Building a personal brand is offered anywhere, by anyone. It could be bloggers who have gained popularity on "mom's" content, beauticians, financial insta-analysts, yesterday's designers who suddenly became social media stars. There are many ideas and approaches, subjective assessments and simple recipes in this variety. The bad news (or maybe the good news) is that a personal brand is not just a collection of beautiful pictures or memorized phrases. This is a deep strategic work on the perception and trust of a potential or existing audience. Yes. You still have to work, otherwise a bright Instagram can turn into a "pumpkin" in an instant, and thousands of adoring subscribers will become an army of haters. Just give them a reason.
Read also: Reputation Marketing trends in Kazakhstan: an inside look from Remark Agency
Look at the most successful leaders and entrepreneurs, their reputation didn’t arise overnight or in a couple of months, it was formed over the years, through trial and error, and almost everyone has a lot of expertise behind them. You can't build a stable personal brand "in three months", as promised on Instagram.
So, a good personal brand is built on three key pillars:
Authenticity. This is the basis of everything. A person who tries to be someone else rarely inspires trust and attracts only a temporary audience. An authentic personal brand attracts attention and retains loyalty, because people feel that in front of them is a real person with a solid background, not a fictional character.
Consistency. Continuous transmission of the values that you promote in your communication during each interaction with the audience.
Value. Successful brands are not those who just attract attention, but those who offer something useful. Content that carries value solves problems, inspires and forms an audience ready for long-term interaction. Offer the audience something unique: experience, knowledge, inspiration; and you will create around yourself the most loyal community that not only likes, but also supports in case of crisis.
Persons who doesn't need a personal brand
However, there is good news for super introverts: not everyone needs a personal brand in the form in which it is often presented: an active page on social networks, a lot of subscribers, likes and compliments. There are many reasons why a person may not be interested in developing a personal brand. Some people don't like sharing their personal or professional lives with a wide audience. This is especially true for those who value privacy or prefer to focus exclusively on highly specialized work, where the result speaks for itself, rather than on external positioning. Specialists whose careers don’t depend on public opinion or recognition, for example, scientists, engineers, doctors, sometimes simply don’t need active self-promotion. Their work is evaluated by colleagues and management, and usually that is enough.
In addition, creating and maintaining a personal brand takes time and effort, and for some it may be an additional burden that doesn't bring the desired return. For example, people who prefer a stable and predictable career may simply not see the point in constant activity on professional platforms and social networks. It is quite enough for them to be competent in their field, and promoting a personal brand, on the contrary, is perceived as a distraction from their main job.
Moreover, for some people this causes internal conflict, since the concept of constantly presenting oneself is associated with selfishness or even narcissism. They may feel that their competence and efforts should be visible on their own, without active self-promotion. This position also has the right to exist and may well work in cases where a person is focused on results rather than recognition.
The importance of a personal brand really depends on the goals and needs of each person. For those who seek career growth, work in a competitive environment, or are focused on expanding connections and opportunities, a personal brand can be a useful tool. For others, it is quite natural to focus on meaningful work and inner satisfaction from it. A personal brand is an opportunity, not an obligation.
So why is everyone obsessed with a personal brand?
With the growing popularity of a personal brand and an increase in the number of "experts", trainers and courses, the very concept of a personal brand has undergone a certain devaluation. Initially, a personal brand meant long-term work on reputation based on real professional and personal qualities. Now, with a huge number of offers to "upgrade your personal brand" in a short time, its understanding has become more superficial and often devoid of content.
As a result many people perceive a personal brand as a set of external attributes, which undermines its original meaning. A personal brand, in fact, is a personal reputation and authenticity that manifest themselves in real life, in professional achievements and relationships with others. The current devaluation of the concept is a temporary phenomenon, and if it is taken seriously, and not as a fashion trend, you can build a truly sustainable brand and a reputation that reflects unique qualities.
Everyone chooses for themselves how to build their career and life: publicly or behind the scenes. In both cases, you can be successful and happy.
There is bad news. Get ready
Then what is a reputation, and why do we have to manage it? — you may ask. Reputation is the perception that other people have about a person, brand, or company. This is not just an opinion, but your actions, words, achievements and, most importantly, the impressions that others have of your business abilities and business behavior.
The trick is that reputation works, even if you don't devote time to it. But there is a problem here: it is formed chaotically, under the influence of random factors, rumors or subjective opinions. For example, if you suddenly make a mistake or there is an information campaign that has started on social networks discrediting your reputation, you should be ready to act professionally without aggravating the situation with the wrong strategy. That's why Remark recommends managing your reputation without waiting for major crises.