Your own personal brand focuses on the impression you give to others, how they will best remember you, and what people they are likely to associate you with – both now and in the future.

To put this another way, your personal brand is your own unique identity and marker in the business world, being a representation of all your knowledge, talent, skills, and disposition. Your knowledge and capabilities, in combination with how you operate and present yourself, are all equally important factors in developing a successful personal brand.

Building your brand can be an extremely effective technique for gaining a competitive edge in any activity you do, whether personal or professional in nature.

Here are five tips to help you create a personal brand that will differentiate you from others:

1.    Develop a Brand Strategy

One of the most important steps you can take is to develop a marketing strategy around furthering your own image. Personal brands can allow you to differentiate yourself by consistently and regularly stating and leveraging your own unique values. If you identify and broadcast the points which distinguish you from others in your field through the likes of social media and other channels – you will see a significant increase in your own brand reach.

2.    Utilize Social Media

It is vital to establish credibility and authority within your brand space. Looking to build a powerful network of individuals and brands which are relevant to your field and will engage with you can be highly beneficial.

Platforms such as LinkedIn and Facebook are very useful for this – with you having easy access to tens of thousands of like-minded individuals. Concentrate on connecting with people who empower you and offer the opportunity to grow. If you can position yourself alongside these values, you’ll set yourself up for a good start.

3.    Deliver a Collection of Personal Core Messages

Consumer trust isn’t built overnight, but if built properly, it’s less likely to be destroyed as easily either. Flexibility and adaptability in brand communications can be a strong driving force for cultivating trust amongst your connections and audience. Regularly broadcasting your values and beliefs will help define consumer desires on when, where, and how – aligning yours and their interests together.

4.    Create and Publish Insightful Content

One of the key methods of building a personal brand that stands out from the crowd in 2021 is by publishing your own insightful content on trends and topics which are relevant to your field.

In order to do this, you’ll need to have a strong perspective on numerous areas which you want to highlight, and you’ll need to be able to communicate it clearly and on a regular basis.

This content can be published in many different forms, with the most common formats being:

• Video Content: Quick, 1-minute snippets can be a good starting point.
• Blogging: It is easier than ever to start your own blog – developing a written content library can go a long way to establishing yourself as a name that shouldn’t go ignored.
• Social Media Posts: Creating engaging posts and engaging with others about the topics you have published can result in your network expanding quickly.

5.    Be Genuine

Now more than ever, people want to know that brands, whether personal or corporate, are transparent and that what they see is what they get. Authenticity is therefore a key component for developing a personal brand that will resonate with a large audience.

So, when developing your personal brand make sure not to put on any false pretenses. You need to back up what you say and behave in a way that is consistent with your brand. Doing this will help you develop a loyal following of supporters.