How to Create a Successful Online Presence for Personal Branding
On an individual level, everyone is different and unique, and this is what we refer to as someone’s personality- something that distinguishes a person. On the same note, personal branding refers to the process of advertising oneself as a person for what they believe in. Your personal brand is a synthesis of your skills, experiences, and ideologies.
Personal branding is important in today’s digital world, where consumer behavior is influenced by what they see online. It is what draws people in and is a component of “selling” yourself as a business or as an individual.
While personal branding is most commonly associated with social media influencers or brands, everyone, whether they want it or not, has a personal brand based on their online and offline behavior. In the context of digital marketing, your personal brand is determined by your online presence, your online interests and activities, and how people perceive you on the internet.
As a result, having a strong online presence is essential for developing a sellable personal brand. There are many strategies for developing a successful online presence for personal branding. We will go over the most important ones in this article.
5 Strategies for Creating a Strong Online Presence for Personal Branding
- Identify your Unique Value Preposition
- Create your Online Persona
- Build a Strong Network
- Engage With your Audience
- Invest in Personal Branding
Before going into the details, ensure that you have a strong internet connection in order to have a strong online presence. If you’re looking for a better option, Windstream Internet has some of the fastest speeds and the best customer service. So go check them out.
- Identify your Unique Value Preposition
With hundreds of competitors in the market selling the same product or service or belonging to the same niche, what would entice your potential customers to choose you? That is what your unique value proposition will convey to them. UVP, short for Unique Value Preposition, is your value that is unique to you and that tells your potential clients how they will benefit from doing business with you out of all the options available. It is often used interchangeably with USP (Unique Selling Point).
Having a clear UVP or USP is critical for personal branding because it is the first thing that distinguishes you as a separate and distinctive identity, and it will set you apart from all competitors in the eyes of customers looking for something unique and value-driven.
Master Class is an example of a brand that completely nailed its Unique Value Proposition. Like, people would have questioned their founders that who would learn to cook from you out of all the online cooking classes. Master Class makes it clear by stating that “Learn from the World’s Best” and strategically placing images of world-class chefs in its promotions.
- Create your Online Persona
Before you begin building your personal brand online, it is critical to understand the platforms on which you can do so. Social media is an excellent tool for developing your personal brand and reaching out to your target audience. So pick 2-3 social media platforms and begin developing your online persona there.
You don’t have to be on every social media platform because you won’t be able to nail any of them by being overwhelmed. Be where your audience is most likely to be. For example, if you are a brand aimed at a younger demographic, master Instagram because that is where your target audience is most likely to be found.
The best online platform for personal branding is where your target audience is. Once you are done with figuring out your social media platforms and have embarked on a personal branding journey, be genuine and consistent in your online persona. People nowadays are pretty quick to distinguish between authentic and fake identities, and you won’t be able to carry your fake identity with you for long, so be your authentic self online.
- Build a Strong Network
For businesses, networking is an essential tool. And when it comes to establishing a personal brand, it is not so much about gaining new customers or prospects as it is about retaining them and increasing your chances of gaining any customers in the future. It helps you grow as a person and validates your identity.
A personal conversation or a face-to-face interaction can go a long way. So, don’t be afraid to network and reach out to genuine people who can help you strengthen your brand.
When you begin to build a strong network, word of your brand will spread much more quickly, and people will now have a tangible way of knowing your authenticity.
- Engage With your Audience
Building a strong emotional bond with your audience is critical for developing a strong personal brand and attracting more authentic leads. When your audience knows you better and knows you care about them, they are more likely to trust your brand than if you are just an idea behind a screen with no interaction.
Social media is an excellent tool for increasing engagement. You can respond to comments, participate in conversations, host live sessions, and act on some of your audience’s suggestions and requests so they know you’re actively listening to them and doing business for them rather than just for yourself.
- Invest in Personal Branding
Jeff Bezos once said, “Your brand is what people say about you when you’re not in the room.” It is critical that you invest in your personal brand and create an authentic online presence that will be trusted by many.
If you are just getting started with personal branding, invest as much as you can. That is, invest your time and effort in learning; attend seminars or find coaches who can guide you through creating a strong persona, join professional organizations for networking opportunities; find platforms and venues where you can share your personal brand directly with an audience. Do all that needs to make you confident enough in building a strong personal brand.
Wrap-Up
To stay ahead of the competition in today’s hyper-digital world, brands and organizations must constantly improve their online image. In order to accomplish this goal and succeed in the business world, brands can benefit from having a strong online presence for personal branding using the methods mentioned above.
