When I have an idea, I often think of something that seems associated with a function that could help me realise the idea. For example, when I take a nice photo and would love to share it, I think of Snapseed as an app to edit my photo, and Instagram as a platform that could share it with an audience. This is owing to the fact that these applications have established their brands as some of the best in serving their particular functions. The same could work for my fellow humans.
When I think of curating a personal project sharing my passion in poetry, I think of getting a team enthusiastic for literary studies, words and writing to help me solidify my ideas. I think of my friends who I am in awe of for their event management skills and I invite them to collaborate on organising live poetry slams. I think of peers with superb graphic designing skills and I get them to help with publicity work.
A person’s history, interests and experiences build on their personal brand, which is essentially the unique combination of skills, attitudes, values and abilities that is observed by people in their surrounding.
A good personal branding could connect you with people of similar interests. It instills others’ confidence in you, especially when you fight for a similar cause. Say, you love animals, and you do plenty of wildlife conservation work or animal care volunteering. These actions attract people who are just as passionate as you are, and it sometimes inspires others unfamiliar with the work to want to know more about what you do.
In today’s very public world, your profile on social media is often a portrayal of your personality and values, other than your resumes. Thus, it could be useful to manipulate your personal branding to differentiate yourselves from your peers in landing jobs and opportunities. This could be done by streamlining how you portray yourself online, highlighting your strengths and showcasing your interests.
My Instagram dashboard across different periods seemed to suggest different brands, and perhaps distinct personal motives:
^This looks like an active volunteer in youth activities and fundraising campaigns.
^This is a fashion model who is obsessed with suits and B&W photography.
However, an important reminder to all is that our actions must match the personal branding we build. We will eventually come across people who display every small little thing they do online, and make themselves sound huge. Or individuals who ingenuinely build their personal brand for the glamour, rather than true passion in the cause. Hence, keep in mind that, when seeing others’ profiles, observe if their efforts are consistent and if their work really reflects what they care about. And of course, for yourself, avoid doing such things.
Personal branding is important, and we all can start small in building the image we want others to associate us with. Here are a few tips:
Speak out on what you feel passionate about.
Online or offline, talking openly about topics you care about can help establish a public recognition of your involvement in raising awareness or your interests. This could be as simple as sharing a relevant thread on Twitter, or initiating discussions with friends and family members.
Join or lead activities that could educate you further on topics you like.
Workshops on a plethora of topics are very readily available, both online and offline, these days. Events bring people together, and provide opportunities for connections to be built. Use this as a platform to expand your network, and widen your horizon on your interested topics.
Be magnetising!
The point of acing your personal branding is to highlight you among your peers. Ensure your attributes or values showcased are attractive. For example, you study graphic designing and everyone in your circle can make nice posters. What extra techniques do you have that make your work stand out? Adopting rare, functional skills will enhance your branding effectively.
We can do well, but with good personal branding, we can do better. Do you notice any successful personal branding among celebrities or even among those around you? List down their traits to success, apply suitable ones to your own life, and notice the changes they can make.
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