Personal branding forms a certain impression of a person in people’s minds. Creating a personality brand is a long and laborious process associated with painstaking work on oneself. A person who wants to turn himself into a brand should study his strong qualities well and learn how to use them correctly.
When creating a personal brand, you need to be clear about your target audience and their preferences. In this way, it is possible to form certain associations with consumers. This can generate additional value for the company and attract new potential customers.
Who needs personality branding? A strong, independent leader (entrepreneurs, politicians, movie stars, athletes, etc.) needs a personality brand. It is important that not the person was a part of the company, but the company itself was a part of the person. If such a leader is removed, there will be a significant loss for the structure. At least, this is what people around the company should think. If such an image is formed in the minds of consumers, a significant part of the company’s image will be based on the successful brand of a person. People will focus not on the product, but on the strong personality that represents it.
Tips for building a brand personality
Do what you’re best at
The vast majority of people do things they have no interest in to make money. Such a life does not make them happier. Moreover, doing something you don’t like doesn’t make you better at it.
People with personal branding are always doing what they are most interested in. They do what they are best at. This is not only admirable, but also very inspiring. Such a brand is more likely to be believed and followed, because motivation is one of the best tools for engaging people in a brand.
Support the brand’s values
Popularization of the ideology of the company by its manager is the best advertising. Buyers will be sure of the quality of the goods, because they are used by the founder himself! And if the values of the company are close to the customers, they will certainly favor this brand.
Willie J. Davidson – son of the founder of Harley-Davidson. He rides his company’s motorcycle, promoting all the same brand values – strength and masculinity. Anita Roddick is the founder of the cosmetics brand The Body Shop. One of the main ideas of the brand is naturalness and eco-friendliness. In support of the company’s values, Anita actively participated in campaigns to protect the environment.
Strive to be better
Striving for self-improvement is one of the best qualities of any human being. Sometimes under the words “to be better”, people unconsciously think that they need to “be better than others”. In fact, comparing oneself to others is one of the biggest and insurmountable obstacles to one’s ideal. Therefore, you need to be better than your “previous” version of yourself, your past self.
Don’t be afraid of criticism
People who do nothing are never criticized. Famous personalities are active people and all their deeds are studied under a microscope by society. Criticism of haters is rarely constructive and should be ignored more often. Of course, it is not worth not listening to the remarks in their address – some of them can show really weak sides of the image. It should be taken into account, because it is impossible to always be right about everything. Even unpleasant criticism allows you to look at yourself from a different perspective.
Create a legend for yourself
An important component of personal branding is a legend or personal story. A legend is not a made-up tale of one’s victories, but a proper presentation of one’s achievements. These are the few words that speak about a person when they are introduced.
When creating your legend you need to keep the context in mind. In different societies, the same things will have a different connotation. It is worth emphasizing suitable achievements in different situations.
Build personal connections and form an environment
Extensive personal connections are excellent tools for accomplishing various goals. It is necessary to spend enough time creating new and developing old business and personal contacts.
A properly formed environment around an individual supports the brand ideology and serves as an advertisement in its own right. Negligent attitude to connections and indiscriminate friendship will definitely lead to negative consequences and deterioration of reputation.
For example, in the movie Goodfellas, Jimmy Conway was a great guy until Tommy DeVito showed up among his entourage and significantly damaged everyone’s respectable reputation.
A lasting impression on first meeting
It takes only 15 seconds to make a first impression, but it stays with a person for a lifetime. A personality brand is based on the peculiarities of a person, the uniqueness of his gestures and eloquence. It is much easier to attract attention than to keep it. It is important to be a versatile personality to interest your interlocutors.
Don’t spend too much energy fighting.
Dmitry Emets wrote: “When it is difficult and painful, it means you are moving in the right direction.” However, struggle takes time, money and energy. When there is too much resistance from the environment, it is sometimes worthwhile to reconsider your goals and adjust them towards a more favorable environment. Choosing too hard a road can get you nowhere at all.
International companies, which are monopolists in their market, are not actively fighting and can afford to invest a lot of resources in improving our lives. For example, Google invests a huge amount of money in the development of artificial intelligence.
Utilize social media
The fastest means of communication is social media. Almost all companies are actively running their communities on popular platforms. However, for a brand personality, it is necessary not just to show your activity, but also to emphasize your humanity. Behind beautiful photos and elaborate posts, people can rarely see a real person. And after all, they are interested in what their idol does in his free time. The brighter and more diverse the life of a person, the more fans she has.
Images from. Instagram Richard Branson – billionaire and owner of the company Virgin Group.
Examples of successful personal brands
Stephen King is a writer
According to most critics, King has not written anything worthwhile for a long time. And his National Book Award for Outstanding Contribution to American Literature is considered completely undeserved. Nevertheless, in the minds of readers, Stephen King is terribly scary and interesting. His books become bestsellers, and the writer himself is an example of a successful brand. He attends baseball games of his favorite team “Boston Red Sox”, is distinguished by specific humor and sharp statements on the topic of modern culture . In 2014, he took part in the Ice Bucket Challenge flash mob.
Ilon Musk is an inventor and entrepreneur
The CEO of SpaceX and Tesla Motors embodies the values of his two companies. An engineer by training, he is a space fanatic and plans to launch a human mission to Mars as early as 2020-2025. Musk drives his company’s Tesla electric car.
As a philanthropist, he is committed to making electric cars affordable for everyone. The foundation of the Gigafactory, the largest battery factory in the world, has already been laid, which will significantly reduce the cost of cars. In addition, in 2015, Musk donated 10 million dollars to the development of artificial intelligence.
Musk appeared in the popular television series “The Big Bang Theory” (episode 9, season 8), where he came to help wash dishes and cook meals for homeless people.
Emma Watson is an actress, model and women’s rights activist
In her 25s, Emma went from being the all-knowing Hermione Granger in the Harry Potter film adaptation to becoming a UN Women Goodwill Ambassador. She is now developing the “HeForShe” campaign and is actively fighting for women’s rights and education in the world’s least developed countries (Bangladesh, Zambia, Uruguay). Watson has already achieved the image of a strong and independent person with many followers.
Neil Degrasse Tyson is a popularizer of science
Tyson is distinguished by his charisma and sense of humor, and his intoxicating stories about the vast universe can be listened to continuously. That’s why he became the host of the popular science documentary series “Universe”, where he talks about physics and astrophysics in an easy-to-understand language.
His eloquence arouses keen interest even in such complex subjects. Tyson has inspired many children and adults in their search for truth and has made a tremendous contribution to the popularization of science.
Neil Tyson, like Ilon Musk, also made a cameo in “The Big Bang Theory” (Season 4 episode 7).
Quentin Tarantino is a director
Audiences love Tarantino most for his talented directing, but he is also an interesting personality in his own right. He managed to bring to cinema that special sense of humor, when the audience laughs at something that is not funny at all.
Tarantino has an extensive circle of acquaintances among celebrities (Uma Thurman, Madonna, Sofia Coppola, etc.). He is known for his harsh remarks about criticism of his own and his attitude to his family – at 52, the director is still single, has no children and, as he said, is quite happy.
Artemy Lebedev is a designer and blogger
The fame of his design studio owes much to the popularity of Lebedev himself. He is known for his expressive statements on many social aspects of public life and has an active anti-religious stance. In addition, Lebedev is considered a really successful designer, and many of his LiveJournal entries become winged phrases.
Is Queen Elizabeth II just a queen?
Elizabeth II is one of the examples of the most successful monarchs, who, without actually influencing the country’s governance, successfully maintain the country’s authority. Since her coronation in 1953, the Queen has shown only the best diplomatic qualities and “royal” manners. In addition, she responds daily to letters from her loyal citizens.
If you have decided to turn your personality into a brand, advice and books alone are not enough. Contact the experts of Koloro branding agency by phone for a consultation, and we will help you realize a unique personal branding.
