How to Create a Personal Brand in 5 Steps

The opinions expressed by entrepreneurs contributors are their own.

I once heard a saying that hit me hard. It reads: "We all die twice: the first time when we breathe our last and the second time when our names are last spoken." Powerful, right?

It got me thinking about personal branding. First of all, most things make me think of personal branding, because I own a personal branding agency, but there is also another reason. You see, personal branding is becoming a trendy concept, with many people fearing that it is just a fad. For me, however, personal brand is so much more than likes or selfie videos or follower counts. For me, personal branding is a powerful tool that allows us to build equity in our names. And what but our names stay with us forever, until our dying day and maybe even beyond?

As an entrepreneur, I work hard to build equity within my business: my personal branding agency called Brand of a Leader. Yet, I'm also well aware of the non-linear journey my business will likely take (I've faced a trading crash before and know full well that no business is immune). Even if we continue to evolve rapidly as we have done so far, we could eventually decide to withdraw. And what happens when we leave or lose our business? We feel like we left part of our identity with her.

A protects us from this. It shields us from ups and downs and pivots along the way, giving us consistency and portability. And the best news for many of you: personal branding can be built entirely from social media! Here are the five steps we use to create personal brands at Brand of a Leader and recommend you follow to create your own:

Related: 3 Keys to Building Your Personal Brand

Step 1: Identify what makes you unique

What sets you apart from the rest? You might not be able to think of anything that stands out in your particular verticality, but the good news is that it doesn't matter. A personal brand is about WHO you are, not WHAT you do.

Start by identifying the strongest and most relevant aspects of who you are. What you determine will become the cornerstone of your personal brand.

As a company that only works with contractors, we understand that no two contractors are the same. This same idea applies to how each person will determine what makes them unique. What we do is a series of in-depth analyzes to uncover what's important about the individual, which can emerge by asking a series of questions:

What are your core values?

What is your personality?

What is your expertise?

What's your story?

What is your WHY?

Without a differentiator, there is no brand; there is simply a reputation, so take the time you need to identify yours. This step is crucial.

Step 2: Clarify your target audience

As business owners, we all know what a target audience means. But its application to personal branding is different from the corporate term we're used to.

When our agency is working on developing a personal branding strategy, we focus on two target audiences. The former usually reflects the target audience of the entrepreneur's business (usually their primary client).

The second is totally different: it's an audience that isn't monetized in any way. I encourage you to think of an audience of people you would like to inspire with your personal brand.

Step 3: Determine your brand descriptors

A brand is above all associations and the consistency of their communication. When we talk about brand descriptors, we're trying to figure out how you want to be perceived. As human beings, we can all be described in a hundred different ways. However, if we are all things at once, nothing really distinguishes us.

I suggest creating a list of three to five words you would like people to describe you with consistently. Next, build a list of three to five words you don't want people to describe you with.