Why investing in your personal brand is an investment in your business

The saying “you are what you Google” has never been more true.

Before meetings, most of us check out someone’s profile online. What Google says you are, we blindly believe.

Personal branding as a result of social media is now, whether you like it or not, a definition of you. This personal branding can now often sway a potential client’s decision to do business with you.

Like managing your investments, managing your public reputation is as important as managing your money.

You need to work out what makes you valuable to others, your skills, your capabilities, your attitudes and beliefs and out of this basket what you want to invest in, or not, to create your personal brand.

Equally, you need to be mindful that this is a process in creating a valuable asset. You are a valuable asset. So ask yourself, how does your personal brand translate into and deliver tangible and measureable ROI to those whom you work with or work for, or want to work with/for?

In a 24-hour social media cycle your personal brand is your relevancy, impact and influence.

Three key questions to ask yourself:

1. What value do you offer others and how can your influence make them more successful? This way they will reciprocate and mirror in making you successful.

2. How can you solve and respond to issues in your industry as a community commentator and collaborator?

3. How can you beunique, seeing what others don’t see? (Seth Godin’s Purple Cow theory)

What is your personal brand content strategy?

1. What’s your message?

2. What’s your cause? Attach yourself to a “meaning” that means something to you.

3. Who will help you drive that message? People influence people. Who do you want to influence? This may include your boss, peers, colleagues, mentors, advisers and the like. Find like-minded people in your network.

4. Be consistent with your content publishing, don’t chop and change. People like to know when you are going to be about and when you are not.

5. Who is your champion? Work with them in your common goal and cause.

Benefits of investing in you personal brand

• Reputation is your marketing strategy today
• PB lets you stand out “Purple Cow” theory – Seth Godin
• It delivers leads to your business
• You can stand out as an expert in your field
• Stand up and proud for what you believe in – show your passion, it sells
• Forget negativity, drown out naysayers
• Participation = Trust

In conclusion, your personal brand will provide the foundations to help your business and sales to grow in a highly valuable, sustainable way. That’s got to be good and worth in investing in. Invest in yourself.

Fi Bendall is the managing director of Bendalls Group, a team of highly trained digital specialists, i-media subject matter experts and developers.