It became more clear during my last internship that branding as evolves into creating a trustworthy, personal and transparent brand image to its consumer. I am curious to know more about the relationship between being personal and branding, so I started to browse on the Internet.
I first encounter Waller’s TED Talk. Dr Talaya Waller, international personal branding consultant, speaker, and award-winning research scholar, discusses the issue of personal branding in building consumer trust and its power to develop brands that are authentic and personal. Nowadays, consumers are overloaded with information and making it difficult to make a decision on their own. Thanks to digitalisation and especially thanks to social media, we are now able to share our opinion, guiding others in their decision-making. I have also noticed in my internship that consumers lose their trust in corporate branding. I was asked to look for influencers to contribute the brand, thus to market its products. ”Branding has shifted from humanising objects to influencing people with other people they know, like and trust” confirms Waller.
According to Waller, everyone has a personal brand but not everyone manages it strategically, effectively and consistently. Personal branding is about what you want to be known for! It is important to self-reflect to be self-aware. To do so, she advised to position yourself in these three self-reflective categories: your strength, your passion, and your opportunity. I have learned that it is very important to focus on your passion and develop knowledge and skills around. ”People are tired of curated perfection and would rather see something that is more realistic and relatable” continues Waller. She explains that successful brands became difficult because they showed their differences and what they truly stand for. So, it is important to embrace our authenticity and share your story!
In relation to Waller’s TED Talk, Tai Tran continues on the idea of a personal brand. Tai Tran, brand and graphic designer, discusses why personal branding matters to him and shares his perspective on how to construct a unique identity for yourself or your company. Many people think that personal branding is a fake representation of who you are. But, what is a personal branding? According to Tran, a personal brand is not shaped by you but it is formed, shaped by what people say about you. In other words, a personal brand is an interception between reality and perception. Remember, you are at the heart of the brand.
You need to create value for your audience and create a lasting impact in their memories. Tran explains that you need to position yourself in the market and show interest, enthusiasm in the field that you are or want to pursue. Thus, self-development and self-initiative to increase your knowledge, stay in phase with the latest trends, and to create career opportunities. It is crucial to remember sharing your stories, through social media, to generate interest among the market you are trying to reach. It is also important to create a dialogue and building a quality network, not only from your industry but also people in your proximity such as your colleagues, peers, friends etc. In the end, ”it is less about what you know, but about who you know”, affirms Tai Tran.
I follow Gary Vaynerchuk on his social media channels and came across with one of his quotes, ”your personal brand is your reputation. And your reputation in perpetuity is the foundation of your career”. Gary Vaynerchuk, chairman of Vayner, CEO of VaynerMedia, and 5-time NYT bestselling author explains in various of his videos how to build your brand and more particularly a personal brand. Check Vaynerchuck’s article on 5 strategies for personal branding online. He clearly explains that successful brands ever try to “convert” you into buying their products or services, instead, they are creating an experience around their brands like the iPhones from Apple. In today’s digital age, it is very easy to create content, you should create helpful, educational, entertaining content to your audience/ consumers. It will ultimately lead to an increase in your audience or long-term sales.
Through my research, there are no manuals for building a personal brand, but Tran describes it as the best representation of you with your flows, successes, challenges and triumphs. Gary Vaynerchuck advice when you start building a personal brand, it is important to be self-aware about what you have to add to the conversation, what you do and the things you want to talk about and share with your community. It is important to stay true to yourself instead of faking until you make it, especially if you pretend to be an ”expert” without showing shreds of evidence. In the end, ”embrace your identity, thus you will become successful in growing a personal brand”, says Tai Tran.
After listening to all of these experiences, I feel empowered and want to start creating for developing myself without losing myself. Let’s enjoy the process through this blog and my other social media channels. Time to be creative!
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