Your personal brand refers to how you promote and differentiate yourself from others. It focuses on branding yourself rather than a product or company, is vital for the professional world and gives you the opportunity to ensure that people see you in the way you want them to. Everyone has a brand, so it is important to understand how to create the right one in order to remain memorable and gain networks. To help you establish your personal brand, we have listed five steps below. 

Why is it important?

“We have a personal brand whether we want one or not. Our actions every day, how we treat people, how we talk, walk, eat, dress and what we put on social media is our brand. You want to develop your brand into who you want to be. Just by attending college is contributing to your brand. Being a good person, hard-working, polite and a good communicator all contribute to your brand. People with a good brand are more successful,” said Director of Professional Development, John Ney. Ney also teaches a Professional Development and Personal Branding (MKTG 3310) class at Idaho State University, where you can get more in-depth knowledge of personal branding. 

Steps to take 

• Determine your core values and purpose

What are your goals? What do you want to achieve? The first step in creating your personal brand is to decide what your purpose is. Your purpose will act as the foundation and aid you in deciding how to execute it properly. Everyone’s purpose is completely different and unique to their own set of values. But, most individuals discover that personal branding is especially important for networking with potential employers and gaining jobs. However, this does not have to be the case for everyone. 

• Understand your audience

Before the internet, everyone did branding in person and through business cards. Since we are in an age where everything is digital, most personal branding is done through social media. It is important to understand your audience because they want to know who you are and what you are about. Generally, people are going to trust someone who talks and acts like them rather than a big corporation. This is why influencer marketing is successful. So, it is best to be the type of person someone would like to relate to or look up to while still keeping it professional. 

• Plan your story and execute it

Now that you have determined your purpose and understand who your audience is, you are now ready to plan and execute your story. Take what you have learned and build up a reputation. Your story should explain who you are and what skills you have that will help you achieve your goals. For example if your goal is to show leadership skills, include evidence of you performing leadership in your community or at school. If your goal is to get a job, show off your experience in your field and use your platform to reach out and network with businesses. 

• Stay consistent 

Not only should you create a personal brand in the digital world, but in the real world too. Your audience is going to pay attention to how you look, talk and act, especially in person. If you are not staying consistent, you are going to have a hard time with people believing you. There could be a chance where someone meets you in real life and searches you up on the internet. Make sure that both your real life and online persona match.

• Get feedback

It is always great to receive feedback from your peers. Sometimes we are not sure if our personal brand is being perceived the way we want it to be. After receiving feedback, make sure that you are actively trying to change and grow. There is no point in getting feedback if you are not looking to actually change your strategy. 

• Be true to who you are

Most importantly, your brand should fit who you are as a person. That means, be proud of your personality, your style, and your strengths. Overall, your personal brand is an extension of yourself and how you portray yourself to others. It’s important to not be phony or try to be someone you are not. But, use your personal branding to show off your greatest attributes and improve the things you may want to work on. 

Everyone has a personal brand and it is very important to understand how to create one that is beneficial. These five steps should hopefully give you a better idea of how to brand yourself effectively. If you are interested in taking John Ney’s Professional Development and Personal Branding class, you can set up a meeting with a College of Business advisor here.