In entrepreneurship, the need to brand yourself is hard to deny. Most entrepreneurs in the digital era understand that if they desire to be around for the next several decades, building their personal brand is non-negotiable. In the c-suite, however, personal branding is often misunderstood.
Put simply, building your personal brand as a corporate executive means becoming popular as the go-to expert in your preferred area. Personal branding means building a strategic reputation - one in which your unique values and skill sets are clearly demonstrated and easily identifiable. Your personal brand is a unique combination of your qualifications, values, passions, and strengths, representing your promise of value to an organization.
6 Ways To Build Your Personal Brand And Help Move Your Entire Company Forward: Part 1 | Stephanie... [+]
Building your personal brand as a corporate executive has been proven to help move your entire company to the forefront of your industry. By focusing on building your own brand, you can become a catalyst for strengthening your entire company’s brand, increasing your company’s revenue, increasing your company’s credibility, and more - all the while distinguishing yourself from others in your field.
Here are 5 ways to start building your personal brand if you are working for someone else, so both you and your company can start reaping the benefits immediately.
Leverage Your Leadership Skills
If you want to position yourself as an invaluable asset in the corporate world and position yourself as the no-brainer choice for promotions, advancements and bonuses, take note.
Clearly demonstrated leadership skills is oftentimes what employers pay heavy attention to when choosing qualified candidates. Employers at corporate giants are hiring those with clearly displayed leadership skills - AKA a personal brand that screams “I am capable.”
Good news is, you likely already have existing leadership skills you use on a regular basis. In order to make sure your skills are visible to the people that matter, get clear on the specific leadership tasks you fulfill on a regular basis, and start building your personal brand by emphasizing your core leadership skills.
I reached out to Annabelle Beckwith, leadership trainer and CEO of Yara Journeys, she explained, "Leadership isn't just about stuff that you know and things that you do - it's about who you are. Whether or not you're in a management role, your position as an influencer or thought leader will be noticed. Don't leave it to chance though - these three things will help you leverage your leadership skills in an authentic way:
- 'SWOT yourself' - think objectively about your strengths and weaknesses, and the opportunities and threats that these present.
- Ask for feedback - and ask someone you trust.
- Think 'Clarity, Courage, Capability, Character': have clarity around who you are and what you stand for as a leader. Have the Courage to put yourself forward and to step out of your comfort zone. Be aware of your Capabilities - what you need to learn, what existing skills you can leverage, and what you need to leave behind because it no longer serves you. And think long term about the leadership Character that you want to become."
Focus On Your Area Of Expertise
As an executive, your area of expertise has most likely expanded over time throughout the years. Instead of trying to demonstrate all of your fine-tuned skills at once, choose a couple you’d most like to be known as an expert for.
It’s no secret there are plenty of competitors trying to accomplish the same thing as you, so one of the easiest ways to differentiate yourself from the competition is to choose 1-2 areas of expertise and build your image around that. You will stand out and become the go-to expert in a fraction of the time it would take to brand yourself as an expert in multiple areas.
If you’re unsure what area(s) of expertise to choose, ask a few close colleagues which skills of yours they find most valuable. Ask them what skill has provided the most value to the company, and which skills they believe will remain the most valuable for the foreseeable future. Once you have your answer, then start crafting content online around those topics and make sure your content is engaging and compelling to your ideal target market.
Choose Your Audience
When you are creating your personal brand, you are not only raising the level of awareness for you - but for your business too. So it's very important that you choose your audience carefully. Having a personal brand that focuses on something wildly different than the problem your business solves, is fracturing for both brands. Be sure that your personal brand is in alignment with you company's brand. It doesn't have to be exact, but should be ancillary.
In an email exchange with Desislava Dobreva, branding expert and CEO of Royalty Branding, she explained, “Once you define your area of expertise, get clear on exactly who you’d like your personal brand to attract. Then strengthen your positioning in your industry by crafting strategic content (text, audio and video) they can identify with and relate to. More specifically: start by crafting your origin story and telling it from the right angle that will resonate with your target market the most.”
Now that you've set the stage, by identifying your key areas of expertise and your audience, it's time to get highly visible: Part 2: 6 Ways To Build Your Personal Brand And Move Your Entire Company Forward
