ASSIGNMENT 4:

The importance of personal branding:

Creating a personal brand is becoming more and more fundamental to success in the business world because “people want to do business with other people, not with companies”(DeMers, 2014). Putting a strong personal brand on the frontline of your sales process can dramatically improve conversion rates. (DeMers, 2014)

Surveys have shown that “ sales reps who use social media as part of their sales techniques outsell their peers by 78% “(Forbes Coaches Council, 2018)  and “over 90% of customers trust information from people they know when making a purchase decision” (Patel, 2014). These survey findings display the effectiveness that building personal connections, and a personal brand that customers can resonate with, has on achieving success in business (Forbes Coaches Council, 2018). The key to the digital age is authenticity (Hyder, 2014).

How to use social media for personal branding

Creating a personal brand on social media begins with determining what you want to be known for and then working to establish a niche to identify your personal brand, “Your brand is what other people say about you when you’re not in the room” (May, 2012) . Popular social media channels, such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn, are the most effective ways of communicating your personal brand. Focus on a few channels that best capture your target audience (Digital Marketing Institute, 2018), ensure your social posts consistently represent your brand, post frequently (3-4 per week is ideal) (Digital Marketing Institute, 2018 ) and maintain an aspect of diversity.  Diversity helps followers stay engaged and helps you remain memorable. (Patel, 2014) also recommends finding social media groups i.e, LinkedIn discussion groups, that line up with your area of expertise and help to “build authority around your personal brand” (Patel, 2014). Lastly, ensure you audit your personal brand regularly and monitor your name for mentions/ tags by other brands or companies (Patel, 2014)
 
Good examples of using social media for personal branding

Neil Patel (1) is well known for his marketing genius. As an early adopter of personal branding via social ( Outgrow, 2018) he used his personal brands’ popularity among his target audience (digital marketers) to grow four multi-million dollar companies .

Elliot Clark (2), aka Apartment Bartender, is also great example of a personality who has established himself with a niche personal brand, ensured his personality was exemplified though his social media profile and as a result has become a well-known personal brand representing his business (Chen, J, 2017). 

Tim Ferris (3), the personality who has used his personal brand to propel his business and the success of his highly acclaimed book #1 selling book, the four-hour-work-week. Tim’s personal brand has become synonymous with the ‘4 hour’ brand and has lead him to attain an iconic status ( Grace, 2018). 

 1. ( Chen, 2017)

2. ( Chen, 2017)

3. ( Outgrow, 2018)

References:

Patel, S. (2014) ‘9 ways to use social media to build your personal brand’, Forbes [online], Available at: https://www.forbes.com/sites/sujanpatel/2016/11/12/9-ways-to-use-social-media-to-build-your-personal-brand/#2a6e54023520 [Accessed 26 April 2018].

DeMers, J. (2014) ‘5 steps to building a personal brand’, Inc [online], Available at: https://www.inc.com/jayson-demers/5-steps-to-building-a-personal-brand-and-why-you-need-one.html [Accessed 24 April 2018].

Forbes Coaches Council. (2018). ‘15 Personal Branding Mistakes To Avoid As An Executive’, Forbes [online], Available at: https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbescoachescouncil/2018/01/29/15-personal-branding-mistakes-to-avoid-as-an-executive/#451939307b1f [Accessed 24 April 2018].

Hyder, S. (2014). ‘7 things you can do to build an awesome personal brand’, Forbes [online], Available at: https://www.forbes.com/sites/shamahyder/2014/08/18/7-things-you-can-do-to-build-an-awesome-personal-brand/#39382b803c3a [Accessed 25 April 2018].

Chen, J (2017). ‘The Ultimate guide to personal branding’, Sproutsocial [online], 19 June 2017, Available at: https://sproutsocial.com/insights/personal-branding/ [Accessed 20 April 2018]. 

Chen, J (2017). ‘The Ultimate guide to personal branding’, Sproutsocial [image], 19 June 2017, Available at: https://sproutsocial.com/insights/personal-branding/ [Accessed 20 April 2018]. 

Outgrow (2018). ‘Top 5 personal branding examples’, Outgrow [online], n.d., Available at: https://outgrow.co/blog/personal-branding-examples [Accessed 20 April 2018].

Outgrow (2018). ‘Top 5 personal branding examples’, Outgrow [image], n.d., Available at: https://outgrow.co/blog/personal-branding-examples [Accessed 20 April 2018].

Grace, J (2018). ‘4 Undisputable Reasons for Branding Yourself Instead of Your Biz’, Crazyegg [online], n.d., Available at:  https://www.crazyegg.com/blog/personal-brand/ [Accessed 20 April 2018).

May (2012). ‘10 brand stories from Tim Leberecht’s TEDTalk’, TedBlog [online], 8 October 2012, Available at: https://blog.ted.com/10-brand-stories-from-tim-leberechts-tedtalk/ [Accessed 20 April 2018].

Digital Marketing Institute (2018). ‘10 Steps to building your personal brand on social media’, Digital Marketing Institute Blog [online], n.d., Available at: https://digitalmarketinginstitute.com/blog/2017-11-09-10-steps-to-building-your-personal-brand-on-social-media [Accessed 20 April, 2018].