You may have heard me throwing around this term, “personal branding,” and there’s a good chance that you have no idea what it means. That is totally okay! This post is for all of you entrepreneurs running your own business & by the end you’ll want your own personal brand, too.

The basic definition of a personal brand is this: it’s your reputation, the way you are perceived by your customers and followers. It’s how people remember you and largely determined by how you market yourself, your accomplishments and the way that you interact within your community and industry.

Now personal branding is something entirely different. This is marketing your business in a way that presents yourself as a valuable asset to your product or service. It’s a way that you can set yourself apart from your competitors in a saturated market.

If you haven’t noticed, I rely on personal branding to market my own photography business. There are tons of wedding photographers in Columbus, Ohio alone. But there is only ONE Kelsie Lynn Photography, and I need to capitalize on that as much as I possibly can.

Here are some of the easiest ways to hone in on your personal brand if you aren’t quite sure what it is:

1.      Know your strengths. What are you good at? Where do you excel? What sets your heart on fire? What personality characteristics have you always wanted to embody? The key isn’t “fake it until you make it;” it’s fake it until you become it. If your personal brand represents the best version of yourself and the person you’ve always wanted to be, it will ultimately become who you are.

2.      Understand your audience. After fully understanding your strengths, you’ll have those skills as a pool to draw from depending on who you’re interacting with. The strategies you will use to influence different audiences will be different based on what you want to communicate. Ideally, your “brand voice” will be consistent across all of your communication platforms. However, keep your audience demographics in mind when considering the ways in which you communicate to them.

3.      Be Consistent. I can’t stress how important it is to just SHOW UP. Once you’ve started to create your personal brand, showing up consistently with the same message will bring you closer to reaching your goals.

Still have questions? I’d love to answer them! Reach out to me at [email protected] or fill out the contact form and let’s connect. Personal branding has been a game-changer in the growth of my business, and I know it can be for you, too!