Why Personal Branding is Essential in Today’s Business Environment
Without the right branding, most companies we know of wouldn’t exist today.
Their brand is their promise, and their success depends on being able to consistently deliver on that promise.
These days, however, corporate brands are in trouble.
Their advertising messages may be everywhere, but for the most part, we’ve stopped listening.
You see, people have become immune to their top-down sales-oriented messages.
We no longer want to be told what we want. And even if we did, we don’t trust a corporation to do it.
We now live in an age where we trust people more than corporations,and want to interact with others on a more personal level.
This means now, more than ever, your personal brand really matters.
Whether you’re in sales, starting out as an entrepreneur, are an executive in a company, or looking for your dream job, if you haven’t started thinking about your brand, you’re not serious about your success.
Think about it like this. A brand is designed to:
· Gain awareness
· Build trust
· Earn loyalty
· Monetise you
· Grow your reputation
· Cement your legacy
With a personal brand, you can do all of this, but instead of letting a corporation get all the benefit out of branding, you’re building your own brand and building stronger relationships on a personal level.
By strengthening your brand, you’ll be growing your own reputation, cementing your legacy, and monetizing YOU.
Here are some of the ways in which personal branding is helping people to achieve success.
Secure A Better Job
Having the right qualifications, skills, and experiences on your CV may well get you an interview.
But once you’re in the interview, employers will be looking to see whether you would be a good fit for the company, a team player in terms of your attitude, values, and goals.
If you’ve managed to create a personal brand that resonates with the culture of the organisation, you’ll be head and shoulders over the rest of the herd who rely on their qualifications.
Protect yourself against the dangers of unsteady work
As mobile workforces become more commonplace, people need to rely more on themselves if they want to transition from one place to another.
Those that do well in this new environment are those who establish a consistent brand that allows them to move around easily without having to rely on a corporation to give them their credibility.
Build a better network of clients for your business
We already know that people prefer to do business with other people than with a stuffy corporation. So if you have a strong brand that resonates with your company’s clients, then your business will benefit as well.
Show yourself as a leader
You’ll never be able to lead people effectively if you don’t establish the right leadership brand.
A great brand makes it easier for you to create a strong message, be authentic, and have a stronger impact on your work environment.
And just like corporate brands have higher price points because of the perceived value they offer, with a strong personal leadership brand, your perceived value will also create better financial opportunities, in terms of salary, and also by increasing your marketability as an entrepreneur. Once you become a recognised brand, you can leverage it to launch other products, books, or even training courses.
5. Leave a Legacy
When you embark on creating a strong personal brand for yourself, you’re often zeroing in on the qualities that have a positive impact on others. Branding can be a great journey towards self-actualisation, and those positive traits you develop over time can be a great legacy to pass onto your children, or co-workers, who will start to see you as a great example.