Personal branding has taken over much of the online landscape in the past few years. The breadth of social media platforms and the continuous creation of new and exciting features have made it easier than ever for people to gain stardom. But personal branding isn’t just about becoming #InstaFamous and you don’t have to be a beauty guru or fitness expert to establish your own brand. Below are 5 reasons why everyone should have a personal brand.

1.    Everyone Needs Someone to Know Their Name

I’m sure that there are a ton of people who want nothing more than to have 5000+ Instagram followers and hundreds of likes and comments on their posts, but that life isn’t for everybody. Does that mean personal branding isn’t worth your time? Absolutely not!

When I graduated college, my main (well, only) focus was trying to find a job. I must have applied to over a hundred positions and almost all of them were met with rejection. It frustrated me to think that all these people were saying no when they didn’t even know me or what I could do.

Personal branding can go a long way in getting your name and talents out to the right people. Sure, you submitted your resume, but it doesn’t stop there. Monster.com reported that 77 percent of employers Google or otherwise research their applicants online. A cohesive online presence that showcases your interests, talents, goals, and opinions can make you stand out from the crowd and give your potential employer a better idea of who you are and why you are the right person for the job.

2.   Take Charge of Your Online Presence

You already have a personal brand, whether you know it or not. Everyone you’ve ever met or connected with online has formed an opinion about you. Your personal brand is made up of your opinions, interests, habits, and social behaviors. It’s in your best interest to take control of your online presence instead of letting it control you. This means thoroughly auditing your current online profiles (you can use this handy checklist), and crafting an image that reflects you in the best and most truthful light.

In this day and age, most people come in contact with your online persona before they meet you in person (if they ever meet you at all!) But while connecting to larger audiences has become faster and more efficient, so has the spread of negative comments and opinions. This makes it more important than ever to establish a positive brand image. A strong and consistent personal brand can help mitigate any potential threats to your business and character.

3.   You’re Unique, but Your Name Might Not Be

Have you ever tried Googling yourself? Go ahead, try it now. Chances are unless you have a super unique name or have already built a large online presence, you won’t appear anywhere on the first page of Google results . . . maybe not even the second page. Effective personal branding is essential if you want to make it easy for people to find you.

According to Moz, 71-92% of ‘clicks’ occur on the first page of Google results. That number falls sharply to only 6% on the second page! Taking some time to build a strong personal brand can go a long way in making you and your business visible to the right people. Combined with some quick and simple SEO tricks, powerful personal branding will have you popping up on search engines in no time!

4.   Opportunities Will Find You

A personal brand is a little bit like a high school superlative. Thinking of the ‘Class Clown’ or ‘Most Likely to Succeed” usually brought to mind a specific face. Believe it or not, those labels were achieved through a form of personal branding. 4+ years of a consistent personality is what made those people pop into your head. This is the ultimate goal of building a personal brand.

Whether you plan to start a business or simply want to make yourself known, a coherent style that showcases your strengths is key to ensuring that your name is the go-to in your field. While marketing is an ever-changing and never-ending game, personal branding lets you take a step back and let your online persona do the talking. The hope here is to eventually stop chasing down every connection and let them come to you.

5.   Be the Best You

The world is changing at an exponential rate and new trends pop up in the blink of an eye. Despite this dynamic landscape, one thing has remained the same: people prefer authenticity, in both the professional and personal realms. It can be easy and tempting to get caught up in the latest fad in order to stay ‘on trend’ and while keeping up with the times is certainly important, you’ll see a lot more success by establishing yourself as trusted and reliable.

Letting yourself be pushed around by changing trends can lead people to see you as lost and gimmicky. A solid personal brand will help you (and everyone else) get clear on what you stand for and what your values are. Standing your ground and sticking to a brand means that you’ll be the one influencing trends rather than letting them influence you.

Thanks for reading! If you want to keep up with the latest happenings, you can subscribe below or contact me if you’d like to talk personally.

XOXO

Nikita Barry

Your life. Simplified.