If you really are a professional, you cannot ditch "personal branding" and this isn't the cliche line you hear everytime. You may have great potential and amazing skills but if you don't put a name to your "doings", there is a chance you are still far behind. This brings us to telling you a little secret which is "authenticity is the cornerstone of successful personal branding." Your personal brand has one job - to tell people who you are and what you do. 

Think of the successful people you've admired and even come in contact with, why do you place them on such pedestals? Why does it seem like they are doing better? What sets them apart from others? 80% of the time, it is personal branding, they have carried themselves and pinned a name to the many ways in which they are extraordinary. 

Tosin Olaseinde, CEO of Money Africa wrote a tweet "The power of personal branding means that you’re so good that when another company poaches you, the perception of expectation of that company peaks." Creating a personal brand means that you are confidently showing the world your strengths, what sets you apart from other people, your values, and most importantly your story - people are interested in your story, a lot of them. 

Why Personal Branding? 

It is very easy to fall back to the idea of "Well, I have the skill and I can do the work. What more is left? Yes, you possess the skill and you can fix any job that comes but do you think enough people know about you? When someone randomly mentions Tolani Alli, photography comes into the gist. If the name mentioned is Aproko Doctor, a large number of Nigerians know that it creates health and wellness content and this is the case for several other people who have prioritized personal branding. Having the skills is good fortune but think about the very many other people who have the same skill. Personal branding helps you to stick out your head regardless of the number of people in the crowd. It is the tool you use to attract clients, customers, fans, and followers. 

One reason why people would want to work with you is because they trust you and personal branding effortlessly helps you build the trust that people want to see. If you have said that you are capable of hitting off certain things, then, they want to connect with you. However, they will prefer to work with only someone who is entirely intentional about their craft. 

Who needs Personal Branding?

More people than you think! Creatives, professionals, entrepreneurs, freelancers, job seekers, celebrities, and even students. Anyone really! Anyone who wants to be able to control how they are seen and regarded, how they create and find opportunities and also stand tall even in the pool of talents. People are quick to discard the idea of personal branding saying "What am I selling?" The famous belief is that branding is for businesses alone and this is because their clients and customers have to recognize them in the populace. But, here is the truth, If you are all about career progression, and advancement, you need personal branding and should not leave it to luck. 

How to go about Personal Branding

According to research, people don't take personal branding seriously because they have no idea how to get started or what to do to make themselves feel like they have started their personal branding journey. Personal branding is not an unachievable task, it is just being the person you already are more intentionally. It is an increasing effort on your 70% to make a 100%. So, if you've been all about just your skills, gigs, or sales, it is time to find a balance. While personal branding may currently be underrated, you may want to learn about getting started. 

You need a Professional Photo

People need to place a face to the talent, this is one thing you need to know whenever you are ready to go hard on personal branding. Of course, there are a whole lot of people who do not like to have their pictures out there but if you really think that you are ready for personal branding, you need to come out of your shell. No one will think of you as something big when they visit your social media pages and find meme pictures or some avatars. When picking out or settling for a picture, remember that close shots/portraits do it better. Wondering if you have the time or funds to try a photoshoot session? You don't have to worry when you can download the Remini application on your phone and get as many professional photos as you want. 

Pick a Solid Name

Your Name is a big tool if you use it well. If you are familiar with the content creation game, when people mention Salem King or Layi Wasabi, it is not hard to imagine where they belong. Also, when picking a name, consider consistency because you can't be Salem Brown today, Salem Black tomorrow, and Salem King some other time. You can't have people getting confused about what to call you everyday. So, this means that you have to be sure about the name that you are picking before publicizing it. Another thing you need to consider is how easy it is for people to pronounce the name or get familiar with it. Picking longer names or names that can form a tongue twister will not cut it and this has nothing to do with your skill. People really just fancy convenience and having a simple brand name sounds like it. 

Reiterate your niche

A personal brand has to be specific. People need to know where exactly you belong to because that's how they can get familiar with your game. It doesn't matter if you have skills for different things. If you want to be a designer, stick to the community, if you want to be an engineer, be one and let the audience know what you are. While some professions can work together because you have the skills, others may not and would probably leave people wondering what you are. For instance, people can understand that you are a writer and a designer because somehow, the two can come to play. However, just be sure that your niche is solid and well-spelled out. 

Create a professional Bio and Banner

When people visit your social media, what is the first thing you want them to see on your bio? Think about it. Do you want them to see something like "Human Resource Manager, 4X Ted Speaker, Creative Writer, and all of that? This is the point where you get to remind yourself of who you are and find a creative way to say it. 

Not just creative, but professional too. You need to give your bio a professional touch because this makes it easy for people to quickly catch that you are available for work. Banners can also be created to connect with people on a more professional level; this banner could have a logo formed from your name, your name, your work mail, contact numbers, and every one of the services that you render. You can also create banners whenever you are looking to host a program, a class, Instagram Live, or anything at all. This gives your brand double authenticity. 

Create! 

What makes you a brand? The fact that you can create something spectacular, showcase it, and have people fall in love with it is what makes you a brand. So, if the plan is to build a personal brand, you must be sure to keep creating the small things and even the big things. Don't create today and go off tomorrow. Consistency is where you hit the "personal brand jackpot", showing up everyday and giving it the same good and big energy. Consistency can be hard but it is the sacrifice you need to make to build your brand and keep it solid. When Salem King started making content in 2017, he leaned towards the black and white theme, Fast forward to 2023, and over a hundred community members already know that he will only post content in black and white. Consistency is beautiful! 

Pin your best and most relevant work/content across your social media pages

Almost all social media platforms now have the " pin feature" and we think it is a good idea. People may come over to your socials to have a good picture of what you are doing and we never can tell those who won't scroll long enough to get to your best work. This is where the "Pin feature" comes in, if there is any video you made that got several likes and a whole lot of comments, pin it. If you made a tweet about design and it blew up, pin it on your page. 

If you wrote an article on Linkedin and it is doing very well, Pin it or you can even feature it. If anyone is visiting your social media page which is 80% your office/portfolio, make sure they get to see the best first. 

Conclusion 

Even as you go on a personal branding journey, share more of your knowledge. It's hard for people to forget you when they have taken a part of you. Whenever they have to refer to what you said or suggested, that's how you remember how much impact you have made just because of "Personal Branding." 

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