The Art of Personal Branding
Do you really need to brand yourself in the world of freelancing? YES, that is, if you want to control just how service buyers will perceive you with just a mention of your name. What sets you apart from the rest? A good personal brand communicates across global borders, motivating potential clients to hire your services, and making sure they stay loyal to your business. It may be a catchy slogan, a cutting-edge logo, or a top ranking website. In the dog-eat-dog world of freelancing, you have to really bank on – YOU.
Before you even start on the agenda of personal branding, ask yourself this: What exactly are you really all about? If Volvo have been successful in branding themselves as manufacturers of safe cars, you can definitely create an image for yourself. It will start as something unique to make you stand out from the crowd.
How Do You Brand Yourself as a Freelancer
1. Goal Setting
Do you have a mission? How about a vision? Create a mission-vision statement that will help you create your personal brand. What is it you want to achieve?
2. Know Your Market
Do your homework and know who your target market is for you to get the best of your personal branding work focused on that group.
3. Keep It Short and Simple
You want a brand or name that everybody will remember easily. Though ‘supercalifragilisticexpialidocious’ may seem cute for a song, try to choose something simple and easy to remember. Make sure your message is clear and concise.
4. Be Consistent
You must be consistent with the message your personal brand delivers for you to create a sense of credibility.
5. Get Branded in Style
If you fancy having a logo for yourself, you need to consider a lot of design elements like the color, shape, and uniqueness of your design. Make sure that you don’t infringe anyone’s creative work and if you’re going to use your own logo on the web, have it in a format that everyone can see.
6. Spread the Word
You need to go out there on the world wide web and spread the word… about YOU. Promote yourself by making your presence known – from a website, blog, to networks of people in social media sites. If you will be posting contents, remember to keep everything professional.
7. Plan Your Elevator Pitch
You need to have a maximum of thirty seconds in making sure you catch someone’s attention. How do you do this? Simple. Write an elevator pitch that will peak anyone’s curiosity to check your profile out. Think out-of-the-box!
8. Build Customer Loyalty
It may be easier said than done, but building that relationship is all about listening to what your clients have to say and truly understanding their needs in the first place. Don’t just give them what they expect, but surprise them by going the extra mile. You’ll be glad that you did. As personal branding guru, William Arruda, says, ” Your brand is a unique promise of value. ”
Personal branding as a freelancer is all about the 3P’s: Patience, Perseverance, and Persuasion. Branding is an art that doesn’t happen overnight, but something that evolves through time. In the end, it’s all about being yourself. Have the confidence on yourself for others to have the same sentiment towards you. Let Your Uniqueness Shine Through!
Personal Branding Guru – William Arruda
Something Interesting:
Branding Me, Myself & I: The Irreplaceable Brand
Personal Branding 101: How to Discover and Create Your Brand
