Branding is an integral part of your business to make it successful and profitable. 

Let’s say you are an entrepreneur who set up a new business. You have a company logo that is so catchy and pleasing to the eyes, the company slogan is so memorable, a trustworthy business model, and you even look great in front of the camera. Does personal branding end there? Definitely, not. 

Personal branding is more than face value. It is about how you represent yourself as the real face and voice of your company. Your behavior is crucial as it will give you a better impression of your customers and competitors alike.

According to Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, a personal brand is “what people say about you when you’re not in the room.” 

Creating a personal brand can be a stressful yet enjoyable task since you keep reinventing yourself to stay relevant in the marketplace. Your behavior, including your promptness on completing a project or paying your loan on time, is critical to your business. Treat it like your credit score because it will make or break your reputation to the industry.

Here are the three ways to build your personal brand its success for entrepreneurs:

1. Be a Good Communicator

Not only having excellent communication skills portray you as an effective leader, but it will also help you stand out. Be mindful not just with your grammar and spelling, even the tone of your voice. 

Want to improve how you communicate using business emails? Check out our online course, How to Write Better Business Emails.

If you are camera shy, consider working on it by recording yourself looking and talking in front of the camera from time to time.

Communicating in business is similar to storytelling. Your goal is to deliver your message clearly and with emotions. This way, people will learn, understand, and appreciate. 

One modern example of sharing personal experiences with her readers as a passport to her success is Jaymie Pizarro of thebullrunner.com. Jaymie is a blogger-turned-entrepreneur and public speaker whose claim to fame other than her dedication to her favorite sport, as well as her down-to-earth demeanor and impeccable timing of sense of humor as part of her personal branding. 

She set the trend of being one of the premier Filipino bloggers focused on running both as a sport and a form of self-development right before the sport became immensely popular in Metro Manila a few years later. She happens to be the first Filipino who completed Six World Marathon Majors and often seen wearing comfortable casual clothing and occasionally, a vintage-style track jacket. 

Today, Jaymie currently organizes TBR Dream Marathon, an annual race open for first time marathoners every February, her most successful business venture to date.

 2. Be Seen Online

Have you noticed these days that many entrepreneurs started their now successful businesses through social media? 

The benefits of social media for entrepreneurs include:

1. Helping them to be searchable.

2. Easily converting browsers to buyers.

3. Leveling the field against big brands.

Social media is instrumental in every entrepreneur’s personal branding nowadays. They are inexpensive and easy to reach by your potential customers.

People love to see pictures before patronizing you and your products. That is why many startups and young entrepreneurs these days use Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook as platforms of choice to get recognition and generate revenue. 

How about opening or updating your LinkedIn account and make your personal branding special?

Over the years, LinkedIn has proved to be one of the most effective yet underrated platforms to generate brand awareness. It is more than just an online resume with a plethora of work experiences. Posting short 200-word articles with compelling headlines and attention-grabbing opening sentences will draw in readers; breaking and to build into a few brief paragraphs will keep people reading.

 3. Maintain a Habit

Kassy Pajarillo, a founding member of the After Six Club often varies her posts between 100-word posts and five-minute video clips about motivation and business development on their blog and other social media platforms  

Do not be too conscious about the timing and length of your pots online. Just keep practicing, and regular content production will come out naturally. The only exception to this are professional Youtubers.

Conclusion

Be authentic in building your personal brand. Sharing mistakes and imperfections make a seemingly unapproachable person relevant and reachable.

Remember this straightforward equation for personal branding created by renowned businessman and motivational speaker Francis Kong:

How you look + How you act + What and how you speak + What you do = Your Personal Brand

References

Chan, G. (2018, November 8). 10 Golden Rules Of Personal Branding. Retrieved from https://www.forbes.com/sites/goldiechan/2018/11/08/10-golden-rules-personal-branding/#4763fa1b58a7.Georgiou, M. (2015, July 27). 6 Ways Entrepreneurs Can Successfully Brand Themselves. Retrieved from https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/248824.

Kong, F. (2017, May 17). Personal Branding. Retrieved from https://franciskong.com/personal-branding/.

Kramer, M. (2019, May 14). 3 Ways Entrepreneurs Can Build a Successful Personal Brand. Retrieved from https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/333553.

Leon, M. de. (2015, March 21). 7 Lessons I Learned from “The Bull Runner” Jaymie Pizarro. Retrieved from http://www.freelanceblend.com/7-lessons-i-learned-from-the-bull-runner-jaymie-pizarro/.