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Personal Branding: What is Your Story?

Guest post by: JW Dicks

Article Overview: Being able to tell your story effectively will be key to setting your personal brand apart from others. Be yourself and seek those who like you for who you are. Be honest and open – let people understand who you are and where you’re coming from. In the end, your clients will trust you more – and be more willing to let you help them when they need your expertise.

Personal Branding: What is Your Story?

Someone asked me the other day what exactly “personal branding” meant. It took me aback for a second, because I had been doing what many others often do – I assumed that they knew what I knew. It reminded me that not everyone is focused on personal branding like I am – and likewise with your business. Sometimes going back to the basics is more valuable than nuance. One of the basics of personal branding is simply telling your story.

Your business’ brand is the aspect of your business that makes you unique to your competitors. And personal branding is building that brand around the most unique element of your business – YOU!

One of the hardest things for people to do when focusing on creating a personal brand is opening themselves up to others and letting your market see who you are – the good and the bad! Most of us fear rejection until we come to realize that we will never please everyone. Once we understand this and focus on the people that accept us as we are, we will be able to help more people in the long run. The more open you are, the stronger you’re relationship will be with your customer. They will trust you more and be more willing to do business with you and recommend you to others.

The best way to begin to “open yourself up” to your market is to tell your story. Why do you do what you do? Just like a new relationship, your story is the building blocks of who you are and in turn, what you have to offer that is unique. Being able to convey this message effectively could be the catalyst to building a solid personal brand.

In my book, “Celebrity Branding You!” I pose three questions to ask yourself when creating your personal brand. First, “What do people talk to you about or compliment you on?” This is important because it makes you think about the best way that you can help others. It may sound simple, but knowing what you do best is key to building your brand.

Next, “How do you communicate with others?” In the book I say that, in business, you are always on stage. Knowing how you come across to people in your actions and your words (and sometimes your body language) is extremely important. If you aren’t conveying to others how you want to be branded, then others will do it for you. Take time to think about how you may be portraying yourself to others. Try to picture yourself through their eyes. Is it the same picture that you’re trying to portray?

Finally, “What is Your Elevator Speech?” The elevator speech is what you would tell someone in an elevator if they asked about what you do. I think everyone probably has this information nailed down - but are you conveying this information in the right way? Try to take a moment to think about your answer. Is your answer something that will make that person think about you in the future? Does your answer provide the possibility of value to that person? Think about an answer that you can give that sets you apart from their preconceived notions of your profession. Don’t let them pigeonhole you. Give them something that’s hard to forget.

Being able to tell your story effectively will be key to setting your personal brand apart from others. Be yourself and seek those who like you for who you are. Be honest and open – let people understand who you are and where you’re coming from. In the end, your clients will trust you more – and be more willing to let you help them when they need your expertise.

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Article Tags: branding agency, branding and marketing, branding companies, branding consultants, branding strategies, business development, business growth, business marketing, celebrity agent, celebrity lawyer, expert agent, personal branding, personal branding expert



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