I have a challenge for you. Ask someone you don’t know, but you would consider in your target audience, on Instagram or Facebook to do an audit of your social media and ask them to tell you what they think about you as a person, what you do, who you help and if they’d want to work with you.
Why? Because I want you to understand that as you’re building a business, your personal brand matters. You are a brand. You are THE brand. How you show up in your business and how you differentiate yourself in your space is super important if you want to be successful.
The most common question I get from people is how do I show up online? And the thing is, it’s not just about putting out loads and loads of content if you’re not truly speaking to who you are and who you want to serve. I work with my clients to help them brand themselves to build that know like and trust (KLT) with their audiences.
Here are some of my tips to building your personal brand and why it matters:
Know who you’re trying to serve.
You have to start by first determining who your target market is. Who is the end user that would REALLY benefit from your services? What does this person do? What problems do they have? How old are they? Where are they currently in their business? What types of personalities do you want to work with? Are there specific people you’re not willing to serve? Understanding WHO you are talking to is really important in the personal branding process. Are you’re creating your brand, you want to make sure that you are talking to your ideal client all the time, so having clarity on who that is has to happen first.
Decide HOW and WHERE you want to show up
How do you want others to perceive you? I’m not telling you to be fake by any means. Actually, quite the opposite - I want you to show up authentic AF. But YOU and only YOU get to decide what that looks like. They want to get to know you and what you do, but if you’re one person online and another when you get on the phone with them, that will only come back to bite you in the you know what. Share your quirks with them, own who you are, and then stay committed to showing that side of you, whatever it is, online. Are you going to show up with purple hair? Do you have a slogan for your brand -- e.g. “Get Your SH!T Together Strategist”? Maybe you love unicorns or dogs or cats? Or maybe you are uber buttoned up and professional? Do what feels good to YOU and be consistent.
Once you decide HOW you want to show up, next you have to decide WHERE you want to show up. Especially if you’re building an online business, an online presence is extremely important. I’d recommend a website. It doesn’t have to be fancy, but it’ll serve you well if it’s at least optimized. I highly recommend Squarespace as I’ve found it super user friendly for beginners. Then, what social platforms will you show up on? Please DO NOT show up EVERYWHERE at first (I talk about why here). Really hone in on WHERE your target audience is - this may take some market research, and what you can commit to doing consistently and well. Is it Instagram and Facebook? Or maybe YouTube? Or LinkedIn? Once you decide what platforms you want to commit to, set up your accounts.
Establish your key differentiators
What makes you, YOU? How are YOU different from your competition? There are going to be hundreds of people out there doing what you do… who cares? You’re not working against these people, you’re simply trying to be more YOU and sharing YOUR uniqueness to attract the clients that are like you. That’s what a personal brand is - personal. Come from an abundance mindset. Think about the ways that you’re different from others who do the same thing as you. Do you have unique experiences? Are you combining your services in a way no one else is? Is your vibe EXTRA AF? For me, I am an OBM who yes, can set up systems and processes and manage your project timelines and backend of your biz, but I also have a robust background in PR and Marketing. My clients LOVE that and I help ALL of them with strategic marketing planning that goes along with their business ideas. What are YOU bringing to the table in your industry?
Create a visual identity
A lot of people think this is the ONLY part of branding. If you haven’t figured that out yet, it’s not. Your logo and color scheme is only a small part of your brand. Who you are, what you say and how you show up is actually significantly more important than what your logo looks like or if they like the colors you picked for your website. Now that being said, it is important to have a consistent look and feel. I highly recommend working with a branding specialist because they will likely craft something a bit more beautiful than you can (no offense). They’ll also help you pick fonts that speak to you and flow together, as well as visual elements that represent your brand well. You want to look professional for people to take you seriously. I mean professional in a sense of “put together” - your logo and vibe can be super fun, but make sure it is cohesive, speaks to you and your target audience and wasn’t created in paint ;).
ENGAGE and build meaningful relationships
Once you have your target market, messaging and visual identity figured out, start engaging with your target audience! Building meaningful relationships online is going to be huge for you in terms of growing your business. People want to feel like they KNOW you, LIKE you and can TRUST you before they buy from you. In order to do that, you have to start building relationships. This means liking and commenting on people's posts, being their biggest cheerleader on their social channels, or in groups that you’re in online. Find out where your target market hangs out and then hang out there too. Do virtual meetups, or networking events in your local city. Engagement is so key to building your brand and online business.
If you’re an established business owner, take a minute to really stop and think if your personal brand is a good representation of you and your business. If you’re struggling to gain clients and build a successful brand, maybe take some time to re-evaluate some of the things I mentioned here today to be better aligned with your potential clients. As always, I am happy to answer any questions to help you build your personal brand!
Also, if you haven’t checked out my latest FREE offer, the Get Your SH!T Together Strategy Workbook, you need to head here to get it NOW. It’s the exact process I walk my clients through and I ask some specific questions related to personal branding, as well as help them figure out what automations they need in their business to achieve their short and long term goals, and ultimately grow their business.
Katelyn Hamilton is an Online Business Manager and Get Your Sh!t Together Strategist. She helps busy entrepreneurs organize, strategize and prioritize their business to go from overwhelmed to out-in-front.
After spending 6 years in the corporate world working with multimillion dollar companies, top-rated chefs and celebrities, she launched her own business to find more flexibility and freedom. She matched her corporate salary in just one year of starting her business.
Katelyn is also a soon-to-be wife, stepmom, dog mama of two furry friends, fitness lover, sports fanatic (Go Dawgs) and dreams of living at the beach.
Click here to book a free call to talk more about your business goals and to see if hiring an OBM is the right fit for you.
