By Amber Anderson, CEO at the Women+ insights and marketing studio Tote + Pears.
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My gender, my race, my height, my role as a mother—all of these can lead to assumptions before I’ve introduced myself. But instead of letting these attributes speak for me, I’ve used my personal brand to share who I am and why people should value my contributions as a strategist.
Many professionals—especially women—face judgment in the workplace. In McKinsey’s 2021 survey of over 65,000 employees at 88 different companies, women report facing more challenges to their competence than men.
In fact, 31% of women say they’ve had their judgment questioned, compared to 24% of men. And 38% of Black women say they’ve experienced this, compared to 31% of white women, 29% of Latinas and 25% of Asian women.
How can women leaders and entrepreneurs get ahead of these notions? A personal brand allows you to define yourself, prove your value and share what makes you and your experience distinctive.
What Is A Personal Brand And Why Do You Need One?
Your personal brand is an impression you create that lets you elevate your own voice, establish your credibility and define how you’d like to be known. By declaring who you are, what you stand for and what makes your experience unique, you showcase your value. If you want to increase your chances of getting recruited by a company, find new PR opportunities, gain clients or become known as a thought leader, a personal brand is key.
What Goes Into Creating A Personal Brand?
Your personal brand needs to reflect what makes you unique. There are several layers to your brand’s blueprint, and focusing on them helps you make an impression where it matters the most.
• Strategy
The first step is to determine your goals, the needs or opportunities in your target market and how you can fill the gaps.
When I collaborate with leaders, I ask: What do you do, and what’s important to you? Talk about your passions while incorporating what’s new in your market and how you can contribute. Your brand should stand out, which sometimes means finding a niche where your voice and ideas can be heard. So make it clear where you provide value and how your story makes you different.
• Positioning And Messaging
Next, focus on the problem or opportunity you want to highlight. This is where messaging is important. Messaging is your unique stance on a particular topic. It’s the narrative that guides the conversation and the “one thing” you want people to remember about you. At Tote + Pears, we do this by selecting a concept that is used as an anchor for all content and conversations.
For example, my passion lies in identity and how it shapes our experiences. I translated this into my personal brand to share my experiences and highlight how they make me valuable. This helps fight stereotypes and underscores how companies need to account for their audiences’ differences and experiences, especially when it comes to marketing and product development.
• Visual Identity
Finally, you’ll move on to creating the visual identity for your brand. The visual element of your brand is a critical piece of your brand identity. It is the first thing that audiences usually notice even before they read or hear a single word from you. To do this, create visual style guides that showcase how your brand appears visually. The style guide should include a logo/wordmark, color palette and photography direction that work together and align with your personality and message. Then use these assets everywhere you show up (in-person or online) to help people remember you.
There are lots of cookie-cutter design packages out there that you can use to get started. But when it’s feasible, I recommend working with a designer or agency to customize one for you. Just like messaging, having a visual identity that’s unique will help bring people to you.
How Do You Build And Grow A Personal Brand?
Establishing your personal brand isn’t so different from other forms of marketing.
Save time and effort by developing a strategic approach. Think about your story and find the best places to share it. For many leaders, that includes a website, blog or at least one social media platform. This can be LinkedIn, TikTok or wherever you’ve learned your audience is.
Consistency is key when it comes to sharing. Ideally, you should post three to five times a week, at least when you’re still building your brand. To make sure this happens, choose a medium that is easiest for you. For example, I created a podcast because talking comes more naturally to me than writing.
Let Your Brand Evolve
Markets and industries are always changing, and your personal brand needs to evolve to reflect these developments. While your main message will be your anchor, keep an eye on your audience’s needs, interests and viewpoints and adjust your strategy, position, messaging and visuals along the way, while keeping your brand true to you.
Start Telling Your Story With A Personal Brand
A personal brand can help you distinguish yourself. It’s also a valuable tool for executives and entrepreneurs who want to define their identity and ward off stereotypical assumptions. A clearly communicated personal brand lets you take control of your own narrative and showcase yourself as a thought leader.
With a clear and consistent position, message and visual identity, you can share your value and knowledge while maximizing your opportunities.