Rachel Moffett

#ContentWritingChat Recap: Being Recognized & Known Online: Personal Branding 101

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This week’s #ContentWritingChat was all about personal branding! We talked about who should have a personal brand, they key steps to creating one, and much more. If you missed the chat or need a refresher on the topics we covered, it’s time to dive right into our recap!

Our guest host this week was Barry Feldman. Barry is a content marketing consultant, copywriter, and author. In fact, he recently wrote a book called The Road to Recognition.

Q1: How do you define a personal brand? Who has a personal brand?

To kick off the chat, we asked everyone to share their definition of a personal brand. What do they think it means to have a personal brand and who actually has one? Check out some of these responses from the chat:

As Barry said, a personal brand is the perception people have of you regarding your professional life. People are always going to have thoughts and opinions surrounding you, whether you realize you have a personal brand or not. So, you better make sure it’s a good one!

He also added that everyone has or has the potential to have a personal brand. It’s important that you recognize this and take control of the image you’re portraying.

Katie had a great answer to this first question. She feels a personal brand is your essence, what you stand for, and what you won’t fall for. It’s all about your mission and the values you have. Definitely something worth thinking about!

Maggie said your personal brand is a package of who you are and what you’re about. This package essentially represents you to the world, which is why it’s something everyone should think about.

As Jenn pointed out, everything anyone can see or read about you makes up how you’re perceived. It may sound a little scary, but remember that you can take control of your personal brand overall.

Gabriela said your personal brand is your vibe. It’s all in how you communicate who you are, what you do, and what people can expect from you. Here’s hoping your personal brand gives off an amazing vibe!

Lexie from Netvantage Marketing feels everyone has a personal brand. This is why it’s so important to consider how you’re representing yourself, especially online.

Ask yourself the following question… What do you want people to think of you when you’re not around? Make sure your personal brand is a reflection of that answer.

Q2: What key steps should someone take when building a personal brand?

Now that you know what a personal brand is, let’s talk about the key steps to building it. It’s likely that you have a personal brand whether you realize it or not and you want to make sure it’s an accurate reflection of you. Here’s what you need to know:

Barry’s key steps to developing your personal brand: establish your message, identify who your audience is, concentrate on a niche, find the right platform, and then deliver value.

Julia said to know what value you can provide and who your audience is first. From there, you can begin building a content strategy and your unique voice.

Pamela knows just how important it is to know and understand who your audience is, so start there by figuring out who you’re targeting.

Sarah’s advice is to know who you are and who your audience is, plus how you’re going to interact with them. It’s also important to be yourself, otherwise you aren’t building your brand on a strong foundation.

Katie suggests starting by creating a mission statement and setting values. This will help give you some direction with your brand so you know what you’re all about and who you’re targeting.

A great reminder when it comes to your brand: be human. Build a personality around your brand that is genuine and true to who you are. That’s what will make you unique and it’ll help others resonate with you.

If you’re feeling confused about where to get started when building your personal brand, Sara suggests looking to some of the brands you admire and are inspired by. Consider their mission, the values they have, and their personality. Determine what it is about those brands that resonates with you and you can replicate that for yourself, but don’t copy them.

Q3: How can you be sure your personal brand is a true reflection of your personality and who you are?

When building a personal brand, you want to make sure it’s genuine. It should be a reflection of who you truly are if you want it to resonate with others. Here’s how you can do that:

Barry suggests asking yourself if your personal brand feels true. If you are faking it by pretending to be something you’re not, people will find out soon enough. Although your niche might not be unique, you can always make your voice unique so you can stand out from the crowd.

Gabriela feels personal branding all starts with self-awareness. She said you need to understand who you were, who you are, and who you aspire to be.

As Julia said, be true to you. It all starts there by being genuine and true to who you really are.

Jenn says you need to be genuine. If you aren’t being yourself, you won’t enjoy it and it’ll all catch up to you sooner or later.

When you’re true to yourself, your personality will shine through. That’s what people will connect with.

When you’re genuine, you stand a much better chance at attracting the right audience to your brand.

Pamela’s advice is to not overthink it. That’s something we should all keep in mind!

Jayme is spot on with this answer!

Q4: How can you get your personal brand noticed online so you stand out as an authority?

Once you’ve built your personal brand and you’re ready to start making connections, you need to find a way to stand out from the crowd. You have to find a way to position yourself as an authority in your niche. Here’s how you can do that for your personal brand:

If you want to get noticed online, take Barry’s suggestions into consideration: experimentation, persistence, collaborative projects with influencers, and media. He also suggests mastering a platform that suits you. It could be blogging, vlogging, podcasts, or something else. Find your thing and become a master at it.

Gabriela’s tips for standing out include: adding value, engaging, being consistent, being accessible, and giving a whole lot to your audience.

Varun said to join relevant conversations online. You can connect with people vita Twitter, forums, industry seminars, and other meet-ups. Make sure you’re adding value if you truly want to get noticed.

Engage, engage, engage!

Maureen knows great content can go a long way to building a reputation for your brand. Produce quality content that shows people what they need to know and back it up with proof.

Megan also knows the importance of content, as she said don’t create weak content. Share your knowledge with your audience instead.

Know that you aren’t going to see results overnight. As Flavia said, you want to find your people, continue to share content, and being active when it comes to engaging with others.

Q5: In what ways can social media help you build your brand and network with others?

Wondering how social media can help you build your brand and make connections online? Check out these suggestions from Tuesday’s chat:

As Barry said, you’re going to need friends, fans, followers, and collaborators for your brand. Social media can help you make those connections to build those relationships.

It’s clear that Elizabeth knows the power of social media. As she said, it gives you the opportunity to connect with people globally. You just never know who you might meet and where those people will be located.

Social media is a great opportunity to connect with peers, customers, colleagues, and other brands.

Jason said social media can connect you with people who are new to your brand and help you stay connected to those who already know you.

There are no limits on social media. As Lori suggestions, you should focus on growing your brand on all the social media platforms you want to use for your brand.

Don’t forget to use social media for its main purpose: be social!

Twitter chats are an amazing way to be social and make connections online.

Social media may provide a lot of amazing opportunities, but there’s also a lot more competition to deal with. Embrace what makes you unique and do what you can to stand out.

Q6: What are the upsides to having a personal brand? The downsides?

What are the advantages to personal branding? Are there any disadvantages? Find out in these responses from the chat:

Having a personal brand can help you gain recognition.

Being recognizable is certainly a benefit of personal branding, but it’s also a downside. If you mess up, a lot of people may see it. That’s all the more reason to be careful about what you put out there online.

Personal branding can help you form a bond with your community and the audience you’re trying to attract.

On the plus side, having a personal brand can give you an increased reach, a larger audience, and help you attract potential customers. On the downside, if there’s a misstep in your personal life and everyone finds out, it can impact you negatively.

Q7: What is the most important thing to remember when building your personal brand?

The most important things to remember when building your personal brand, courtesy of our Twitter chat:

Great advice from Barry!

Consistency is key.

Don’t be too focused on the brand. Be yourself and things will begin to click for you.

Be careful what you put out there online because once it’s out there, it’s public for the world to see. You can’t take it back.

Be yourself and don’t try to be like everyone else. That won’t help you stand out from the crowd.

Be genuine, be active, and be you.

Authenticity and honesty are essential.

Don’t fake it because you’ll eventually be found out.

Keep moving forward because you won’t find overnight success. You have to put in the hard work if you want results.

Q8: Which personal brands do you love? Tag them!

Which personal brands are out there doing it right? Check out these brands:

We have to agree that our CEO, Julia McCoy, is killing it!

Gary Vaynerchuk and Lisa Buyer are two favorites for Jayme.

Madalyn, Neal, and Sujan are all great!

Join us every Tuesday at 10 AM CST for #ContentWritingChat! Follow @ExpWriters and @writingchat to stay updated on topics and guests.

#Contentwritingchat

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