Personal branding is about you and your long-term goals, not about what the market wants. Yes, you want to stand out and attract your ideal clients and customers, but if you look like everyone else, you probably won’t attract the audience you want or anyone at all.
That is where Ara comes in! Ara is here to help you discover, develop and build your personal branding. As a website designer and developer, this is a huge part of what Ara helps our clients with.
So, why do you really need to stand out? We’re going to tell you why personal branding is one of the most important keys for your business to succeed and what it can do for you.
What is Personal Branding?
First up, what exactly is personal branding? You hear it getting thrown around in conversation or in Instagram posts all of the time – but, why is it talked about so much?
Personal branding is the process of developing a brand identity for you or your business – a brand for you or your company, as the name implies.
Essentially, it is how you project your brand’s values to the rest of the world and ensure that your target audience understands who you are, what you stand for, and why it is worthwhile to choose you over your competitors.
Personal branding is more than just marketing; it is also about being your own marketer. It is about standing up for yourself and your company in order to gain respect and trust from your audience and customers.
5 Reasons Why Personal Branding is Important
- Stand out from the crowd
- Cut above the rest
- Brand recall
- Connected workflow
- It is natural to you
Stand Out From The Crowd
In today’s competitive market, having a strong personal brand is more important than ever.
A personal brand is formed by what others think and say about you when you are not present – your reputation, and the power to make or break your successes.
Employers are looking for candidates who have something extra that sets them apart in a world where everyone has a degree. This works the same for your business – you can make yourself the one they remember by creating a strong personal brand.
There are numerous approaches to developing a personal brand, but it all begins with understanding who you are and what you want to be known for.
You can set yourself up for success in your career and beyond by taking the time to define your brand. Having your own values, personality, quirks, likes and dislikes gives your brand a personal touch that connects with the audience that is meant for you – therefore you’re standing out in the crowd of others, to who people may not relate.
Cut Above The Rest
Following on from the last point, by developing a personal brand, you will cut above the rest.
This means that building a strong brand that people know you for and recognize you for will lead you to sit high above others in the same industry – to those people who truly connect with you. They will see you as a much more valuable, trustworthy, and relatable source.
And, that the goal is personal branding. You build a trust that is so strong because you clearly showcase your values, ideas, thoughts, and goals and your audience relates to it or even feels seen.
Brand Recall
Personal branding is important for your business because you will have a more powerful and easier brand recall – the likelihood of people remembering your brand, products, and services.
The following are the two types of brand recall:
- Aided brand recall – this happens when a person is asked to recall a brand by using a clue or cue such as “which sportswear brands are you familiar with?“
- Unaided brand recall – when a person can recall a brand or its products without any prompts or cues, this is referred to as recall.
Brand recall gives you a competitive advantage and is one of the best forms of free advertising as long as the sentiment is positive.
The longer you stay in the minds of your customers and prospects, the greater your market share and bottom line. Brand recall also increases customer retention and loyalty because people are more likely to trust brands that others trust. Remember, trust-building is key!
Connected Workflow
Personal branding is important because your workflow will be much more natural and seamless – this is visually pleasing, and no matter where your audience sees you, they are more likely to recognize you because of certain elements – or even colors!
Ensure the following are the same throughout your different platforms and website:
- Personal branding photography – the same style and quality of images to keep a consistent theme. For example, if you go for a light and airy vibe, ensure all of your photos are like this as you don’t want a random dark and moody photo in the mix!
- Your brand colors – keeping a consistent colorway is important so you don’t confuse things and people remember you by those particular colors. The simplest way to create a memorable and impactful brand is to use only one or two dominant colors.
- Your brand fonts – you should limit your brand to no more than 2-3 fonts and creating a visual hierarchy between those fonts is key.
- Your values – everyone has values, and if you aren’t sure of them, think about what you stand for and showcase them throughout your platforms – this allows you to connect with dream clients and customers.
It Is Natural To You
The greatest thing about creating a personal brand is the fact it will come naturally to you! Being able to inject your personality, your values and all of the fun things mean you are more passionate about what you put out there.
So, when you’re creating social media content or writing blog posts, it will come to you much more naturally because you aren’t forcing yourself to be someone that you are not.
Being YOU is fun and that is what personal branding is all about. Develop a personal brand that aligns with you and feels authentic and trust me, you will notice a major shift in your business, your mindset, and your engagement.
Are you ready to build your personal branding?
Now you know why personal branding is important for your business, you can go away and really get creative with your thoughts, and ideas and inject them into your business.
Build a brand that is authentic and powerful, and attracts true ideal clients and customers. Need help designing and building a website that attracts your dream audience? Get in touch and let’s chat, we’d love to chat!
