Personal Branding in the Age of the Internet

You just heard of a new business. Your colleagues keep talking about an impressive business leader making waves in your community. What do you do?
 
Google.
 
Or… maybe you Facebook stalk. Or check out their Instagram. Half the time, that’s your first Google search result anyway.
 
This is your first impression of that organization or individual. You might think, “Wow! They have a ton of followers,” or “Their Instagram aesthetic is really cool.” Or you could see that they’ve only posted one grainy photo on their profile and they don’t have any contact information on their Facebook page.
 
You don’t get that first impression back. In the age of the internet, you’re telling people who you are before you even meet them. That makes up the core of your “personal brand.”
 
We all have a “personal brand” whether we want one or not. So we might as well build our brand intentionally. What makes YOU employable? What makes YOU someone that an individual would want to become friends with? Or even date? What makes YOU someone that someone else would want to know?
 
How can you build a personal brand that tells your story adequately?

1. Know (and share) your values. What do you want people to know about you? For me, it’s that I love my city (Des Moines is the best!), I’m active in the political scene, and I’m passionate about lifting other women up through transparency, honesty, and support. You will see that most of the content I post on my profiles reflect that. When you check out my Twitter or my Instagram, you will see me talking about the Iowa caucus, women running for office, a business in my community I am supporting, or just me, being honest about who I am.
2. Know (and show up for) your community. Your community can be location-specific (Des Moines, your East Village neighborhood, your hometown). It can be people-specific (your coworkers, your friends). It can also be value-specific (those who also love politics, or cats, or Star Wars). Who do you want to connect to? Figure out who, where, or what your community is, and show up. Support them, online and in person. Share their posts, attend their events, and tell people about them. When finding a community, make sure it’s aligned with your values, who you are as person, and something you are passionate about. That makes it pretty darn easy to show up and support – because you WANT to.
3. Know (and reach for) your goals. You now know who you are, and who you want to surround yourself with. Now it’s time to figure out where you want to go. Do you want to become a Fortune 500 CEO? Do you want to run for school board? Do you want to meet a community leader you admire? Do you want to write a book? Whatever it is, define it and go for it. Put it out there and make it part of who you are (otherwise known as your personal brand). When you define your goals, you can be more intentional about the steps you need to take to get there, and you can use your brand can make it happen!

 
Being intentional about a personal brand starts with just one thing. Intention. Last month’s LEAP session, hosted by Whitney Warne of Brand Launch and Ivory House Photography got my wheels spinning on how I can be intentional about my brand.
 
We all have a personal brand – whether we’ve curated one or not. We might as well make sure our brand tells a story.