Woman Owned: The Growth Podcast for Women Entrepreneurs [FFL 16] 5 Tips to Create A Strong Personal Brand
Your reputation. Your personal brand. Many Fierce Feminine Leaders know they need a personal brand, but they simply don’t know where the starting line is when it comes time to create one. In the business world, you are aware that your reputation often precedes you. Your personal brand can help you leave a lasting, positive impression on a potential client, customer, or business associate – and this is critical for your success.
So, how do you create a strong personal brand?
In this episode, I am going to share with you 5 critical elements of a strong personal brand.
The 5 Critical Elements of a Strong Personal Brand
- A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words
Your customers, clients, and business associates are researching you before they make the decision to hire or buy from you. Having a professional, high-quality headshot picture taken by an experienced, professional photographer will help your customers and clients make that decision. They do not want to see a picture of you with your dog playing in your back yard – they want to see a professional quality headshot, an image that will resonate and cause them to remember you the next time they need a service or product that you offer!
Challenge 1: Shell out some cash for a few high-quality, professional headshots.
- Update Your LinkedIn Profile
LinkedIn is a powerful, professional search engine and social networking tool used by thousands of businesses and organizations worldwide. Part of maintaining your public image and reputation relies on maintaining and updating your LinkedIn Profile.
Update your profile picture – remove the pictures of you and your dog (save those for your private Facebook profile!) and upload one of the professional headshot images that you’ve ordered when you completed Challenge 1. While you are updating your LinkedIn profile, also improve your summary and ask for recommendations from people you have worked with.
In the era of online marketing and networking, maintaining a positive online image and reputation is crucial to your chances of success. Part of maintaining your online reputation is building a solid network of people who will happily recommend you to other businesses and clients. Your LinkedIn profile and recommendations from people you have worked with is the perfect first step toward building a positive online reputation.
Challenge 2: Spend time updating your LinkedIn profile – your picture, your summary, and ask for recommendations!
- Tell Your Origin Story
Stories help people learn more about you and understand why you chose the professional lifestyle that you did. We are hardwired for stories. One of the critical elements of establishing and building your personal brand is your story behind how and why you got started in the work that you do.
Challenge 3: Share your compelling origin story with others – through your website, your LinkedIn profile, or other professional networks.
- Your Elevator Pitch
Many Fierce Feminine Leaders have powerful elevator pitches that help them tell their story and share their services with potential clients and customers. Elevator pitches are a 30-second pitch that explains who you are, what you do, and how you can help. It helps keep you memorable and magnetic to your clients and customers!
Challenge 4: Create a powerful, memorable elevator pitch! Get creative!
- Have a Signature Piece
Presenting yourself in a consistent fashion can help your brand consistency. It can help you position yourself and your brand in a memorable way with your clients, customers, and business associates. Brand consistency is incredibly important for every professional, and developing a signature piece can help!
What do I mean by a “signature piece?”
Think of Steve Jobs with his black turtlenecks or, my personal favorite, Anna Winter with her oversized sunglasses. These signature pieces incorporated into their wardrobe have helped them establish and promote their brands, products, and services time and again.
Challenge 5: Develop your personal signature piece.
Thank you for tuning into the Fierce Feminine Leadership podcast!
Until next time…
Stay Fierce!