In an age where marketing and social media are all-inclusive, invasive, all-encompassing, and where digital journalism has taken the world by storm, being able to tell a story and build a brand has become paramount for more than just the big business players out there.

Building a personal brand is now a commonplace occurrence, with many turning to polkadot communications and similar agencies to help them build their brand and get the results they need. It is not just the rich and famous who can create a sustainable following, which can and does yield financial results.

The personal brand market 

Everyone who has a presence on social media has a personal brand; it is what pops up on google when people search your name, your social media presence. However, some intentionally set out to build their personal brand specifically for financial purposes. Speakers, marketers, entrepreneurs, and influencers depend on their personal branding for business and income generation. Over a third of the US workforce comprises freelancers and contract workers, and these businesses will not find the requisite clients unless they have sufficient followers online. The personal brand allows you to make more numerous and powerful connections.

A great example is Kylie Jenner, who, after developing a mass personal following, then used her personal brand to build and grow Kylie Cosmetics into a global multimillion-dollar brand. She then sold the business for a massive profit, and we will soon find out whether the business continues to flourish without her personality at its core. It is about establishing credibility as an expert, industry or even trend leader, which is what she had done through her personal brand and the use of the makeup herself.

Furthermore, the personal brand is probably just as important for those who are employed or working in high-value jobs, as most employees or businesses now check out their possible hires on social media before they employ them. Thus, we live in an age where the person that you are on social media becomes as important as your actual persona.

It has thus become important for many that are establishing their own personal brands to undertake some form of training to understand the concepts and skills related to successfully building such a brand and developing a following.

An SBU online course in marketing or journalism or both has proven popular and can be done while you work and provide you with a skill set that is both sustainable and valued. Additionally, the growth of the personal marketing phenomena has created a whole range of opportunities and jobs in marketing and advertising as well as for the individuals themselves as the social marketplace has managed to democratize branding and brand building.

As a further introduction to the sector, there are some simple steps to consider and implement to achieve a personal brand, and these are further discussed below.

Considerations for Personal Brand building

Who is the target audience?

Before you can accurately position your brand, you need to know who the target audience is. The more niche the product, the more specific the expected audience and the easier it is to reach out to them. If the product is quite generalized and used by all demographics, then a different message may be needed for the same brand. It can become complicated, but it is vital to target the messages and the content. Knowing who you aim to motivate to action is the very first step in developing a brand that people then want to be associated with. Understand the target audience and ensure that the message is as clear for them as it may be for you. Who are you, and why should they follow you?

What is your USP

Just as all popular products will have a unique selling proposition, so too should your personal brand. Knowing what separates you from the crowd and cogently communicating this to the wider public is a skill that you need to hone, develop, and then use. With so much other branding and media out there, it will be important for browsers to quickly identify what makes you and your brand worth spending time and possibly money with online instead of the plethora of other personal brands online.

What is the back story

All strong brands must have a back story. Telling stories is all the rage, and as such, the need to create a good backstory develops trust. The best backstory is one that is true and provides the brand with a history. Furthermore, it is proven that a descriptive story is the best way to create memory and affect the human mind. It is what sticks when they have finished reading the ‘About You’ section and feel that they would like to read more.

How much of your personality do you want to share, and will it be authentic?

The personal brand is primarily about the personality and activity of the main protagonist, and as such, it is critical to establish exactly how intimate the brand should be. Once information is out there and has been placed on social media, it is not easy to forget it or remove it. Remember, the brand is both what you stand for and what you do, so there must be consistency, and if there is any doubt, do not share. It’s simple to destroy a brand online, but creating one takes time and effort.

Conclusion

The rise in personal marketers is a new niche, and it does not look like a flash in the pan. For the personal brand to work and be a financial earner, it must be able to generate a following and, as such, must be genuine, unique, and believable. The rise of the internet as a social marketplace has meant that commerce and human interaction and engagement are intrinsically linked. Without a known presence on social media, there is no chance for business development in an age dominated by information and data. We are in an age where the personal online brand is vital to create the authenticity required to create a genuine following, prepared to spend their money on such a brand.