Building a strong personal brand is equally important to small business owners. Business image and reputation play a critical role in attracting clients, establishing credibility, and determining success.
Identify your niche
Identify who you serve and what makes you unique to them. Find your niche rather than trying to appeal to everyone at once to tailor your brand and messaging. Know the problems your ideal clients face that you authentically help solve. Figure out what subject matter you want to be known as an expert in that aligns with your business offerings and audience. For example, a business coach might position themselves as an authority on small business growth strategies. Becoming a recognized expert gives you instant credibility. The most magnetic personal brands have a point of view they stand for. Determine what you believe in, value, and want to advocate for related to your niche.
Have a consistent voice
Craft your unique voice and style that comes across in all communications – from your logo, website copy, emails, social media, videos, and speaking engagements. Your messaging should instantly reflect your personality. A consistent voice builds familiarity and trust. Let audiences get to know the real you by transparently and authentically communicating your origin story. How did you get started? What drove you? What challenges did you face? Why are you so passionate? Sharing your journey creates a personal connection. Vulnerably share about the deeper motivations, values, and desires that drive you, beyond simply growth and profit. Why does your business matter? Who does it help and how? What fulfills you? When founders open up about their “why”, people relate to the human behind the brand. Get visible by consistently creating content, speaking at events, guest posting on top article blogs, contributing to publications, hosting webinars, appearing on podcasts, and more.
Express your personality
Let your brand reflect your innate personality, quirks, and characteristics. For example, are you colorful and creative? Intellectual and philosophical? Silly and humorous? Strategically use imagery across your website, social media, presentations, and collateral to visually encapsulate your brand. Show yourself in your element. Post behind-the-scenes of your business. Share photos from speaking events. Images foster familiarity. Look for mutually beneficial partnership opportunities with other personal brands you respect that overlap with your target audience. Joint webinars, co-created content, guest posts, and co-promotions expand your reach and status quickly. Design resources that become closely associated with your brand, whether an assessment, workbook, online course, in-person workshop, or other tool.
Go above and beyond to over-deliver for clients and collaborators. Stay humble, grateful, and gracious. Show extra generosity. Being known for your service, kindness, and relationships makes you instantly likable and influential. Keep a close watch on what comes up when you Google yourself and what people share about you online through reviews and mentions. Approach advancing your brand strategically as if you’re marketing and growing a new business. Set goals. Track metrics. Invest in needed assets. Refine over time. Consistently promoting your brand alongside your company is a must.
