learning.
DJ is an executive who evangelizes ride sharing as a means to reduce car dependence in crowded cities.
Bring who you are to what you do
Who are you? The core of your personal brand is the person you are, the things you believe in, and the gifts you aim to share. Though many of the platforms you’ll use to drive down The Road to Recognition will be digital, in personal branding there’s no virtual reality.
Authenticity is your key to:
Build a trusted identity
Elevate and substantiate your brand in a competitive market
Set expectations
Be easier to understand and relate to
Encourage engagement with like-minded individuals
Turn audiences into advocates.
At its core, being authentic means staying true to who you are, what you do, and those you serve. I’m not talking about sharing every thought you’ve ever had but, rather, connecting with people on a human level, as you would with someone you care about.
Let’s face it: trust is a valuable but rare commodity. Marketing—the action or business of promoting and selling products or services—generally poses a threat to authenticity and thus, trust. Marketing encourages us to be cynical.
Brand building lures us all into positioning ourselves in the best light, often omitting anything that might harm our image. The urge to woo trumps the inclination to be true. But given the information tools we now have, what’s true shall be discovered.
Be true. Be able to say with confidence you are being real, consistent, accountable, thoughtful, and honest. It’ll feel right.
Nurture your authenticity
You are unique. This book dedicates pages to exploring your uniqueness. However, you don’t need to be unique to be authentic. The definition of authentic is, in a word, “genuine.”
Authenticity isn’t quite like many of the skills in this book, which can be taught. However, it’s something you need to examine and nurture. The process begins by identifying your skills, strengths, talents, values, and passions.
Here are some practical ideas:
Identify authentic people in your niche—Look at role models in your niche. Dig into the content they publish. Why does it resonate with you? What do they do to earn your trust?
Tune into what people say about you—Your friends, family, and mentors can help get you in touch with your authentic self. Get input from them. How do they perceive you? How do they describe you? What strengths of yours do they acknowledge?
Scope your skills—Attempt to identify and document your essential skills. Which do you most enjoy using? Which apply best to your career goals? Make a list of five or more.
Buck conformity—Public enemy number one in personal branding is fear. A fear of being different compels people to conform. Buck it. Let your opinion be known. Set your personality free.
Re-examine your content—As you turn the pages of this book, you’re going to begin learning how the things you write and the content you create are expressions of your brand. Don’t edit yourself out of it. Infuse your personality into all your communications.
Be clear about your mission—Share it with gusto, but take care to make only promises you know you can keep. Practice what you preach.
Be consistent—Each and every conversation—online and off— is an opportunity to demonstrate your values. Align everything around them and send a consistent message.
Let authenticity be your compass—Throughout this book, you will discover many tips, tactics, and strategies to strengthen your personal brand. Let authenticity help you navigate and develop a brand you believe in.
Are you feeling good about what the real you has to offer? Great. Let’s look at how you share it with the world.
Build your
personal brand
with a blog
Publish your point of view. The most important personal branding development in the age of digital media is the power to publish at will and express your ideas. Start a blog and keep building on it.
B is for Blog
Everything you do online shapes your personal brand. And most, if not all, of your online communications connect back to your blog.
When you’re done with this book, you’ll have many tools in your personal branding arsenal. Some are more important than others. Some are optional. Blogging is not. Blogging is an imperative discipline of the personal brander.
If you haven’t begun blogging, you’ll gain some useful starting points here. If you blog now, use the tips here to improve your blog. You should strive to become a better blogger each and every time you go into your content management system and click “new post.”
What’s the point?
As a business blogger, you’re bound to have a number of objectives. How you prioritize them will inform your publishing strategy. Let’s examine some of the goals you can work toward with your blog.
Establish authority
Your blog is the hub of your personal branding efforts, where you share your expertise to establish authority in your niche.
Connect with readers
By sharing useful, relevant information, you’ll connect with customers, partners, other bloggers, and every conceivable constituent in your social and business circles.
Win business
The majority of brands that blog acquire more customers.
Inspire your social media
You’ll promote your blog posts regularly and take advantage of the amplification social networks can provide.
Increase reach
Your blog will be shared and find new eyeballs daily.
Grow
