Written by: Ibiyemi Balogun, Executive Contributor
Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise.
From all my years of working with professionals and entrepreneurs as a career coach, I have learned that one thing almost always comes up in conversation, and it’s the idea of standing out! In a world full of content creators, professional networkers, enthusiastic brands & entrepreneurs all trying to beat the Instagram and LinkedIn algorithms it might seem almost impossible to carve out an audience that is uniquely yours. I’ve noticed that the people that do extremely well when it comes to building a personal brand are those people that are AUTHENTIC in their approach and messaging.
To tackle this idea of building an authentic personal brand, Let’s start from the beginning; What is Personal Branding? A simple google search will tell you, “It is the practice of people marketing themselves and their careers as brands. Personal branding is essentially the ongoing process of establishing a prescribed image or impression in the mind of others about an individual, group or organization”...OK, that’s a great definition but what does that mean for you?
It means that you have to spend some time TRULY discovering who you are and then fine-tuning how to present that to the world. If you don’t know who you are and what you value it can be extremely hard to develop an authentic brand. Don’t get me wrong, we are human beings and not brands so allow yourself to evolve and change as long as your core values don’t change then you are on the right track.
Here are 5 questions that will help you discover your “personal brand”
Who are you? Start with your Personality! Who are you from a personal perspective, are you a talker? are you a feeler? are you a thinker, or are you a doer? Then highlight your passions and capabilities, what are you good at? What can you research for hours without getting bored? What do you naturally lean towards?
What do you value? A good place to start would be to analyze what brings you joy, peace, and conviction? What standards do you hold yourself to? Tip: feel free to use a “value’s list” to kick start your brainstorming.
What do you want to talk about? This is where you delve into subject matter expertise. It can be related to what you studied formally, what you do for work on a daily basis, if you are an entrepreneur it could be your product or service.
Who do you want to talk to? It’s important to understand who your audience is. What do they care about? What do they need? What do they want? And why are they looking to you for thought leadership? If you don’t know, reach out, do a poll, do a survey, etc. get to know them.
MOST importantly, Why are you speaking? I have purposefully focused on personal branding from a “public speaking” / “content development” lens specifically through social media because I believe that there is a HUGE opportunity to drive value and gain opportunities through those platforms. Posting on LinkedIn has proven to be a really good source of professional dialogue, learning, sharing, and brokering opportunities so it’s important to NAIL down what exactly your goal is with it. Do you want a new job? Do you want to gain a speaking engagement? Do you want to share a promo code for a product? Do you want to feature on a podcast? Make sure you are intentional in your why.
If you go over these questions, you are 50% of the way to truly discovering your personal brand. The other 50% will come from how well you can articulate that value and brand to your chosen audience. Stick around for part 2 to learn more about how to communicate your personal brand!
Ibiyemi Balogun
Founder & CEO Foot In The Door Consulting
Ibiyemi Balogun, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine
Recognized as Talent Egg’s 2020 Career Coach of the Year, Ibiyemi Balogun is a Career Coach who helps professionals not only attain but SUSTAIN meaningful careers. As the Founder of Foot In The Door (FITD) Consulting, Ibiyemi works with professionals in Business and Technology. She is passionate about supporting underrepresented professionals and has been featured and spoken at Black Professionals in Tech Network BPTN, Accelerate Her Future and TorontoJobs. Ibiyemi has an MBA in entrepreneurship & social innovation with an extensive 7+ year background in Diversity Recruitment, Career Services, and Business Development. Ibiyemi currently works full time at the Ted Rogers School of Management at Ryerson University as a Manager of Graduate Careers & Student Engagement supporting MBA's with their career journey.
