Naming and Branding

Personal Branding Tips

Written by Charles Mburugu for Gaebler Ventures

A powerful personal brand will help you get things moving. People respond to powerful personal brands. If you work on your personal brand, your opinions will count and you will be hard to ignore. So how can you build your personal brand?

Developing your personal brand helps build brand equity that enables you advance your career, foster relationships and put money in your bank account. The following are tips for developing your personal brand.

Blog

Blogging is a great way of building your personal brand. It keeps you connected to your audience and ensures your personal brand is communicated 24/7 even when you are asleep. Blogging provides a way of getting feedback on your personal brand.

First impressions

First impressions are vital. It takes only around 3 seconds for people to form an opinion about you. Make sure you give the right first impression to strangers. It could take years to adjust initial perceptions.

Identity

Don't be an imitation of someone else. Don't attempt to copy others. Be your own person. Appreciate your uniqueness and nurture your positive aspects. Have confidence in yourself and celebrate your unique experiences, qualities and quirks.

Be patient

Personal branding is a long term process. It is like a marathon. Don't sprint and tire yourself. Be consistent in your personal branding campaign. It is what you do on a day-to-day basis that will make a difference in the long term.

Watch your reputation

A good reputation is more valuable than diamonds. Reputation is built in years, but it can be destroyed in a day. A good reputation will open opportunities for you and reward you in the long run.

Be diverse

Don't brand yourself in only one area of life. Don't only be known as the web designer or the blogger. Expand your friendship networks and interests. Life has much more to offer beyond what you are currently engaging in. Embrace a wide range of ideas.

Master your emotions

Learn how to handle emotions such as jealousy, fear, anger and pride. Don't be a slave of your emotions. Be self-controlled. How you manage your emotions will impact your personal brand.

Have a positive attitude

The mind is a powerful thing. You eventually become whatever you envision or think about. Positive thinking means changing your predominant thoughts to empowering and pleasant thoughts.

Work on your talents

Talent is a powerful tool for building a personal brand. If you have a particular talent, develop it. Spend time exploring your talent. However, talent by itself is not enough. You must invest hours of practice to perfect your game.

Network

Have good contact-building strategies. You'll need others so as to reach the peak of your success. Contact-building strategies are crucial for personal branding. A winning networking strategy focuses on sustainability and quality, not just numbers for the sake of it.

Communicate your brand

Communication means informing others through your actions and words what your personal brand is all about. You can communicate your personal brand non-verbally through where you hang out, what you wear, how you talk, etc.

Charles Mburugu writes for us from his home in Nairobi. He has a graduate degree in Business Management from Kenya Institute of Management. He is interested in writing about branding, CSR and intellectual property.

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