Previously, I wrote to you that I had the pleasure of lecturing at Google Campus for Personal Branding. Today I would like to go into detail and present some ideas for promoting our own person. Some people can be scared that you want to bother about it. For what??? I assure you that it’s crucial and if you want to achieve something more, you will not get far without it. Well, let’s get to the details …
Personal branding: what is it?
Before we get started, here’s the definition via Wikipedia:
Personal branding is the practice of people marketing themselves and their careers as brands.[1] While previous self-help management techniques were about self-improvement, the personal branding concept suggests instead that success comes from self-packaging. The term is thought to have been first used and discussed in a 1997 article by Tom Peters.
Personal branding is essentially the ongoing process of establishing a prescribed image or impression in the mind of others about an individual, group, or organization. Personal branding often involves the application of one’s name to various products. … In Be Your Own Brand, first published in 1999, marketers David McNally and Karl Speak define personal brand this way: “Your brand is a perception or emotion, maintained by somebody other than you, that describes the total experience of having a relationship with you.”
You can find more here …
So what about me? Are you a freelancer? Are you a specialist? Do you want to earn more? You must be perceived as an expert, and your personal image should show it. That’s all. Companies can pay more for the services of someone who is seen as a recognized expert on the market. So how to do it?
My name is my brand!
The sooner you understand it, the better for you. Whether you like it or not, recognition, and therefore name recognition, usually will have an impact on your salary. Let’s take into account at least various celebrities. They are paid for nothing in so many cases…
The truth is that the most important names in history are known to most people—for example, Napoleon. Hardly anyone knows what battles he fought or when he lived, but his name is known to almost everyone. That is why it is worth considering this, especially in the Internet age. It’s hard to fix a broken opinion. Therefore, for example, I do not understand young people from IT who do not come to an arranged meeting or ignore their commitments. I know that now is IT golden age, but it will end someday. And then when someone hears the name of John Smith, the one who does Java programming, he will tell on my dead body I will be working with that guy …
Personal branding in social media
I will say it briefly. LinkedIn is ruling! This is a portal for professionals (So be professional!). Microsoft recently took over. Many thought it was the beginning of its end, but none of these things happened. In the opinion of many, including my own, this is the number one website for people who want to build their image. Also, for those who are looking for new customers. And once one gets their customers, there are many websites like these https://www.salesforce.com/products/guide/lead-gen/lead-nurturing/, which apprise them on maintaining and developing the customer base. Believe me, it works! My profile is not perfect, but it gave me new clients and many job offers. I will say more. I think that if you have a poor profile there, just delete it. That will be better … On the Internet, you will find a lot of courses that will show you how to build a good profile, and it will convert and attract attention. There are also courses in Polish because good shape is the key to success! What’s important?
- SEO (yes, yes, yes :))
- Complete profile
- groups
- Publications
Personal branding 2.0 is also present in other social media. There are a lot of Facebook pages/groups dedicated to specific issues. Also, nothing prevents you from having your own page. And this can be combined with your blog. Another medium is Twitter, which is very popular among IT people. People like Scott Hanselman have tens of thousands of followers. Well, on the other hand, not everyone is Scott 🙂 . But it is worth being present! It’s the same Instagram must-have for people with an artistic soul, at least in my opinion. Putting videos on YouTube, which will be the same as what you are doing, is also a good idea.
Your blog
If you are reading this right now, this is an example of building your own brand using a blog. I also do it because I just like to write 🙂 . Your own blog offers a lot of possibilities, but on the other hand, it also requires a lot of work. Looking at the internet, you will see that some people have built a reasonably large community around specific websites/blogs. For example, www.cyfrowinomadzi.pl.
It is worth remembering that, in my opinion, it is worth starting from your own domain. In this case, everything is yours, and if it turns out that you are good at it, passive income or your own store can also be added.
Pages for professionals and personal branding
Each industry has its own place where you have to or should be present on the Internet. For programmers, it will be StackOverflow, although breaking out there is actually a really hardcore task. The strength of StackOverflow can be proved by the fact that if we are looking for a solution to practically every problem related to programming, we will surely find the answer there.
If you are a Microsoft specialist (e.g., Office 365 and around), then Techcommunity is for you. No matter what you decide. It is essential to do it. An additional advantage is that these sites allow you to be in constant contact with what’s hot in your industry.
Personal branding in the real world
The last idea that I would like to write about is simply face-to-face meetings. On the MeetUp website, you will find dozens of thematic groups that will suit your interests. Many of these groups are very dynamic communities where you can meet many people with similar interests and make valuable contacts. Nothing prevents you from helping to lead such a group or to prepare a presentation.
Another idea might be to conduct lectures at various types of conferences or events, just as I did with the Upwork event. Many conferences announce a call for speakers, so why not try?
And that’s it from my side. If you have other ideas, I encourage you to add them in the comments.
