in 2023 - a personal brand has evolved to be not just the domain of celebrities and influencers, but any individual. the goal may not be worldwide domination or 'follows', but personal brands are fast becoming a resource for those looking to express themselves and take control of their unique message.
so what are the considerations involved in ensuring that your personal brand journey is one that adds value not just now - but also into the future?
1. where are you, and where are you headed?
understanding who you are now, and where your journey may take you is important to support the longevity of success of your personal brand. how do your values reflect right now, and how might they be perceived in the future? although your story has been partially written, it also continues to evolve. do you have an idea of where that path leads? are your audience sharing your journey as it evolves?
understanding where you are heading will help set a footprint in place that evolves as you do - and enhances your unique story.
2. who is my audience?
understanding who is likely to resonate with your values and what is important to them - helps you find them, and keep them. knowing your audience in detail, and continuing to develop content and stories that align with that audience strengthens both your brand and your connection to that tribe.
3. be direct - be clear.
direct doesn't have to be offensive - to the contrary, in a world full of noise (especially online) a well judged application of directness helps your audience identify your message quickly. time is of the essence. the more quickly and vibrantly you can share your thoughts, feelings and findings the easier it is for people to maintain a relationship with you. just like any good relationship - keeping it simple is often a positive approach.
4. what am I building?
the establishment, development and building of a personal brand is often referred to as a journey - because often there is a start, a middle and a higher level of completion. whilst your brand is likely always going to be an ongoing project and develops alongside your story - it is possible to project forward to the stages of development you want in place in the future. content development and platform development takes time and having a strategic plan for where your brands starts and how deep it becomes is something to explore with foresight.
having a strategy for 'core' elements of your brand is the foundation. in terms of a digital footprint, controlling the platforms you use, the type of content you contribute and the volume of content involved are all important considerations for what your story will look like in the future. they are the steps that form the greater brand picture, down the road.
5. be careful.
the internet in particular has a unique capacity for retaining information (of all types) for a very long time.
whilst it shouldn't be at the expense of genuine expression of your values at a given period in your life - remember that anything posted or placed on a digital platform is generally permanent.
there are of course tools that can be adopted to help you manage your reputation and 'demote' content that sits outside the message you want to project, however the surest way to ensure control over your brand (especially online) is to strategically manage everything carefully, in advance.
6. summarise 'you'.
you should be able to summarise the essence of you approach or message in a sentance rather than a paragraph. what are you known for, what do you support?
the ability to refine the description of what you value helps clarify your area of expertise, or why your audience continues to align with you.
7. expect change.
building contingency into your strategic personal brand plan is probably the single most important element of future-proofing your personal brand journey. understand that the dynamics of presenting your brand and communicating your message will change over time.
platforms come and go, the way in which people absorb your message may evolve. awareness and understanding of the application of new technologies and platforms will contribute to keeping your personal brand current.
the ability to pivot your brand to meet changing expectations from your audience is a key element of the establishment of your story. its always good to have a plan from the start just in case the dynamics of expressing your message change. its not about changing the essence of who you are, but about changing the format if required to then express who you are.
