The Beginner’s Guide to Personal Brand Development
I’m coming up on the one year anniversary of working in my personal branding & public relations business full-time and wow, talk about an action-packed 12 months! In just one year, I opened myself up to the possibility of building a highly-recognizable personal brand. One that’s invited to speak on stages, and podcasts, and positively recognized for her work. And I just have to tell you that — you can do this too.
Personal brand development is not unlike the traditional branding process, and ultimately comes down to three key factors:
Your unique positioning
Your competitive differentiation
Your content
So if you’re excited about building a personal brand that attracts an abundance of public relations opportunities, and feels so authentically you… Well, I’m so excited for you! Here’s the exact steps I took to skyrocket my reach this year (and a couple ways I can help you do the same).
Creating a press-worthy personal brand
Discover your brand’s unique positioning
This is a crucial step in creating a brand that’s ‘well-known’ for something, and while you may serve a wide variety of clients with a range of high-quality services, the more specific you can be, the more effective your personal brand will become.
When I think back to my branding efforts last year, I was all over the place. I talked about social media, web design, paid advertising, and every marketing tactic in between. As soon as I narrowed my focus to speak to public relations, and more specifically, public relations for personal brands, I realized just how many opportunities there were to create content on topics no one else was talking about. Thus, my unique positioning as a Personal Branding & Publicity Expert (I bet you haven’t seen many of those out there 👀).
Dare to diverge from your competitors
One of the greatest opportunities to refine your personal brand’s positioning is in your competitors’ content. I LOVE coming across a new competitor in my space because it gives me a chance to review their brand and content, and determine how I can get even more clear and specific in mine to maintain differentiation.
The key is to not get emotionally involved with your competitors. I recommend not following them, and if you do, perhaps put them on ‘mute’. It’s incredibly easy to start unintentionally adopting their brand language, program structures, and content types when we are holding a steady gaze on their brand. We think that their high follower count or flashy photography is a signal that they’re doing better than we are, so we must act more like them. This can also be hard on our confidence and self-esteem as we constantly play the comparison game. In fact, any time I feel my insecurities bubbling up over someone else’s content, I kindly mute their account.
Crafting a clear divergence from your competitor’s brand is your golden opportunity to stand out. This allows you to pitch the podcasts and publications that they’ve already been featured in, because you’re offering completely different value and conversation.
Own your brand’s content
Now that you’re clear on your unique positioning and making a conscious effort to diverge, you must start sharing your story yourself.
If you’re not creating consistent content and value for your audience, how can you expect anyone to welcome you onto their platform?
Over the past 12 months, I’ve invested a few thousand dollars into content development programs that help me speak more clearly and directly to my ideal client, and the ROI has been incredible. I average anywhere from 3 - 5 Discovery Calls booked by ideal clients every week, and I receive invitations to speaking engagements and podcasts regularly as well. I also grew my Instagram platform to over 1K followers in 9 months. So when I tell you to take your content creation seriously, I mean it.
Ready to claim the spotlight?
While personal brand development can be incredibly fun and fulfilling, I can appreciate that it’s not always easy to get out of your head and see all of the opportunities in front of you.
That’s why I’m excited to introduce my newest offer: Spotlight Sessions✨ This mini strategy is designed to help you see your golden opportunity to stand out among your competitors, and start becoming famous for your work. Previous clients have told me that “everyone needs a Spotlight Session” and that it’s “complete gold.”
So if you’re ready to start stepping on stage and shining your light, click here to learn more and to register for one of the limited monthly spots. I cannot WAIT to welcome you into your spotlight.
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