To become known for your and expertise (you know, what you’re so damned good at), you need to be seen, heard and remembered. As a woman leader or a female entrepreneur , how confident would you be right now to show up as yourself and demonstrate how wonderful you are and what you do to someone new - a new client, a new connection, a new employer!?
To be successful you need to be 'top of mind' that's why standing out at an interview, event or meeting is so important! If you want to be successful and known for what you do you need to stand out from the crowd ....Remember your reputation is in what people say about you when you leave the room ! Ultimately you are your brand!
Regardless of age, regardless of position, regardless of the business we happen to be in, all of us need to understand the importance of branding. We are CEOs of our own companies: Me, Inc. To be in business today, our most important job is to be head marketer for the brand called You.
Tom Peters - Author & Business Management Expert
Here's my top 5 quick steps for building your own Personal Brand
1. Be Clear & Stand out!
This is where most people fall at the first hurdle (so to speak), they don't spend the time thinking about who they really are and how they want to be seen, heard and remembered. The thing is when we try to appeal to everyone we appeal to no-one! You must start by getting laser focussed on who you are and what you do that makes you stand out from the crowd. Think of yourself at an interview for your dream roll, what would you say, wear, how would you behave in that situation? How much preparation do you put into this before you attend? How do you make yourself stand out from the other candidates? It's the same in business, you need to prepare to be seen by others, you need to impress them , you need to grow the know, like and trust element so your new clients want to book you or by from you
For instance, if I were to say, I help women feel confident .... that is a very broad brush statement (it is what I do) but does it talk to the women I want it to? Probably but it also talks to proactively every woman on the planet, you see, who doesn’t want to feel confident ! So it doesn't really connect as its so broad. The riches really are in the niches so work out who you are and what you want to be known and remembered for and find a clear message to deliver this so people you meet connect with YOU.
2. Audit yourself
Time for a little self audit here! Get a cup of tea, sit down with your laptop or phone and google yourself and see what comes up! You'll be surprised at what you might uncover! Which brings me to your social media account. If you have an account that is named something you know in your heart isn’t appropriate, change it! I am sure it may have been funny years ago but what you put out into social media follows you around. So maybe update or even delete these accounts. Clients and employers will check out (yes they really will , everyone is nosey) your social media so make sure if its LinkedIn it's up to date, if it's a personal Facebook (now Meta) account its locked as private, if it's Instagram. Twitter or Tiki's-Tok etc it's not damaging your reputation in anyway filled with inappropriate comments and photos (say no more!)
If there are press articles about you pull them together and build a portfolio of where you have been featured. Build up your own CV of greatness that you can easily pull upon if needed to demonstrate how brilliant you are.
Taking time to audit yourself and how you are seen to the outside world will give you some great indicators on what you many need to update, level up or change in the future.
3. Create your unique identity
This seems such an obvious statement but I see so many women trying to be carbon copies of other women - not only in their style but in business too. Now, being influenced is great but imitation (aka blatant copying) isn't so cool! There really is only one of you ,so you need spend time working on your self esteem and self image to discover who you are, how you want to be seen and what you want to be remembered for (back to point 1)! Some of the biggest breakthroughs I have had with clients are when they discover what they don't like to wear or how they don't like to be seen and what they don't like doing too ! When you build a confident visual identity that is true to yourself you shine! Your visual identity is fundamental in creating your unique brand - especially in the light of the noisy world of social media.
Start by creating your own signature style, by feeling confident in who you are and what you wear everyday! By knowing what to really wear to make you feel amazing in your body , the best colours to wear to represent brand you and the power colour has to influence others around you too - it's all about stepping into the most confident version of yourself everyday.
4. Be authentic
Did you know it takes less than seven seconds for someone to form an opinion of you when they first meet you - so make it a good one! When working with clients we often discover they've been hiding their authentic self away for so long whilst they've been busy with life, careers or trying to either: fit in, be like, impress or look like someone else! But as we work together it all becomes wonderfully crystal clear and they grow in self confidence and in being authentically themselves with their own values and opinions. Being the most confident version of yourself is the only way and it's going to help you to stand out from the crowd too! How can you be more authentic ? Remember only you do you!
5. Be Confident & Consistent
Every day you need to do one small thing that scares you! Then you know you're moving the needle in your life or your business in the right direction! I spent many years working in travel and would you believe I hated flying! I used to get extremely anxious! I had a very kind boss who sat me down before I was travelling to Asia (on my own) and said' If you don't want to go ...(because of the food, I'm a Coeliac and back then it wasn't that easy) then that’s fine but if it's just because you are scared - you're going! Tough huh! But I went and long story short, I loved it - every single moment! I overcame the fears of flying or of going somewhere different! It would have been so easy to say no but by pushing ourselves we move forward in our self-confidence and our self-esteem - I value myself so much nowadays and in everything i have done. I am definitely not a quitter!
The message here is face the fears, big or small, and find ways to overcome them! Be consistent in what you do in business! If you have a message to get out there, be consistent. Rome wasn't build in a day. You need to keep the message strong and consistent and build your personal brand. For a few this happens overnight (usually down to fame) but for most of us its a steady growth. Don't compare where you are to other people either, everyone is on their own journey. You cannot compare yourself to someone who has been in business or their career longer or shorter than you - everyone has their own journey! Just stay true to your own and stay consistent in your messages, your personal brand and if in business your marketing too!
I hope you've found these points helpful - if you'd like your very own personal brand audit check in and want to unlock your superpowers in your brand image book a discovery call or why not join me for an unlock your superpower session
You can even attend my next Style Success course which starts in February and find your style success and confidence within 6 powerful sessions