I'm Michele

What’s a personal brand and why do I need one?

A personal brand is how you present yourself to the world.

It’s who you are, the message you want to be known for, the legacy you want to leave, and the way you serve others. The uniqueness of who you are is the reason people want follow you, buy from you, or know, like, and trust you.  

Chances are, if you own your own creative business or are in any type of sales or visible role, you already have a unique personal brand. People buy from you because of YOU. 

If you’re a solo-preneur, or own your own business, and people do business with you because of YOU, you probably have a personal brand.

If you are an expert in your field, regularly communicate with your audience, and they look forward to hearing from you, you probably have a personal brand. 

Think of a personal brand as a business asset — the more you build it, the more valuable it becomes.

And because people are so visual, personal brand photography is one of the best ways to help grow a consistent and recognizable personal brand. 

If you work for a larger company, though, you may still have a personal brand. If you’re in sales, for example, some of your clients may be choosing to work with your company because they enjoy working with YOU. By cultivating your personal brand, you (and your company) will enjoy greater success.

Three ways to start your own personal brand today

Here are 3 things you can do right now to start curating your own personal brand.

1. What are you known for?

Identify what it is you want to be known for. While your product or service is extremely important, you also want to carefully curate your brand values, including how you want people to FEEL when they think about your brand. (“I can trust this person.” “He’s an expert in his field.” “She’s human sunshine!”) If you manage others, be sure to instill those values in your team too — everyone should be living out your brand values both in front of customers and behind the scenes.

2. Written brand standards

Identify your written brand standards. Create a word library of the types of words that convey your brand values. For example, how do you say hello? Is it casual (“hey”) or more formal (“good morning”). Choose words you actually say, or want to say more often, and then use them in your spoken, written, and social media conversations. Your brand messaging might include a mission statement, your 30-second elevator speech, or any taglines or written communications that help convey your brand values.

3. Visual brand basics

Create a visual brand that carries through all of your communications, right down to your wardrobe whenever you are visible to your client — both in person and online. Your visual brand includes your logo, brand colors, and design aesthetic (modern or conservative? elegant or informal?). While your visual brand is only a small part of your brand, consistency in visual branding goes a long way to support your brand values.

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