The Foundation of Your Personal Brand: How to Identify and Construct the Core Elements
Apr 03, 2024
To stand out in the world of entrepreneurship and in your own personal branding, you need more than just a cool logo or slogan. The most important part of a strong personal brand is knowing these things:
-
Your Why & Who You Are
-
Who you help
-
How you help them
-
Where are you showing up
When you understand these things, they become the foundation of your brand. They help you make choices and communicate in a way that fits your brand. Let's take a closer look at these key parts of your personal brand.
1. Your Why: Mission & Vision for Your Business
Your "Why" is the driving force behind everything you do. It's the purpose that fuels your passion and motivates you to keep going when challenges arise. Simon Sinek famously said, "People don't buy what you do; they buy why you do it." This rings especially true in personal branding.
Take a moment to think about what really matters to your business. Ask yourself: What's the point of all this? What do you want to achieve in the grand scheme of things? Your mission is all about the core reason your business exists, beyond just making money.
Your vision is like your big dream for the future. It's what keeps you on track and helps you make the right choices along the way. When you're thinking about your vision, imagine the kind of impact you want to have in the long run. What do you want people to remember about you years from now?
2. Who You Help: Your Audience
One of the biggest mistakes in branding is trying to appeal to everyone. Your brand is not for everyone, and that's okay. Defining your target audience is crucial for creating relevant and impactful content that resonates with the right people.
Consider demographics such as age, gender, location, income level, and education, but also delve into psychographics like interests, values, and pain points. Understanding your audience on a deeper level allows you to tailor your message to address their specific needs and desires.
Creating avatars (aka: buyer personas) can be immensely helpful. These fictional characters represent your ideal customers and help you visualize who you are speaking to with your branding efforts. Whether it's Sarah, the busy mom looking for time-saving solutions, or Mark, the tech-savvy entrepreneur seeking productivity tools, personas humanize your audience and guide your content strategy.
3. How You Help: Clear Offer/Services
Once you know who you're helping, it's important to explain how you can solve their problems or improve their lives. This is where your value proposition comes into play. Your value proposition is a clear statement that explains the benefits of your products or services, how they solve customer problems, and why you're the best choice.
Keep it clear, concise, and customer-centric. Highlight what sets you apart from competitors and why your audience should choose you. Whether it's exceptional customer service, innovative solutions, or affordable services, your value proposition should communicate why you're the right fit for your target audience.
4. Where You Are Showing Up: Social Media and Beyond
In today's digital age, your brand lives both offline and online, especially on social media. Where you choose to be present can make a big difference in how many people see and connect with your brand.
Figure out which social media platforms your audience uses the most. Each platform, like Instagram, LinkedIn, TikTok, or YouTube, has its own unique vibe and type of content that works best. Make sure you're creating content that fits the platform and feels genuine to your audience.
Consistency matters a lot. Whether you're posting Instagram stories every day, sharing thoughtful articles on LinkedIn, or making fun TikTok videos, showing up regularly helps strengthen your brand image and message.
Don't forget about other places where your brand interacts with your audience, like your website, email newsletters, networking events, podcasts, or public speaking gigs. Every time you interact with people, it's a chance to showcase what your brand is all about and what you have to offer.
Your personal brand is way more than just a cool logo or color scheme. It's really about who you are at your core. Your values, your purpose, who you're trying to help, and what special skills or products you bring to the table. When you nail down these key parts of your brand…. your Why, Who, How, and Where, you build a strong base for being genuine, consistent, and relatable.
Keep in mind, your personal brand is an ongoing thing, not a one-and-done deal. It'll change as you grow, learn new things, and take on new challenges. The key is to stay true to those core parts of your brand, pay attention to what your audience needs, and always deliver something valuable. If you do that, you'll create a personal brand that doesn't just get noticed, but actually makes a real difference in people's lives.
Don’t forget to join us for our 5 day “Personal Branding Blueprint” workshop starting on April 22nd! You’ll learn our simple framework for intentionally crafting your personal brand, so you can establish your credibility, land more clients, and set yourself apart online. I hope to see you there.
If you would like to set up a discovery call and connect click the button below!
Stay connected with news and updates!
Join our mailing list to receive the latest news and updates from our team.
Don't worry, your information will not be shared.
We hate SPAM. We will never sell your information, for any reason.
