Every day sees a number of entrepreneurs starting new businesses or taking over the running of existing businesses. However, a problem that afflicts many entrepreneurs is that unless they have had some good marketing or have access to effective influencer networks, we probably wouldn’t know about them, or be aware of what these businesses are, or who the person is behind the business.
I first experienced this when trying to market my own business. When I started, no one actually cared about my business or the services I offered. People actually cared more about the man behind my business: my background, skills and knowledge.
We interact with different people in many different ways. Some we meet in person. We may have read the work of others on- or off-line. Other times it may be through a video we have watched on YouTube.
If you think back over the last three weeks, do you remember all of the people you have met? Do you know who they really are? And can you remember what they were really about?
In short, if you are going to be remembered and be successful, you need to be known and liked. I have seen a lot of businesses and great ideas fail because no one cares that a product or service is marginally better or superior than another person they know who is doing the same thing. To give one (apparently) depressing statistic: ninety-five percent of businesses will fail within the first three to five years. That means that 95% of the work that entrepreneurs do will evaporate when their businesses cease trading.
However, if you build your personal brand, this does not. It can be carried on with you. It endures and does not have to fail when your business does. I started two businesses prior to my current business. Unfortunately, they weren’t successful. All the effort I put into building up those companies sank when the companies did, so I had to always start again. But if you focus on building your personal brand first, whatever business you do afterwards – whether it fails or not – your personal brand will remain solid. Adding more transferable skills and taking advantage of lessons learned will benefit your growth and strategy.
People like people; it’s human nature. This is especially the case when it comes to doing business. Simply put, people like doing business with people they like and with people they trust. So let’s begin with how you can start to build your personal brand today.
A key goal is in building connections. I have found that when you are spreading or sharing your message – whether it is writing, services, art or video – you need to be straight and honest. You need to be as transparent as you can be. People respond to this and it triggers reactions and gained attention. By sharing what others would not want to and being a transparent voice with reason, people will begin to resonate with your knowledge, your content and with you as a person.
The rule of thumb with content is always to create content that’s worth sharing. When you share content that people connect with, they will become advocates of your content and they will want to read more. The truth is that most people will not do this as they are scared of being open to people or being seen as having previously made errors. But don’t make this mistake that most people make. I was quivering the first time I took this approach. I thought people would look at me as a total failure, since prior to starting my businesses, graduating from university was the only real thing I felt that I had achieved in my life.
So you want to know how can you start building your personal brand today?
Well here’s six points that will help you along the way
• Your network: having a good network is like having money in the bank
• Be a connector : don’t just promote yourself, promote others as well
• Networking is your new habit: it can be as basic as introducing two people who might benefit from knowing each other
• Document your steps along the way
• Be yourself and be genuine
• Share good content