What is personal branding, and why is it important?

Back in the day, you’d only hear the word branding in the context of companies and businesses trying to establish themselves positively in the market and minds of their audiences. Good times, right? 

Because now, every person, regardless of occupation and role, can be seen as a living brand. In fact, some people are actually their own brand. 

However, some people confuse personal branding with reputation. While they can look the same from the outside yet, in-depth, they are entirely two different things. 

Reputation is something everybody has and can be developed involuntarily. For example, your impression at work, with your colleagues, the quality you deliver, the personal attributes you possess, and even the issues you have or cause. 

Personal branding, on the other hand, is intentional, and it’s how you actually want and plan for people to see you. It’s the summation of personal attributes, professional skills, and promises you highlight and want to market yourself with and be known for. 

So, what is personal branding for real? And why everyone is obsessed with it anyway? 

That’s what you’re about to learn now. 

Personal branding is the process of creating a solid, memorable identity for a person. It’s simply a brand for yourself, which involves communicating your values, purpose, promise, and goals. 

Creating a personal brand means putting together and telling the world your story and why it’s worth choosing you over others; while influencing your target people’s perception of you and establishing credibility as a thought leader. Exactly how you would do things with a company, yet it’s about you this time. 

For example, let’s say you are a graphic designer, alright? 

How many graphic designers are there, you think? One thousand? Hundred of thousands? Millions? Well, we will never know for sure, but the real question is, how many graphic designers do you, and most importantly, potential clients know of? 

I bid it’s a few tens. 

Haven’t you ever wondered why would some receive most of the recognition and attention over others, who might sometimes be of more skills and accomplishments? 

You guessed it: Personal branding. 

Sometimes the only thing you need to do to gain an edge on your competition is to get yourself out there and let the world know who you are and what you stand for. There is always room for someone to stand out and add something to the market and competitive scene. If you are hesitant about why this someone should be you, keep reading. 

In such an ongoing fierce competition, your prospects’ attention, whether employers or clients, is running narrower and narrower, and the urgency to establish your own impression and identity has become more crucial than ever. Here we summarize the top 3 reasons why personal branding is essential and how it will be game-changing for your career and personal growth. 

For starters, good personal branding helps your target audience find you. 

Yes, there are plenty of opportunities beyond counting out there. But the harsh reality is that there is as much noise, and it’s an uphill battle to separate good from the bad. 

It’s whether you go and tell them about yourself and chances to get ignored are not minor, or build a powerful presence and authority that leave them no choice but to remember and choose you. 

In sum, if you wish to be heard, you must display how much you are different and can bring to the table- so much so that your potential clients reach out to you out of their own will. 

The whole idea is to become as active and present as you can. That can be done by anything from publishing educational, industry-focused content and engaging with people from the same target field to using relevant hashtags and sharing others’ content. 

The same as you won’t comfortably give your money to a questionably mysterious or inauthentic company, your potential clients won’t as well. 

Personal branding is all about building credibility and integrity surrounding yourself, and it includes everything your clients get exposure to from you, whether looks, content, presence, attitude, or ethics. 

When you stand for a set of favourable values like honesty, transparency, and commitment, you are more likely to be viewed as a trustworthy potential choice, instead of another random or insignificant one. They will ultimately feel comfortable dealing or partnering with you and the set of qualities you possess; because they are not fond of wasting money and time on poor service. 

What are you looking for in the market, if not better opportunities and more growth? 

The competition wave is getting higher and fiercer every day, it’s almost a lifeline for you to develop the right set of tools, skills, and experiences to ride through that wave, not only to advance your career but also to get noticed by potential clients for your performance. 

When you are working hard educating others in your industry to establish your credibility, you are building an excellent competitive advantage on the side that people, even from outside your industry, will remember you for and will view the value they wish to be added to their organization in you; therefore, more and more of them will like to have you for them before their competitors would. 

Over time, consistent personal branding will help you get better deals with higher returns and benefits. Because who else to invest in and do business with if not a qualified, committed individual? 

One of the great outcomes of personal branding is networks. 

Personal branding assists you in building and flourishing relationships with peers and clients, as it gives them a reason to listen to you, let that be by posting quality content, delivering value, or/and engaging with them. 

Relationships are of the top factors to succeed in the present competition atmosphere, and they can be an invaluable resource to deliver more clients, sales, and exposure. 

In the end, if you’re looking to build credibility, attract better opportunities, or stand out from the crowd, personal branding is the answer.