

How to Build Your Personal Brand on LinkedIn?

Whether you are a freelance writer, a lawyer, a coach, etc., LinkedIn gives you the space to share your story and your work in a way that positions you as an expert to your target audience.

a. Optimize Your Profile

Your LinkedIn profile should clearly describe who you are, what you do, who you help, and how you help them. Make sure the following sections reflect that:

• Headline.
• Banner image.
• About section.
• Experience section.
• Personal brand picture/cover photo.

Use relevant keywords related to your field so people can easily find you. For example, if you are an entertainment lawyer, you can include keywords like entertainment law, contract negotiation, intellectual property, legal protection for artists, etc. on your profile.

1. Regularly Share Helpful Content Related to Your Industry

Start posting content that shows your knowledge, passion, and experience in your field like:

• Your personal journey.
• Lessons from your experiences.
• Wins (big or small).
• Mistakes you’ve made and what you learned.
• Industry trends and your thoughts on them.

For example, as an entertainment lawyer, you could post content like legal mistakes upcoming artists make in signing contracts, what should be in a music contract, etc.

Also, posting 3-4 times a week is enough but you can post as much as you want.

2. Engage with Other People’s Posts

You don’t win on LinkedIn by just posting alone. It is a platform that thrives on connection and engagement with others. So, you need to comment and engage with others’ posts including leaders in your industry, your target audience, your colleagues, etc.

Your comments should be meaningful and genuine. It doesn’t have to be complicated but it definitely should not come off as AI-written.

3. Write Thought Leadership Articles

LinkedIn allows you to write articles and share it on your page. The good news is that these articles can also be found on Google, ensuring it reaches more people. So, you can share thoughts and opinions in your industry and gradually establish your expertise.

4. Invest in a Personal Website

Social media is not the only way to build your personal brand. You can also create a personal website for yourself. This can position you as an expert in your field and serve as a way for people to find you online. You can also write thought leadership articles on your website which people can read online and learn about you.

Note: If you are just starting out, it is advisable that you start with social media. It is free, easier to access and cheaper compared to creating a personal website and it can help you reach more of your target audience faster. Later on, you can invest in a personal website.

How to Create a Personal Brand Strategy?

Your journey towards creating a personal brand starts with a clear strategy. Your personal brand strategy is the plan, the content, and the actions you take to build that brand over time.

Here is a short guide on creating a personal brand strategy/plan:

1. Define Your Goals: What is the end goal of you creating a personal brand? Is it to get more clients? Is it to get more visible in your Industry? You need to be specific about what success looks like to you as it will determine what you do and how you do it.
2. Define Your Target Audience: Who are the people you want to reach? Who do you want to attract to yourself? Who are you trying to help? This will determine the type of content you share.
3. What is the Platform of Your Choice?: Which social media platform do you want to focus on? Is it LinkedIn? Is it Instagram? Is it TikTok/YouTube?
4. What is your Content Plan: Now that you know who you are speaking to and you have chosen a platform, you need to decide what you are going to post. How many times do you want to post in a week? What type of content do you want to create: texts posts/carousels/videos, etc.?
5. How do you want to track your results: How do you want to know if your strategy is working? Do you want to track your follower count? Is it by number of your followers, number of leads/DMs, engagement (likes and comments), number of clients, etc.

Also Read: How to Write a Compelling Cover Letter

 Do You Need a Personal Brand Coach?

As someone who has worked with a personal brand coach for LinkedIn, I can confidently tell you, ‘Yes, you need one.’

If you are a beginner and have no idea on how to start building your personal brand, then you need an expert on your side. You need someone to guide and teach you how to create content for the platform you have chosen; How to optimize your profile; How to position yourself as a credible voice in your field.

Conclusion

Building a personal brand takes time and consistency but the results are worth it. It will position you as the go-to expert in your field, open doors to new opportunities, and attract the right people to you.

As Vusi Thembekwayo, a popular speaker and coach once said, “When you have built a personal brand, your phone rings. You are not the one making phone calls.”

That is the power of a personal brand. It works for you even when you are not in the room.

Now, what step would you take today to build your personal brand?