If you’re in a situation where your name is only associated with your company’s brand, it might be a good time to to build a separate personal brand by improving your online presence.
A strong personal brand will help open many doors for you. When people are able to associate your name, face and what you do they will be more likely to remember you when they need someone with your talents. There are many online tools and actions you can take to help build your personal brand.
Here are simple steps you can take toward establishing a separate personal brand.
Design a Personal Website
I designed a website that tells my story visually and in writing. It’s been a great way to build my brand in one place that lets me put my personal flavor on it. It’s even helped me land speaking gigs and other deals.
– Darrah Brustein of Network Under 40
Start a Blog
The best way to build a personal brand is to start a blog. You don’t have to write daily, but even sharing your thoughts on a weekly or monthly basis can go a long way in establishing yourself as an industry expert and build your personal brand.
– Syed Balkhi of Awesome Motive Inc.
Contribute Content Online and Offline
One of the easiest ways to create a separate personal brand is to get the word out that you are an expert in your field. Create content for third-party sites in your name that demonstrates your knowledge. Speak at conferences and other events to establish yourself in the space.
– Joshua Dorkin of Bigger Pockets
Guest Post on Other Sites
You should be guest contributing content and ideas to bigger sites on the web and share practical advice with other entrepreneurs. By contributing, it has allowed me to grow my personal brand, and when people search me online they see all the additional ways I’m giving back.
– Peter Daisyme of Hostt
Get a Great Photo
When it comes to your personal brand, your photo is your logo. Find a great photographer who can really capture your essence, and use one shot of yourself consistently across all platforms (blogging, vlogging, social media, you name it). People can relate to a human being much more easily than an inanimate graphic, and they’ll start associating your communications with you as a person.
– Jared Brown of Talentopoly
Start Vlogging
Start making short videos on interesting topics related to your expertise, but that don’t address anything about your business. If you can build up a series of helpful videos, you’ll come to be an expert outside of your company. It’s a great way to build shareable content and makes you come across as a person, not just a series of articles and companies.
– Dave Nevogt of Hubstaff
Launch a Podcast
One of the best ways to quickly establish your personal brand is by launching a podcast. A podcast allows you to share live or pre-recorded audio with your listeners. You can run your podcast as often as you’d like, and you can interview interesting people and have guest hosts to keep your listeners entertained.
– Kristopher B. Jones of French Girls
Find a Cause and Get Involved
Get involved in something outside of your brand that’s in line with your brand’s core values. I live our company’s mission outside the office as a Big Brother and board member of a local Big Brothers Big Sisters chapter. I’m passionate about mentoring and lucky to have an amazing Little Brother. The press is a bonus, as it helps me establish my own brand but still reflects well on my company.
– Nick Bayer of Saxbys Coffee
Identify and Claim Multiple Social Profiles
You need to engineer your online visibility—don’t let others to define your image. Understand that Google wants you to build and verify your online identity. Your website/blog is just one link. The rest is largely comprised of links to your social media accounts and content. Start with Google’s G+ and YouTube, and then use a site like KnowEm to identify, optimize and claim your social profiles.
– Matthew Capala of Alphametic
Dive Into Twitter
Twitter is the social media platform best suited to personal branding because it enables you to mix your professional identity with your passions and interests. Look to the Twitter profiles of individuals you admire, and whose personal brand you’d like to emulate, and take a similar social strategy to theirs. Share content you connect with and engage with the community you want to be part of.
– Heather Schwarz of Early Shares
Read more about building your brand at Tech.Co.
