How To Create and Cultivate a Dynamic Personal Brand

Jun 12

Personal branding is the practice of marketing oneself and one's career as a brand. The term is thought to have been first used and discussed in a 1997 article by Tom Peters.

If you’re thinking, “I’m not important enough to have a brand,” you couldn’t be more wrong. To move ahead in any career, you need to know how to create and cultivate a dynamic personal brand.

In this article, I'll talk about what personal branding is, why it matters, and how to create and manage your own personal brand.

WHAT IS PERSONAL BRANDING?

Essentially, your personal brand is how you appear to the world, both online and offline. As people become more aware of who you are as a professional (and person outside of work) and what your expertise or passions are, you’ll become a trusted voice in your industry. It's extremely important to be genuine as you build your personal brand.

Authenticity is key, and the alternative, being fake or trying to be someone you’re not, can kill a personal brand before it even has a chance to take off.

Personal branding is all about creating a reputation that reflects who you are, what you do, how you work, and where you want to go. Like a consumer brand, a personal brand not only tells your story but also sets the stage for growth. In the case of personal branding, that’s a future career path. A personal brand goes beyond the basic resume to deliver a more complete picture of who you are professionally.

HOW DO I BUILD A PERSONAL BRAND?

Begin by researching yourself. You need to first know what, if anything, is out there about you. Does your online presence (or lack thereof) portray you as a savvy professional, a nobody, or a mess?

If you have zero online presence, it’s time to start that blog or social media account and build some search results for your name. If you have online accounts, but have let them lapse, spruce up your profiles and accounts with updates about what you’ve been doing to stay sharp or thoughts on the latest industry news.

If your online profiles are downright embarrassing, do whatever you can to tidy up by removing and untagging photos, deleting updates that don’t show your best, and improving or deleting anything you can edit.

If it's truly tragic, sometimes it’s easier to delete the entire profile and start from scratch.

SOCIAL MEDIA IS INTEGRAL TO BUILDING A STRONG PERSONAL BRAND

A solid personal brand comprises a great resume, strong interpersonal skills, and an online presence. Being active on various social media channels is an easy (and free) way to make your online presence remarkable.

You should be regularly posting content on your social media channels that reinforces your personal brand. Not a great writer? Content curation is an easy way to grow your base and stay relevant. According to a Hootsuite article, "The process of content curation is the act of sorting through large amounts of content on the web and presenting the best posts in a meaningful and organized way."

Sharing content written by others in your industry shows you have a good grasp on the market, including your competition. Content curation conveys confidence that you aren't afraid to virtually applaud others' work. You can also increase your followers by connecting with other, better-known brands.

Final word on social media: consistency is king. Across all your social accounts, strive for a consistent message (biographies, usernames, profile pictures, etc.) that solidifies your brand.

CONSIDER BUILDING A PERSONAL WEBSITE

A personal website can be a great way not only to boost your search engine results but also to showcase much more than a resume can.

There are some great tools available today to make creating your own website a snap. A personal website gives you total control over content, so you can post a resume as well as additional pages to outline your personal mission statement, awards, samples of your work, links to social media accounts, and a blog.

From a recruiter's perspective, who looks at hundreds of resumes daily, a personal website can be a unique way to show off your stuff in a fun, refreshing, and authentic way.

BUILD YOUR BRAND, STAND OUT

In today’s market, you need to stand out, and a dynamic personal brand helps you do just that.

While you are selling yourself, your authority, and your successes, don’t forget to include a little humility and mention some shortcomings as well. People love to hear about failures and lessons learned. Bottom line: get started. Anyone can build and cultivate a dynamic personal brand with a little time, focus, and effort.

Chris Skaggs

Digital and social media, branding, recruitment and content strategy are all skills Chris has developed as he has built teams, processes and strategies from the ground-up. In his previous experience, Chris has served in various roles including: recruiter, ambassador, director, vice president and co-founder. His work and experiences have been featured on CNN, Marketing Sherpa, Thrive Global, CBS Radio, Recruiter.com and Glassdoor to name a few.

Chris received a Bachelor of Arts in Human Ecology from The University of Texas at Austin where he was an active member of Phi Kappa Psi fraternity.

He is passionate about giving back to his community. Chris is a current member of the board of trustees for the Texas Health Resources Foundation and a past board member for the North Texas Christian Academy. Additionally, he alongside his wife, co-founded Leighton’s Gift, a nonprofit with a mission to turn a tragedy into something positive in memory of the couple’s daughter, Leighton, who tragically passed away.

Outside of work, Chris can be found spending time with his wife, Amy, of 13 years, and his children Jaxon (7), Leighton (angel) and Olivia (4). He also enjoys wine, coffee, cooking and watching his beloved Longhorns in any college sporting event — Hook ‘Em!

https://www.linkedin.com/in/chrislskaggs/