How to grow a strong personal brand (and how to stand out)

Building a personal brand is an excellent way to showcase your unique identity and stand out in a crowded digital world. While there are similarities between building a personal brand and a business brand, the former requires a more personal touch, and you are the center stage of the brand. The content you create on your online platforms should have a direct connection to you - your interests, your skills, and your opinions.

Today, I will dive deeper into the process of building a successful personal brand online and share some tips on how to make it work for you. Let's do this!

What is the difference between a personal brand and a business brand?

Before moving forward, let’s make sure you’re in the right place and chat a bit about the differences between a personal brand and a business brand. A personal brand is built around the individual, with their name and business name usually being the same. The person is the face of the brand, and the content created has a direct connection to their interests, skills, and opinions. This provides an opportunity to develop a quick connection with the audience, create a human connection, and participate in types of content that more often require a human representative. However, there is pressure to be in the spotlight, and one can only share one side of themselves, the side that makes sense for their brand and audience. On the other hand, a business brand is built around an identity created for the business and is independent of the personal name. The business has its own identity and a professional logo and on-point branding that can immediately provide a great first impression and an instant level of trust. However, there is a limitation on the type of content that can be created, and it can be challenging to build a human connection when the brand itself is not a "human".

Benefits and Challenges of Building a Personal Brand

The biggest benefit of having a personal brand is that it provides you with the flexibility to create content on a wide range of topics. You can talk about things that interest you and share your experiences with your followers. For instance, if you are passionate about traveling, you can create content around your travel experiences and share tips with your audience. However, the flexibility to add or remove topics from your personal brand can be a double-edged sword. It can be a roller coaster if you decide to add or remove topics from your brand, and you have to be patient and consistent as you rebuild your new ideal audience.

The best part of having a personal brand, in my opinion, is being able to show your human side. Voices and personalities set brands (and people apart).

Before diving into the tips for growing a personal brand, I want to go over what I consider the key key pieces of a personal brand:

Voice and values. This refers to what you say and what you believe. Your brand voice should not be one-size-fits-all or robotic.
Content. What are you promoting to build your following? How are you presenting it? Whether through entertainment value or education, your content is what attracts your audience.
Creativity. You don't need to be a creative genius to build a personal brand. However, having some sort of creative trademark can help you stand out from the crowd.
Personality. There is no one-size-fits-all personality type for your brand. Whether you are energetic, laid back, or suit-and-tie, it's important to be yourself.
Authenticity. The concept of "creating" a persona can turn some people off. Your personal brand should not be manufactured or made up. Aligning your online persona with who you really are should be seamless. Once you figure out how to do it, your brand will never feel forced.

How to grow (and stand out) as a personal brand on any social media platform

Building a personal brand is more important than ever. Your personal brand is a reflection of who you are, what you stand for, and what you have to offer. It's the key to standing out in a crowded online world, and it can help you establish yourself as an authority in your field. So, now we are going to dive deeper into the process of building a successful personal brand online and I will share some tips on how to make it work for you, let’s be honest - that’s why you are here! Whether you're looking to attract more clients, build your reputation, or simply establish yourself as a thought leader, this should be helpful for you!

Make some decisions

When you are first building your brand, it’s easy to fall into the trap of wanting to be everywhere. You want to have a Podcast, be on Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube - but you really need to choose one platform (or one timely platform and one evergreen platform) and put your focus there. This will make growing so much easier, and you won’t feel stretched as thin.

You also need to decide what you are going to share - even better, who you are sharing it with. It's important to know who your target audience is. Knowing your audience will help you create content that resonates with them and build a following that is engaged with your brand. For example, if your target audience is young professionals, you may want to focus on sharing content related to career development, work-life balance, and productivity. On the other hand, if your target audience is parents, you may want to share content related to parenting tips, family activities, and child development.

By understanding your target audience, you can also determine the best social media platforms to use for your personal brand. Different demographics tend to use different social media platforms, so it's important to be where your target audience is.

Set up your profiles for success

Now that you have made decisions on what social media platform you are using and the type of community you're building, it's time to set up your accounts so that when someone visits, they know exactly what to expect. Add a current, professional photo to all your social media profiles, and use the same photo across different platforms to maintain consistency.

Having cohesive and professional social media profiles is crucial when building a personal brand. Your social media content, bios, highlights, and other elements are like a cover letter for your personal brand, encouraging your potential audience to want to dive deeper. A strong and consistent presence across your social media profiles can make a big difference in how your personal brand is perceived. It's important to have a clear message and visual consistency across all of your platforms so that your audience can easily recognize and connect with your brand. By presenting a cohesive personal brand across all of your social media profiles, you're more likely to attract the right audience and build your brand.

Be authentic and vulnerable

One of the biggest keys to growing a personal brand is authenticity. People want to connect with real people, not a manufactured persona. Share your story, and don't be afraid to be vulnerable. When you open up and share your struggles and challenges, it makes you more relatable and human. It can also be a great way to connect with your audience on a deeper level. Of course, it's important to set boundaries and only share what you're comfortable with, but being authentic and vulnerable can help you stand out from the crowd and build a loyal following.

Develop a plan

Having a plan is crucial if you want to build a successful personal brand. This means having both a content strategy based on your target audience and a content calendar. Your content strategy should be informed by your target audience's interests, needs, and pain points. You should also consider what types of content will resonate with them and how you can differentiate yourself from other personal brands in your niche.

Once you have a content strategy in place, it's important to create a content calendar. This will help you stay organized and consistent with your content. Your content calendar should include the topics you plan to cover, the format of your content, and the dates you plan to publish it. With a content calendar, you can plan ahead and ensure that you're delivering high-quality content on a regular basis. If you feel a little lost on developing a content calendar, I do have a Notion Content Calendar Template you can grab in my shop, www.katiesteckly.com/shop.

Be consistent

Consistency is key when it comes to building a successful personal brand. This means being consistent in the days and times that you post content, as well as keeping your brand voice, image, and tone consistent across all your social media platforms.

Consistency in your posting schedule helps build trust with your audience. When you consistently show up in their feed, they begin to expect and look forward to your content.

In addition to being consistent with your posting schedule, it's important to keep your brand voice, image, and tone consistent across all your social media platforms. This means using the same language and tone in your captions, bios, and other copy. It also means having a cohesive visual identity, such as using the same color scheme, fonts, and design elements across all your platforms. By maintaining consistency in your brand, you make it easier for your audience to recognize and connect with your personal brand.

Be conscious about avoiding brand burnout

Building a personal brand can be time-consuming and mentally draining. It's important to be conscious of avoiding burnout. Burnout can happen when you're pushing yourself too hard, and you're not taking the time to rest and recharge.

To avoid burnout, it's important to set realistic goals and boundaries for yourself. This means knowing when to say no to opportunities that don't align with your personal brand or values. It also means taking breaks when you need them and not feeling guilty for doing so. Taking time away from your personal brand can actually help you come back feeling refreshed and re-energized.

Another way to avoid burnout is to outsource or delegate tasks that are time-consuming or outside of your skillset. For example, you may want to hire a virtual assistant to help with administrative tasks or a graphic designer to help with branding or a social media agency, like mine (cough, cough) to help you plan and/or create your content. By outsourcing tasks, you can free up more time and mental energy to focus on the things that matter most to you and your personal brand.

Review your analytics and know when to pivot

It's important to regularly review your social media analytics to see what's working and what's not. This means looking at your engagement rates, follower growth, and other metrics to determine what content is resonating with your audience and what's not.

By regularly reviewing your analytics, you can make data-driven decisions about what types of content to create and how to optimize your social media strategy. For example, if you notice that your audience is engaging more with your video content than your feed posts, you may want to shift your focus to creating more video content.

It's also important to know when to pivot. If you've been creating content on a particular topic or platform for a while and it's not getting the results you want, it may be time to try something new. This could mean pivoting to a different social media platform, changing the format of your content, or even shifting your focus to a different topic altogether.

By being willing to pivot and try new things, you can keep your personal brand fresh and relevant, and continue to grow your audience and engagement over time.

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Remember that building a personal brand is an ongoing process. It takes time, effort, and patience to create a personal brand that truly represents who you are and what you stand for. But with the right strategy, mindset, and consistency, you can build a personal brand that sets you apart from the crowd and helps you achieve your goals. So, keep learning, keep experimenting, and keep pushing yourself to grow and evolve. Your personal brand is an extension of you, and with each step you take, you can create a more authentic, meaningful, and impactful personal brand.