The topic of personal branding has been one that’s risen to prominence over the last couple of years. Jeff Bezos, Founder of Amazon quotes the definition as ‘Your personal brand is what people say about you when you leave the room’. I’d also add to that: ‘It’s what people find when they Google your name’. So what are people saying and finding out about you when you’re not there? That’s your personal brand.

There are many benefits to having a strong personal brand. People know who you are, what you do and how you might be able to help them. In the business development world, this is crucial as it will attract people to you, many of which will be willing to pay for your services.  

An important part of personal branding is getting away from talking about yourself and moving more towards the creation of content which answers people’s questions. Put yourself in the shoes of the people you want to attract. What keeps them up at night? What might they be sitting on their sofa in the evening Googling? If you have the answers to these questions then create content that answers them and put it out there. The next question is where to put it?

You need to understand your audience. Where do they ‘hang out’? What sites do they spend their time on? Which are the best social media platforms for you to spend your valuable time on? If your audience isn’t active on a platform then perhaps you don’t need to be there.

I’d always recommend starting with something you own; create a blog or a website that no one can take away from you. A great way of getting yourself recognised is by creating content for other people. Which are the ‘go-to’ industry websites for your audience? They might not be obvious so spend some time researching and reach out, build a relationship and offer them insightful and valuable content they might not be able to get elsewhere.

There are loads of good resources out there to help you create and hone your personal brand – if you want to be recognised as an expert in your field or a thought leader then get started today and speak out about the areas you have valuable insight into. Good luck.

Learn more about building your personal brand in a B2B environment by Alastair Banks of Optix Solutions during the European Label Forum 2019 in Copenhagen and register!