Uju Chukwu: 5 Essential Things Your Consultant Did Not Tell You About Personal Branding

People often think you ought to have achieved a whole lot before you can be qualified to be profiled as a personal brand. Most people believe that you have to break the bank and meet a consultant who will actually build a personal brand for you.

While this might be a bit risky for me because I would have had you come to pay me, I’ve decided to be a sweetheart and give you the secrets to building your own personal brand.

One thing you were never told: The little things you do daily, if summed up, will get you to realize that you can actually build your personal brand. You do not necessarily have to own a business or be qualified for a Grammy or meet with a consultant before you brand yourself.

What really does a personal brand entail?

• What do you do for a living?
• What are your passions?
• What are you best at?
• What makes you different?
• What do you want out of your career?
• Professionally speaking, who are you?

If you have been able to answer these questions, then that is it.

A personal brand is: who you are out there, basically how you promote yourself.

Now I want to give you a few tips on what to do consistently to get yourself out there.

Online Engagement
If you’re like almost every other man, woman, and child in the country, you already use social media throughout the day. So you can take out at least five or so minutes during your morning walk, or the time you are sitting in a taxi or a bus, or while you’re waiting for your breakfast, and do some career-boosting activity.

Why?

Consistent online engagement keeps your channels fresh so that whenever a prospective employer or industry colleague gives your profiles a visit, they will see that you are engaged.

Organize Content
You may not have time to write a blog post, design a graphic, or take a stunning photo every day, but you can curate amazing content from others, while adding your own thoughts to it, whatever type of content that fits within your profession and industry.

You can get clean, minimalist pictures from Instagram that you can add your words to.

Write Something
No matter what industry you are in, expressing your viewpoint and ideas goes a long way in substantiating your personal brand. Whether you talk about projects you are working on or offer opinions on the latest happenings in your industry, writing showcases your personality and your expertise, which builds up your status as a thought leader.

Google Yourself
The truth is you have googled a colleague before. I have. I read about my friends every day via Google to see if they have online presence. You might have even googled yourself before. But this shouldn’t just be something you do every once in a while when you’re curious—you should check your search results on a regular.

Why? Because people will Google you when they want to learn more about you, and you want to make sure what they see is giving the right impression.

Conduct an Audit
Things change. People change. If you think back on your last few months or years, there are probably a slew of subtle and not so subtle ways you’re different. Maybe you have just started using a new social media channel, like Periscope, or you got a new professional headshot, or you have pivoted toward a different focus within your industry, or even a different career entirely like I just did. Maybe your vocabulary has evolved slightly, it is very important you check.

These might just sound like a whole lot in a few lines. But hey, as much as it sounds like a whole lot, I am also sure that you know that this sure pays off, as it will help you build a larger network and be sought after in your industry.