Pop the Champagne for your Personal Brand in 2024
If you haven’t already seen references to your “personal brand” popping up everywhere online, well, where have you been hiding?
There has been more chatter than ever surrounding personal branding and why it’s so important for just about everyone with a job or a business in 2024. Whether you’re a solopreneur, a founder, or a corporate employee, your personal brand is how you present yourself both on and offline, it’s the energy you create to attract your ideal client, and it’s the awareness and authority you cultivate so that you stay top of mind when a potential lead wants to buy what you’re selling.
For me, it’s the way that a friend said to me last month: “When I think of PR, I think of you, Katrina.”
If you’ve been following my journey for a while, you may have noticed a major shift in both the visuals and messaging I’ve started to use to market my business online. That’s because I realized just how powerful my personal brand is, especially when it comes to employing public relations tactics, and I wanted to show other passionate service providers how they can do the same.
So if you’re sick of sitting on the sidelines, and want to start attracting more aligned clients, and start elevating your presence to start speaking on stages and podcasts, make your personal brand your priority in 2024.
Here are a few tips for getting started:
DEFINE THE VIBE
To more easily curate the visuals and messaging that will set the tone of your personal brand moving forward, start by selecting 3 - 5 words or phrases that resonate with the impression you want to put out to the world.
Here’s mine: Warm, sunshine, welcoming, light, high-quality.
Second to that, repeat the exercise but with words that you absolutely do not align with. Mine are: Secretive, cheap, unapproachable.
I recommend selecting your words extremely intentionally, and it’s totally okay if they feel aspirational right now. Let’s work on building the business you always dreamed of, especially if that’s not the business you have right now.
GET CLEAR ON YOUR OFFER
Next, it’s important to understand what it is exactly you want to sell. When I first started my business, I took on every marketing-related project that came my way. Honestly, I don’t regret it, because it was a great way to establish my business in the early days, but if you want to develop brand authority for your business, you need to be able to speak to deep details on topics within your realm.
While I enjoy designing websites, I don’t particularly enjoy talking about the science behind a landing page, or high-conversion copywriting. But what I LOVE talking about, and can provide many real life examples on, is the power of public relations for personal brands and service-based businesses. In the early days of my business, however, I felt like I wasn’t “allowed” to speak at length about these kind of topics, mostly because I didn’t have a lot of real life client case studies to pull from.
But you know the trick behind growing rapid awareness and authority for your personal brand? Acting like you already have the business and experience you dream of. Act as though your vision has already come to fruition, and watch your growth soar.
Anyways, enough about me. To get clear on your offer, decide which of your services you love to do THE MOST. For me, it’s Publicity Coaching because I get to teach business owners like myself how they can get published like the big guys. Then, create a one-line positioning statement that tells your ideal client exactly what you can do for them. Mine: I empower passionate service providers and lifestyle brands with the magic of public relations.
BOOK THE FREAKIN’ PHOTOSHOOT ALREADY
Some brand designers may cringe at this next one, but I strongly believe that you do not need to go through an extensive visual branding exercise (fonts, colours, logo options, etc.) if you are a personal brand, just starting out. If you are limited in time and/or budget, book the photoshoot instead. Here’s why.
The “product” your personal brand is “selling” is YOU. And to that, you’re probably thinking, “duh”. But hear me out. If you don’t have personal brand photos, you’re likely posting stock photography or graphics on your social media. These assets are great for serving a specific purpose (like educational topics), but they make it incredibly challenging for your audience to connect with you. If you are a service-based business owner, that connection with your ideal client is extremely important, and usually ends up being the reason why you make the sale.
To be totally honest, when I initially had my brand photoshoot scheduled with Kahiki Photography during my trip to Hawaii this past November, I was just planning to use the photos on social media, and thought I’d swap out a couple images on my old website. But when I received those photos back, oh boy. I knew the old Wix site and brand colours were not going to do those photos justice. I ended up creating a new colour palette and font set based on the photos that I felt represented my vibe SO WELL. Hence, this brand new website, with custom photography that I am so proud of.
So there are two action items here. First, create a personal brand moodboard that aligns with the words you selected in point #1. If you’re working in Pinterest, you can even try searching for the exact words / phrases and seeing what kind of imagery comes up. Pin EVERYTHING that represents the vibe you feel aligned with, and then you can work on tailoring the board down afterwards.
After you’ve got a vision in place, research photographers that have previous work that feels similar in tone to the images on your Pinterest board. A good photographer will even help you refine your board, scout a shoot location and advise on outfits. I highly recommend collaborating with them on all of these very important elements of your shoot.
So. You’ve defined your vibe, your offer, and you have your photos. I’m sure you’re thinking “what’s next”, and the answer is…. Well, a lot. But you’ve now got the foundational elements in place to start cultivating a personal brand that can skyrocket your business to new heights. After that, you’ll want to further consider your ideal client profile, your publicity strategy, and your tactical marketing plan. And the good news is, I can help you with ALL of that.
My Discovery & Strategy for Personal Brands is the service you need to get super clear on your competitive edge, and the tools you need to stand apart in your saturated industry. Click here to learn more about how we can work together on a personal brand worthy of champagne pops for 2024. I can’t wait to meet you, and keep in touch! The easiest way to start working with me asap is to book a discovery call.
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