The importance of your personal brand, from your photos to your written profile(s) to your social media presence, make all the difference when it comes to marketing yourself and your business. Luckily, we put together a list of personal branding examples that are sure to inspire.
If you’ve ever wondered where to start, or how to come up with creative ideas, it’s time to let that go. We’re about to jump into exactly what personal branding is, how to use it, and some examples to get your creative wheels turning.
What Exactly Is A Personal Brand?
Personal branding by definition is the act of marketing yourself or your career as a brand. When you brand yourself effectively you build authority which leads to influence which then leads to trust. When people trust you they will want to work with you ( jobs and promotion) or buy from you. this is the core of any personal brand goals. Everyone has a personal brand, whether they like it or not. The question is how do you cultivate it?
When you google yourself or view your online profiles ( like LinkedIn )in comparison to others, what do you see? Sure, you don’t want to be judged …unfortunately everyone judges your online profiles because in many cases that is the first impression they have of you. You can not get away from it so you better start nurturing your personal brand
Think of it this way: self-help techniques aim to improve you as a person (“self-improvement”) and how you view yourself. Personal branding, similarly, aims to increase your success by building your authority, influence, and trust so you can have a positive impact on others. It’s as if everyone is their own small business and you want to build it , curate it, market it to be the most successful it can be.
Do you want to attract more clients and boost revenue?
Moguls and celebrities are the masters of personal branding, but personal branding is not exclusively for them. A personal brand can be the key to successfully finding jobs or building a career, improve your social presence and even start new romantic relationships.
Your personal brand involves perception, emotion, and experience. Your personal brand will likely have to evolve with your audience and be remade and reinforced over and over again. This does not happen overnight. you need to have a strategy and in many cases help to achieve the right personal brand. There are many platforms available to get the word out and improve your personal brand.
You’ll want to find the platforms that work best for you and start laying the foundation of your personal brand and then build upon that through content creation and publication. It’s a content-driven world and you need to make sure to give your audience something to “chew on” while they learn more about you. Don’t worry, you don’t have be a Shakespeare or a Michelangelo to create content that others will appreciate.
Regardless, you have to start somewhere, and we can help you.
How Can A Personal Brand Help Me With Finding a Job, Getting a Promotion, or Online Dating?
If you run a business, market yourself professionally, or are looking to find success in online dating, you need to create a personal brand. Ambiguity doesn’t usually lead to success as an online personality– audiences want to know what you’re about, what you’re doing, and why they should trust you.
Personal branding involves the use of social media, photos, videos, and written content in order to grab the attention of audiences and keep them interested.
These elements of branding must be done well. That means your work must be cohesive and have a consistent brand message. You can’t be overly formal one day and supper casual the next. How you are IRL ( in real life) is a little different than how we are in the business or even dating world. But, you say, is that fake. Absolutely not. You are the master of your own brand.
However, people judge you on the quality of your online profiles. Frankly, science and common sense say that no matter how casual you are wearing a ripped up shirt and cargo shorts with flip flops is not going to set the right tone. Neither do you need to be wearing a tuxedo. There is a happy medium between being casual and looking put together. It’s better to err on the side of looking more “put together” for your first impression than anything else. Be casual at home and with friends but in business, project an air of professionalism.
There are a ton of great companies that will help you take strategic and desirable photos if you’re willing to invest. A picture says a thousand words, and a well-done photo that was taken by a professional with a few wardrobe changes to mix it up along and proper lighting can make all the difference in how you present yourself.
Six Personal Branding Examples To Get Excited About
Now that’s we’ve broken down what personal branding is, let’s take a look at some personal brand success stories.
1. Gary Sheng
Software engineer and Dancing Pineapple founder Gary Sheng had the right idea when he created his personal brand– he decided to be genuine.
Sheng mastered a way of talking and writing about his work, education, and life that is not only relatable but also easy to digest. He isn’t aggressive in his style but is consistent and descriptive in his storytelling. Sheng is a good example of someone with a personal brand that can tell interesting and compelling stories.
2. Darren Hardy
Success mentor Darren Hardy is another fantastic personal branding example done right.
Hardy has made a business of helping people learn to become more productive, successful, and well-rounded in whatever they do. Moreso, he’s made a business of himself.
Hardy makes it a point to back up his claims rather than trying to convince people of things without any proof. Most photos and videos you see of Hardy have fantastic lighting and dynamic yet unintimidating poses. He usually wears fashionable suits that create a sense of professionalism and intelligence.
3. Amy Cuddy
Amy Cuddy is known as a successful New York Times Bestselling author and as the face and brain behind a popular body language Ted Talk. She’s also a psychologist and professor at Harvard.
Cuddy’s success is a testament to how much digital networking and an online presence can evolve your personal brand and carry it up the ladder to success.
Cuddy makes her online content shareable, accessible, and interesting. This is a good example of how serious social network marketing can aid in creating a successful personal brand.
4. Marie Forleo
Self-help guru Marie Forleo has the visual presentation to get your attention. But her appearance and aesthetic aren’t what make her such a great personal branding example. Her language is the most enticing thing about her.
The way she writes is beautiful, yet entirely accessible and relatable. Forleo doesn’t try to write or speak differently. This makes her much more believable as a person.
Forleo is a great example of how language and writing styles that are natural can work majorly in your favor when it comes to creating a good personal brand.
5. Simon Sinek
Motivational speaker and author Simon Sinek has made a personal brand off of being self-aware– and it totally worked.
With relatable language, inspiring tones, and an unshakable sense of optimism, Sinek has drawn the attention of everyday people around the world and has encouraged them to get up in the morning with a hearty sense of adventure.
Sinek has also made his website simple and quick to access. Having a simple and clean website design can make a huge difference in how long your audience stays interested in your website’s content.
Sinek is a great example of how self-awareness and articulation are immensely important in building a decent personal brand.
6. Richard Branson
The founder of Virgin Group has a face that is recognizable to many. Richard Branson is an entrepreneur, philanthropist, and author. He made it cool to not be an uptight stereotypical businessman while still reaping the rewards of hard work and self-sufficiency.
Branson focuses on summarizing mission statements and making a clear decision of who you are, what you want, and what you’re going to create. His online presence is interesting and inspiring. His fearless attitude towards creating has made his personal brand all the more enticing.
Branson is a great example of how pushing boundaries and not fitting inside the box can actually work to your personal brand’s benefit.
Conclusion
Do you have a personal branding success story? Our readers and we would love to hear about it. Drop us a line in the comments and let us know what your strategy is for your personal brand and how you’re investing in it.
