Personal branding is first in your being, then in your doing. Your personal brand is about you. Not your business, not your degree, but you. Hence to build a profitable personal brand, it’s important that you focus on continuously working on yourself to be better, to be a person of value, then give out value.
To go further, let’s look at a myth of personal branding;
Personal Branding is not getting you to be the next best coach or salesman, so profitability in personal branding is not fixated on cash only. It’s about building a legacy, building a legacy can involve rewards in cash and kind.
The 5 Senses of Personal Branding
Having led marketing teams for years and built brands with raving fans, one question I always ask is, how can you replicate this to personal branding, because if you’re going to build a legacy, you’ll need people to believe in what you’re trying to create a legacy around.
Sight
Look good! How you are dressed is how you’d be addressed all of the time. Also whatever comes out of you and from you must look good. E.g.. your graphics, your presentations, etc.
Pay keen attention to appearance. I’m not saying go over your budget and be extravagant but look good within your means.
You don’t need to break a bank to look good. Learn the styles that suit your body, the colors that compliment your skin tone. Pay attention to your smile, your skin etc
You need to also look confident. Two people can wear the same outfit and look different in it because of confidence. Confidence is important. So look confident. How you view yourself addresses how you look, have that great aura, and confidence.
Smell
Smell good! Also, smell has to do with perception. For people to smell you rightly, you need to have impacted them positively. This mainly has to do with your online presence. How do people perceive your website, your graphics, your write-up?
Is it below par, stop making beggarly contents, or graphics with Canva mark or Capcut etc.? Stop putting up things that make people perceive you wrongly. How you carry yourself too would also form a perception of you.
Touch
People need to know you care about them, to care about what you do. Have you identified the pain point of the people who will be impacted by their legacy?
They need to see that you are wise, what you’re saying is correct. That is touch. Touch people through your well of wisdom, does it get people the result they desire.
The things you share, are they practical or realistic? Or are you spewing venom that others can’t relate to, so they would see you as unrealistic, so you are not touching them rightly?
Whatever you do, should touch your audience deeply, in a way that gets them to believe in you.
Sound
How you sound is very important, work on your diction, and sound well. Just like your looks, people judge you by your sound.
How do you communicate too? Can people hear you?
Talk calmly, slowly, you don’t even need to have an accent, but speak in a way that will get people to want to listen to you.
Don’t yell while talking, try not to be vain when talking, try not to over-exaggerate that they don’t believe what comes out of you.
Taste
Taste will be a pass mark, if you do the others well. When people experience you, what’s their remark? Did your tips produce results, what was their overall view?
Taste is as a result of everything. In the natural sense, you don’t taste a food only when you put it in your mind, you start judging from the looks, aroma etc.
Even the Bible says taste and see that the Lord is good. Meaning experience God and see that He is good. Are you good when you’re experienced?
We have looked at how to be likable, that’s the being, now let’s look at what you need to do. This one is focused on things you need to do externally rather than internally. It’s hinged on the 5 love languages.
The 5 Love Languages Of Personal Branding
Words of Affirmation
Your content should have empathy, let them know you value them, thank them. Acknowledge their pain. Acknowledge their input so far, many of you ditch it and ignore it then act all mighty. Acknowledgement doesn’t mean acceptance. E.g. how Tomike Adeoye tells her audience that they put the influence in influencer etc.
You should make them feel like they matter honestly.
Acts of Services
Let’s draw insights from Martin Luther King, he said things they couldn’t say, did things they couldn’t and his act of service.
A perfect way would be a lead magnet. Lead magnet is what you offer in exchange for data.
Another example is Events. Do things for them. Go the extra mile. Post service offers, post service check in. A road map or questions that help them identify an issue. The entire music industry was built on freebies (there’s a way to earn using freebies).
Don’t just only request of them, give to them too!
Receiving Gifts
The difference between acts of service and gifts is gifting is giving something, acts of service is doing something. Give gifts, tangible gifts. Is there anyone you want to meet? Get gifts as you’re going.
Invited for a speaking engagement? Get gifts for your hosts. If you can, gifts for people you’re speaking with etc.
- Example of gifts you can give;
- Freemium pricing
- E-book
- 30 mins free consultations,
- Sharing valuable tips online.
Quality Time
Don’t just focus on online branding alone, have offline sessions, meet and greet, events, q and A.
Let them feel and experience you, and if you can’t make room for interactive sessions where it feels intimate and they feel seen.
IG live, webinars just to discuss and catch up, not just teach.
Physical Touch
Be warm when you meet your community, don’t keep them waiting, have a warm smile, warm hug, warm handshake.
Also just like the 5 senses, you can touch people without touching them.
