They come up with something new to talk about every day – and you wonder how. They keep us posted with their thoughts on matters that concern us all, professionally, and at times even personally. Their life updates receive as many comments as we have followers. Recruiters look out for them. Their quotes sometimes get picked up by publications. They’re seen as experts. People you look up to engage with them personally. They gather influence and get recognized as influencers. Their voice starts to be heard closer to the boardroom – you see it because you’ve known them since before their social media glory.
Or, you could be ‘that person’ to someone else. If you had the power to choose, you’d go for…the latter, of course. Personal branding is real. It has the power to take you places. We know, we make it happen for our clients at Bloomingdale.
The biggest factor holding people back from diving into personal branding is that it seems too ‘out there.It’s not. In this post, we’re going to bring it right into your comfort zone. Using our expertise, we’ve distilled four actionable points to help you get started. Ready?
You are not the algo: Too much is being made out about the power of technologies like Artificial Intelligence and machine learning. A lot of its strengths and weaknesses are being hyped up as sellable marketing myth. Set it aside. Algos service a platform and are designed to ultimately promote the use of that platform. But, people are not algorithms. People boost up posts that touch them. Thus, if you provide people with the right opportunity to engage, algos must sit up and take notice. And they do. It’s only a matter of time after you’ve put in the right amount of effort.
Stay authentic: This would ideally be a simple extension to the previous point,if only it wasn’t 2X as important. Staying authentic is how you override an algorithm – any algorithm. There’s one thing that machines don’t have – a personality. Thankfully, you do. Use it to build and grow your personal brand. Frame your vision. Identify your mission. The why will decide the what. Figure out what makes you, you. What are your personality quirks, what makes you an amazing co-worker, what is your leadership style, what ideas would you like to challenge and what would you like to change, given absolute, unbridled power to do so. Then begin talking about it.
Craft your voice: In real life, we consciously choose our tone of voice to suit our purpose. Apply the same to social media. Pick a voice you are most comfortable with and get into creator mode. Start small by engaging with like-minded colleagues and peers, learn from the experience to grow. Look out for what works and do more of that. Then add a dash of surprise and reach out for more and different kinds of engagement. Repeat. Leverage this experience on other platforms. Continue to grow your personal brand.
Focus on your tribe: People who appreciate your views and engage with you are worth their weight in gold when it comes to growing your brand on social media. In one word, boost them up. Acknowledge them as a habit; appreciate their efforts; engage with them frequently. Voila, you’ve found your tribe.
Your personal branding effort is a success when people you haven’t even met in real life talk to you as if they know you, based on your social media profile. It is not only possible, but it is essential today.
We’re part of Industry 4.0 here, and your competition isn’t just that colleague sitting on the next floor or someone you occasionally bump into at an investor meet. Your competition went global a while back. We make our clients view the power of personal branding in this context. Even better, we make their personal brands globally relevant by collaborating across each of the four action points.
Authored article by Diana Fernandes – Founder-Director of Bloomingdale Public Relations.
