#66 - Entrepreneur: 7 Tips To Building A Strong Personal Brand

Show Notes

When you fall in love with a particular product, author, music, or artwork, it’s natural to want to know as much as possible about the talented founders behind them. As an entrepreneur your personal brand and your business brand go hand-in-hand. It is also the reason a strong personal brand is a solid business asset. In this episode Lori Vajda and Nola Boea take a closer look at how building a personal brand can take your startup to the next level and offer up 7 tips to help you create and build a relatable one. 

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In This Episode You’ll Learn 

• How a memorable and compelling personal brand can be an invaluable asset.
• The 3 major business benefits of intentionally building a personal brand.
• One of the biggest advantages of having a positive personal brand is that as more people know about you, your business reaps the benefit of increasing your company’s trust and credibility among prospective customers.

Key points Nola and Lori are sharing in this episode:

(3:31:37) Whether you think you have a personal brand or not, you do. The real question is whether your brand reflects the way you want to be known and here’s why that matters.  
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(5:47:01) 5 not so great outcomes that can happen by ignoring or not taking charge of your personal brand - that you can actually do something about.
(10:28.69) Building your personal brand is just another way of organically marketing yourself and letting prospects know you can help them.

(13:05.63)  The 7 DIY tips for effectively creating and launching your strong personal brand.

Resources 

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This episode was supported by: Be-YOU-nique

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Transcript

​[00:00:00] Nola: Whether or not you think you have a personal brand, we're here to tell you, you do. Just Google yourself. If what you see doesn't reflect the way you want customers and prospects to view you and your business, it's time you took control of the narrative. And we're here to help. Stay tuned listeners, because in this episode, we're sharing seven tips to building a strong personal brand designed to help you open up opportunities for yourself and your small business.

[00:00:28] Announcer: You're listening to the Sticky Brand Lab podcast, where time strapped professionals, like you learn how to create a business you love in as little as three hours a week.

[00:00:41] Lori: In today's competitive global marketplace, personal branding is for entrepreneurs of any size business who want to reach, connect, and build trust with their ideal customers. A strong personal brand increases your visibility, credibility, and strengthens your reputation. And this is why building your personal brand may be just as important as building your business brand. Perhaps even more so.

However, before we share our tips for cultivating a powerful, personal brand, welcome to Sticky Brand Lab, the podcast where we share essential business tools, shortcuts, and advice from leading entrepreneurs, industry experts and our own real-world experience. So you can launch your business quickly and without breaking the bank or feeling overwhelmed. Because the only thing more empowering than knowledge is being able to take confident, decisive action.

So Nola, when we were discussing the topic of personal branding, you confided that you have very mixed feelings about this topic. In fact, you even wrote about it. And I bet you're not alone in how you feel about personal branding. So would you share your thoughts and your feelings on the topic?

[00:01:51] Nola: How much time you got?

[00:01:54] Lori: Not much.

[00:01:57] Nola: This is true. This is a 30-minute episode. So, mixed feelings because having marketing as my expertise, I understand and recognize how important having a brand is. However, personal branding to me is like painting a box and stepping inside. At least that's how I have perceived it in the past. And you and I have had really lively discussions about that. And I have resisted having a personal brand because I occupy many boxes.

[00:02:26] Lori: This is true. You are multifaceted.

[00:02:28] Nola: Multifaceted. And to pick a lane is very difficult for me. And in fact, I have so many interests that don't necessarily even overlap, it's like I'm having to choose a box and I just didn't want to. And so I would just ignore the personal brand thing. But, I recognize that that is not wise because personal branding really does help you in business. It helps you navigate your career. And there are so many other advantages to having a personal brand and it doesn't necessarily mean you have to pick a box.

[00:03:03] Lori: I think that's a key point. You do not have to pick a box and put yourself in it. However, in order to do personal branding effectively, if you're multi-talented, if you have a multiplicity of interests, you really want to make sure that your personal branding reflects the individual areas of interest and not a one size fits all, but we're going to get into that.

[00:03:31] Nola: Well, as we mentioned at the beginning, if you want to know what your personal brand currently looks like, Google yourself. And that's because the majority of people will show up in a search, which means you have the power to manage your message and how the world sees you. And this is actually brought to light by a study that was done by the university of Maryland, their School of Business. And that study showed that 65% of people trust internet searches more than any other source of information.

[00:04:01] Lori: You know what's really interesting about that? Is, it used to be that people trusted getting a referral or recommendation from their friend or family member or a colleague. So from another source. Right now, it's switched to they trust what they find in their own search. So matter of fact, they trust themselves and their ability to make a decision versus given that information.

[00:04:29] Nola: Well, that makes sense. Because even if I do get a referral that might drive me to Google them.

[00:04:35] Lori: That's exactly right.

[00:04:36] Nola: Yep. And what I find in the Google search will determine if I follow up.

[00:04:40] Lori: That's right. Same way.

[00:04:42] Nola: Well, the study also found that more than half of companies lost business because of something that clients either found online or didn't find online. And the study found that one in two American adults who have searched for themselves found non-positive or negative results. And it's not just business owners who value personal branding. 95% of recruiters say that today's best job applicants have a top-notch personal brand. So it's important.

[00:05:16] Lori: Yeah, well, one of the challenges of having a personal brand, especially when you're a new entrepreneur, an introvert like we are, is that it really puts you out there. By the same token. It can also help increase your reputation as a thought leader in your industry or niche. So, with those thoughts in mind, the good, the positive, the uncomfortable, what, Nola, would you say are some of the negatives to not taking charge of your personal brand?

[00:05:47] Nola: You're left to let Google and others define your personal brand for you. Because like we said before, whether you are intentionally creating a personal brand or not, yours is defined by what comes up in a search. And I don't know about you, but I have changed a lot in the last 15 years and I don't want people defining me by something I might've said or done or a video I might've appeared in. Or a blog I might've written maybe 10, 15 years ago. Some of it might be good, but there's other things that, you know, I kind of rather were trumped by my own content, by things that I've intentionally put out there.

[00:06:26] Lori: That's a good point. I think, because if something was written about you or came out that was non positive or a negative. Today you can be proactive and respond. But there was a time or still is for people who ignore personal branding where they do nothing. And so that negative thing just sits there with no action on your part. So, a couple of the things that can happen by the negatives of not having a personal brand is, you have criticism. It's just sitting there. There's no response from you. A lack of a brand means that clients or potential buyers can't find you.

[00:07:05] Nola: Right.

[00:07:05] Lori: So they'll move on to your competitor more than likely.

[00:07:09] Nola: Yes.

[00:07:10] Lori: And as you pointed out, just because something has been out there, your interests change, so you might not be doing that, whatever you did in the past. You know, like I was a social media manager. I'm not doing that. I haven't done that for a while. But there was a period of time where quotes from me being in the news related to where I worked instead of my entrepreneurship, which is what I'm doing today.

[00:07:37] Nola: Absolutely. Not having a personal brand will prevent people from really finding you as a thought leader. Because if you're a thought leader, your personal brand would make that obvious.

[00:07:47] Lori: Oh, that's a really good point. Okay so, what would you say are some of the positives then for having a personal brand?

[00:07:54] Nola: You can take control of the narrative. And if you can take control of the narrative, you can basically craft your image intentionally. Of course, authentically, as we'll get into, but you'll be able to help increase your own reputation as a thought leader and manage that messaging, which will have the effect of attracting your customer. And they don't have to like necessarily dive deep and try to interpret what they're finding on Google, because you've already figured that out for them.

[00:08:24] Lori: Yeah. There are a lot of positives, including it helps differentiate you in your niche or your marketplace. Which can create opportunities. I know some people who have a very positive personal brand are asked to come in as a subject matter expert and speak in organizations or speak on stage. So I think that's a positive that happens. It's a way for you to promote yourself and elevate your business tactfully. Because if you're speaking about things that are related to your business or your industry or your marketplace, you are basically advertising, but you're not doing it with an ad. You're doing it organically, if you will. And probably the biggest is it puts you in charge of your digital footprint.

[00:09:12] Nola: Absolutely. That's a good point because we're talking about Google, and it is a major one, but there's more than Google. But it is digital. Digital is how you are showing up in the world right now, at least for the most part, the majority of it.

[00:09:26] Lori: Good point.

[00:09:27] Nola: And there is a certain value in taking matters into your own hands, if you will, and intentionally and actively creating, developing, and working on your personal brand. But before we talk about that, how would you describe what a personal brand is?

[00:09:41] Lori: Well, I'm kind of gonna reiterate a little bit of what you said. To me a personal brand is the intentional practice of creating a brand around yourself rather than your business. So it's a way of helping put your unique combination of skills and experiences that make you who you are. It's you taking control of that and crafting the narrative around. that.

[00:10:09] Nola: Very good.

[00:10:10] Lori: How would you describe it? Or, do you have anything that you would add to that definition?

[00:10:16] Nola: Yeah, when I think of a personal brand, I think of it as an intentional way of showing up in the world that conveys how you help others.

[00:10:28] Lori: I like that.

[00:10:29] Nola: Like that?

[00:10:29] Lori: Yeah, because you're really talking about when you're authentic or if you're introverted or you're new and you've put it in the frame of being of service or in service to others, then you recognize that you're just letting people know I can help you.

[00:10:47] Nola: Exactly. You're not trying to sell anybody anything. You are presenting yourself to serve.

[00:10:54] Lori: Yeah. And it's almost natural. When you let people know what you're skilled at, when you craft those messages intentionally, people then want to seek you out for your advice because they already recognize you as knowledgeable and what you share aligns with the way they think. So it becomes a natural way of seeking you out.

[00:11:19] Nola: Exactly. Very good.

[00:11:21] Lori: So effective personal branding differentiates you, as we mentioned, from the crowd, and it lets you build trust with prospective clients and even future employees. Managing a personal brand helps you control the narrative in how the world sees you. This puts you in a much better position to reach and achieve your own entrepreneurial goals. So, consider your own behavior. When you're making a decision for a purchase, what do you do? It's likely that you do a search and you choose a business with a strong identity. That gives you confidence to make a purchase, or to seek that person out for information or to get information from. So, if you do that, then you can understand how your customer would be searching for you. And by nature, when given a chance to choose a brand that we identify with, with an unknown brand, we tend to seek out the brands that we know, which is why big-name brands do so well and continue to do so well. Because we recognize them.

[00:12:30] Nola: Absolutely.

[00:12:31] Lori: So, when you take control of your personal brand, I like to think of this as very much like the expectation of having search engine optimization. It's not a magic pill. It does not happen overnight.

[00:12:45] Nola: That is so true. It does take time. So listeners, while the tips we're about to share with you will help, they aren't one and done miracles. So you will have to be patient. You'll need to be consistent and definitely proactive. So with that said, here are seven tips for effectively creating your strong personal brand. Tip number one: build a personal branding strategy. So a strategy is a plan for how you will, well for a personal brand, show up for the world. How you will engage with your audience. And it's all of those components. So what you want to do is really think through, what does that look like a year from now? Two years from now? Three years from now? Like we said, it, it takes time. What does that look like? Now think back and figure out what you need to put into place to make that picture a reality. So you'll need things like content. You'll need to figure out where your audience hangs out. How you can best connect with them. How you can best serve them. And we have the Resources section of our website, a checklist that you'll be able to download in our Freebies page. It's a long list, so I don't have to go through them right now, but these are all things that you can develop and think through to be able to realize that vision that you have ahead. So it's how do you develop that plan and think about how you'll measure success. What will that look like for you? So you've already created that vision. What specifically, what is measurable in that vision that you can say, okay, we're done. It's done. And that doesn't mean that you can stop. But now it's created. So that's tip number one. Build a personal branding strategy.

[00:14:38] Lori: Yeah, I think of a strategy as a lot like a roadmap with action steps. And when you figure it out for yourself or use the checklist to help you, and kind of plot along how you're going to develop this over time, it makes it really easy to know what to do or what you want to do or what you want to focus on. But one of the things, and this is tip number two: you need to define your audience. So even if you have the roadmap and you know the action steps, who are you talking to? Who are you doing this on behalf of? And you don't want to try and be all things to all people. You don't want to think that the thing that makes you who you are or makes you the subject matter expert can be for everybody. You aren't chocolate.

[00:15:32] Nola: Which is for everybody.

[00:15:34] Lori: Which is for everybody, or at least it should be for everybody.

[00:15:36] Nola: Yeah. Right.

[00:15:37] Lori: You know, we talk about this a lot when it comes to branding for your business, when it comes to everything, when it comes to coming up with your pitch, everything. You really want to get very granular. Because from a listener standpoint, we want to feel like you're talking to us. And if it's so broad that you could be talking to anybody, we don't get that you're talking to me.

[00:16:01] Nola: You're pretty much talking to nobody.

[00:16:03] Lori: Exactly. So, when you think about who your audience is, the questions that you want to ask yourself are a couple. One is, how does my product or my service help solve that client, that customer's problem? So you have to know what the problem is that they have and what you have that matches up. What's preventing the client from achieving their goal? And how does your product help them reach that?

[00:16:33] Nola: How are you of service?

[00:16:34] Lori: Exactly.

[00:16:35] Nola: But you need to know how what you can provide matches up with what they're in need of.

[00:16:41] Lori: And when you do that, you're naturally then sharing how your product or services aligns with it without pushing the sale. Right? Because you're bringing it up as a solution. But if you don't know who your audience is and you can't narrow down what they're struggling is what's keeping them from reaching their goal, then you can't effectively talk about how you have a solution, at least in, I believe that.

[00:17:07] Nola: And your personal brand will reflect how you relate to that particular niche audience.

[00:17:13] Lori: Exactly.

[00:17:14] Nola: So, tip number three: decide what you want to be known for. When you're creating your personal brand, think about the particular niche that you want to be considered a thought leader in. What is your, why? What is your expertise? And to really think about this, you have to turn the mirror inwards. And this is where I was really bucking it, initially.

[00:17:39] Lori: Scary to do that, right?

[00:17:40] Nola: It Is. Right. So, it's a little bit of soul searching. You have permission to navel gaze here. But maybe, you know, curl up with a hot cup of tea or a chilled glass of wine, get out a journal, and think about it. Who are you? What are your unique talents? Your personality traits? When you look back, what are some things that people tend to come to you for naturally? How are you and your business, your offering, how is that different from anybody else, from your competitors, especially? And how does what you have to offer fill a gap in the marketplace?

[00:18:25] Lori: Well, that's a really good point.

[00:18:27] Nola: And so it's a matter of who are you personally, and how you are created, your makeup, your skills, your talents, your innate purpose, and matching that up with what's out there in the marketplace that needs you. Where is it that you fill and that you can serve?

[00:18:44] Lori: Well, and that brings us to tip number four: be visible by adding value with high quality content. There was a time where having written something or produced a piece of content in a general way, it was easy to find that information. But now there's so much information out there that people will make a decision in I think it's 0.05 seconds as to whether they want to continue reading. So when you're developing high-quality content, you're really coming at it from your unique perspective. What is it that bothers you, that your company, your coaching, your service, your product, is the solution for, why did you develop that? You saw a niche that needed to be filled. So when you speak about that particular, you want to be very narrow in your focus, but you're drawing on the thing that drove you to develop your business in the first place. Right? So be specific, be narrow in its focus and recognize that you're bringing to the world something that is from your experience, your knowledge set, to share.

[00:20:00] Nola: Right. You're not regurgitating something that's already on there. Right? There's plenty of that already. You're bringing forth your unique perspective.

[00:20:07] Lori: So you can do this in a variety of places. You could blog on your site. You could blog or write a post for LinkedIn. You could ask to be a guest blog for somebody else, which by the way is good for SEO because that links back to who you are. You could write articles and submit them to online magazines or print magazines. You could pitch and get quoted in a variety of places, but one good tool for that is HARO. H A R O. Help a Reporter Out. And if you just look that up, you can get on their list and they'll send you inquiries on a regular basis. And then you can pitch to have your unique perspective quoted by journalists.

[00:20:52] Nola: Cool.

[00:20:52] Lori: And of course, you can get on podcasts. Like we're always looking for great guests. So, you know, we've got a form that you could fill out. If you had something that related to helping people launch their side business, consider being a guest on our podcast. Also be consistent with your content. Don't just think one and done.

[00:21:11] Nola: Right. Absolutely. It takes discipline.

[00:21:15] Lori: It does.

[00:21:16] Nola: It does. Tip number five: focus on visual images. So, when we're talking about content, sure, we're talking about writing. But visual images attract eyeballs. People are more likely to see pictures and then see the words than they are to just be attracted and read the words. Of course, great headlines help with that. But that's another podcast. So, as you're developing your brand and your content, make sure to have high-quality images. Make sure those images are on your website, they're on your LinkedIn, your profile or any of your other social media platforms, and make sure that they're of good quality.

[00:21:57] Lori: Images are also great for SEO because you save them with either your name and your business name or just your business name. You can use SEO keywords in order to save.

[00:22:12] Nola: That's right.

[00:22:13] Lori: So, part of the reason why you want good quality visuals is because they're going to be associated with you and you do want to make sure you label them accordingly.

[00:22:22] Nola: That's right. You have alt tags as well as file names. And both of those can show up for different reasons. So that's a good point. So when we're talking about good photos, we especially recommend that you have either a good headshot or a good lifestyle collection of photos. And those are the more casual, the ones that show you laughing, they show you engaged in whatever you're doing. We can point you to our Episode Number Two, where we have all kinds of resources for doing that yourself, by putting your own phone on a tripod, and it has advice for poses and editing and just things that you can do for yourself. It has links to professional photographers and some YouTube videos, with their own advice on how to get started on doing that yourself, if you don't want to hire somebody. But either way, make sure those are on your website. And in addition to those headshots and lifestyle photos, being visual. People are very much attracted to photos and video. So, you can share your tips, certainly in a written blog with a photo, but you could also do it on video. And that also really helps with SEO because it's also a visual medium.

[00:23:41] Lori: Yeah. When you're writing articles or posting on LinkedIn or wherever your blogging is, you always submit an image with that article, post, whatever. Which brings me to tip number six: be authentic. Your personal brand is not a persona. It's not an invention. The things that make you unique are the things that will make you memorable. So embrace your quirks. Embrace your idiosyncrasies. Your style of humor, inject those things into whatever you are talking about, writing about, or being a subject matter expert about. Those are the things that will endear you to the reader or the viewers' mind and heart and elevate you as a subject matter expert.

[00:24:29] Nola: Tip number seven: monitor, monitor, monitor. That is, monitor your digital footprint. Monitor what's appearing online. You want to monitor how your content is showing up and how content about you from other sources is showing up. Google yourself. Check your social media and blog comments. You can't control negative comments. You can't control criticism, but, two things. Remember, any negative comments can give you an opportunity to respond and in doing so appropriately, you gain more credibility. And number two, if you do get negative comments and criticism, you can eventually bury it under a lot of good stuff. So, just put the better stuff out there and that'll just go down to the next page and the next page and the next page.

So, whether you're looking for new clients, to be recognized as a thought leader in your industry, or you want a new job, having a strong personal brand is key.

[00:25:29] Lori: Thank you so much for listening to this episode. We hope it makes all the difference in you getting started on your side business so you can create your best and most exciting life. Not sure how to create a side business? Want some help with your branding? Contact us at stickybrandlab.com/contact. We'd be happy to help you. If you found the information shared here today helpful, let us know by posting here, where you're listening, or on our Facebook page. This way we can learn about you, your business, your goals and ideas, as well as send you love, encouragement, and congratulate you on the amazing and courageous decision you've made.

[00:26:08] Nola: Be sure to come back next Tuesday and every Tuesday for another informative, inspiring and motivating episode. And remember: Action creates results. So tap into your desire to create a business and brand you love by taking 1% action every day. Small steps, big effects.
[00:26:26] Lori: Do you have questions about creating a personal brand, side hustle or small business? Sign up for one of our clarity sessions. For more information, contact us at stickybrandlab.com/contact.

[OUT-TAKE]

[00:26:42] Nola: Like we said in the beginning, Google yourself. Find out what it is you need to start crafting and shifting your trajectory. No scratch that.
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Now I need to start writing my own script.