Brand Basics: What is a Personal Brand, and do I really need one?

[Brand definitions for beginners].  

Do you know what a personal brand actually is?  What yours is? And why it is so important, or if you even really need to worry about it?  To follow on from yesterday's blog introducing what a brand and branding are, today's goes on to share what I mean by the term personal brand.  Read on to find out what it is and why you need to build one that will work for you and your business…

(And then go on to the next blog, How to build a personal brand - my 5 tips to get you started).

So what exactly is a personal brand?

So, as I covered in yesterday's blog, your brand is what makes your business recognisable and memorable.  It’s what other people say about your business when you’re not there. 

And your personal brand works in the same way: it’s what other people say about you when you’re not there (as opposed to just your business), it’s what people think, feel and say about you, not just about your business.  So it is what you promote about yourself, and market yourself as, as opposed to just marketing your business brand. 

We're talking about a brand for you as a person, not a faceless corporate brand for a big business.  Although if you're a business owner, it can also be, or additionally be, a brand for your business that reflects you, that has you in it, a personalised brand if you like, for your business (see more in the last section).

Creating and building your personal brand

Just as with your business brand, you can put information out there about yourself for others to see and read about, in order to control, or at least affect, what others think, feel and say about you.  This can be anything from how you dress, ie your personal style, to what you talk about, to how you talk, and more. 

If you showcase your skills, expertise, authority, you'll improve your credibility.  If you show up as the real you, and build an authentic personal brand, you'll build more trust and attract the right people to like you for who you are.  If you share your personality and values, the right people will get to know you. 

The more you show up, and stand out, the more recognisable and memorable you'll be - the more you will be building your personal brand.

What do I have to do?

You need to make sure that your personal brand makes you different, and stand out from other people, just as your business brand makes your business stand out. Which it will, when it is authentic and really about you. You need to be different so that your customers and clients, your audience, remember you. 

When we make our business recognisable and memorable, we are building a brand, and so when we make ourselves recognisable and memorable, we are building a personal brand. 

You need to make sure that your personal brand reflects you, what you stand for, your personality, your uniqueness, your values, your expertise, your skills and experiences.  (Those will come into your business brand too, along with your business brand’s visual identity like your logo and brand colours etc).  But building a personal brand will mean that your audience know your name, and all about you, not just your business name and about your business. 

What will having a personal brand do for me?

As solo business owners I think that it is so important to show the face behind the business, to make ourselves visible, to promote ourselves, to show we’re different, to show ourselves as the expert, and to build a connection with our audience. 

Our potential customers and clients can then get to know us, like us and trust us, and want to buy from us – we do business with people we like, who we build a relationship with, and it builds customer loyalty too. 

So as small or solo business owners, rather than big companies and corporations, we need to keep the person in the brand visible, getting you into your brand and branding, and getting you visible as yourself, by growing a personal brand too. 

Why is it so essential?

It means you can get visible as yourself, not just as your business, and people will know who you are.  You’ll be able to tell your story, connect with and build relationships with your audience.  Which will turn them not just into customers or clients, but loyal fans, and fans that will recommend you to others.

If you have a business with more than one main product or service, and/or more than one ideal client, as most of us will do, then building a personal brand, under your name, is needed to hold it all together.  It then arches over all your different brands, products and services, and brings it all together. 

And then you can create and build a more personal business brand

Once you know yourself better, and know what you want to put out there into the world about yourself as your personal brand, you can get that personality and more of you into your business brand too, and make that more personal.  This is what I feel is so so helpful to you when you run a small business; this is what all my courses and membership and 1:1s are all about.

Putting you at the heart of your business, by putting you into your brand and making a more personal business identity or brand, will make your business more successful. 

People will remember you, come to you when they need an expert at what they know you do / buy from you, they'll become a loyal fan, and they'll refer others to you too. 

So have you started building your personal brand the way you want to be known as? 

Have you put more of you into your business' brand?  See the next blog, and the next steps below, for more on this.

Next Steps:

- Take my course, From Ordinary To Authentic: The brand foundations course - this will show you how to take your ordinary bland brand and turn it into a strong strategic brand that is also personal to you.  It's a self-study course of eighteen lessons taking you through all the basics of your brand from your mission, message and vision, to your ideal client, niche, and what you do.  All the steps to create your brand from the beginning, or refresh, strengthen and personalise what you already have, so you can stand out authentically and shine as the star of your brand

- Ready for more personal mentoring, brand, visibility and marketing strategies that work for you, a community of fellow ambitious introverts, training, and accountability to put it all into action?  Come and join my Brand Plan membership, and get support to show up, stand out, and sell more🤩

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Blog topics / categories: 

#All things brand

[This blog was first written in March 2020, then transferred to this website and updated, January 2024]