Personal branding” was coined by Napoleon Hill. He was a renowned self-help author who popularised the term in 1937 with the publication of his book ‘Think and Grow Rich’. He wrote, “ People buy your personality and ideas before they buy your products and services.
This explains that investing in yourself would also help you to gain investments and wealth for your businesses. For example, Martha Stewart and Elon Musk’s way of thinking and presenting themselves attract the audience rather than what their company offers.
Personal branding is crucial not only to ensure the value of your skills, experience, and quality attributes but also to develop your professional and work relationships. The age of social media has really pushed the idea of ​​personal branding forward. Public Media Solution- the leading PR agency in Pune has brought this powered-packered informative blog on personal branding.
It’s important to understand that, living in this hyper-connected era, information travels at the speed of light. Everyone knows everything about everyone. The decision is in our hands, how we decide to play the game. We can either play our own pieces, be the one-stop location for any information needed, or let someone else hone them.
In this current era, the concept of personal branding is also changing. You look for a PR professional when you want to ensure your brand stands out. You might have an in-house PR department, or you can outsource it to a PR agency in Banglore.
There is no denying that the word “branding” is not optional anymore. However, the agenda today isn’t why a brand should have a PR team but why the PR agent that different brands look up to should invest in their personal brand and maintain solid Public relations, focused primarily on maintaining the public image of that person.
Investing in your personal brand is required for several reasons, basically including
Letting The Brands Know About Your services
One cannot just open a PR agency and expect brands/people to know they are there. Advertising is one way to inform, but having someone else to work for you goes further. A PR agency in Pune works on your behalf and spreads good words about the services available.
Standing Out From Other Competitors
As a PR professional, one understands how important it is to stand out from your competitors and maintain a good image in the public's eyes.
The PR agency understand that to attract your target audience, you must provide something extra.
This something extra can be in terms of content or improving the goodwill of that brand. Investing in you own brand would showcase to people what you are capable of, and it surely takes you ahead from the competition.
Personal Growth And Growth Of Brand
Investing in yourself and building yourself as a brand would help you self-inspect and continuously improve yourself and your brand.
To Get Credibility And Trust
Investing in yourself shows the public what you and your agency stand for, and getting to know your PR agent personally helps them develop trust. The PR agent gains the public's confidence, thus creating credibility.
These are some reasons one should focus on investing in one’s personal brand as a PR agent. However, how do you do it?
It’s very similar to what you do for others as a PR agent. You put the same steps to yourself and go for personal selling. When personal selling is mentioned, some might believe it to be promoting yourself as someone the audience can look forward to and relate to, which is not the entire case. Personal Branding/ Selling is connecting with the audience personally or one-on-one.
Establish Your Brand
Establish your personal brand first. Identify your main strengths, passions, and values. Explain in-depth the special abilities or experiences you have to offer. What impression do you want to make on people? Your personal brand should reflect who you really are.
By demonstrating to the audience through your content that you are just like them and giving them a point of connection, you forge a connection with the general public. Making it simpler for the audience to hear about your brands.
Decide On Your Niche
Knowing your area of expertise is crucial in the PR industry. Do you have specialized knowledge in crisis communications, technology PR, healthcare PR, or any other niche area? By concentrating, you might establish yourself as a pioneer in a given industry.
For example, just because you work for a PR agency in Bangalore doesn't mean that all of your clients will be in that city. The firm, situated in Pune, will choose the PR agency of Bangalore over the PR agency available in Pune once you demonstrate that you are the greatest PR agent available in the niche offered.
You tell a story about yourself that is your personal brand story. Your journey, accomplishments, and vision ought to be included. Create a tale that speaks to your target audience and is both real and compelling.
Contrary to popular belief, your story doesn't need twists and 'masalas' to make it more digestible. The narrative you craft should not focus on what you think will win you more audience but rather on what you want your audience to associate you with.
Your online presence is crucial to developing your brand in the digital era. One can showcase their skills on a website or blog, for example. Establish and maintain an active online presence on social networking sites like LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram while sharing insightful content and interacting with your audience.
Availability is key. You shouldn't limit yourself to one platform because your target audience won't.
Experts at PR agency in Pune stress that, consistency is key when building a personal brand. Your online persona should align with your offline persona. Use consistent tone and style across all mediums. This consistency creates awareness and strengthens your brand.
Content is a powerful personal branding tool. Create and share quality content demonstrating your expertise and adding value to your audience. This may include blog posts, articles, videos, podcasts, or publications.
Invest in your professional development. Seek a mentor from seasoned PR professionals to guide you on your journey. Stay current on industry trends and best practices through courses, webinars, and conferences.
Authenticity and transparency are the cornerstones of a strong personal brand. Be yourself, admit your mistakes when they happen, and show vulnerability when necessary. Authenticity resonates with people and builds trust. Here, you can seek help from Public Media Solution- a top-notch PR agency in Pune.
Connect with your audience regularly. Respond to comments, answer questions, and participate in relevant discussions. Creating a genuine connection with your followers creates trust and loyalty.
Giving back to your profession and community can enhance your personal brand. Mentor up-and-coming PR professionals, volunteer on topics that matter to you, and participate in industry discussions.
Don't be afraid to show off your achievements. Highlight your successful PR campaigns, customer experiences, and any awards or recognitions you have received. Showing your success stories adds credibility.
Strategic networking is central to PR professionals. Public Media Solution always sggests the people availing our personal branding service to attend industry events, join relevant associations, and stay in touch with key people in your field. Cultivate relationships with colleagues, clients, and influencers.
The world of PR is constantly evolving. Be flexible and open to change. Embrace new technologies, communication channels and trends that can increase the relevance of your personal brand.
The world of PR is constantly evolving. Be flexible and open to change. Embrace new technologies, communication channels, and trends that can increase the relevance of your personal brand.
These are the steps to ensure that you have a personal brand that ‘sells’. These steps should be taken after properly considering how one wants to be perceived by the audience.
Different people ought to have different opinions on a person, as opinion is subjective in nature. It is better to analyze how they want to showcase themselves, and portraying themselves as close to as they are in real life is the best way to go. Developing your personal brand can be one of your most powerful and effective PR weapons with the right skills and strategies to build your career in PR.
Does it make sense to invest in personal branding? Whether your answer is “Yes” or “No”, Public Media Solution is just a call away. Get in touch, an let’s discuss personal branding.
Blog Admin:
Ravinder Bharti
CEO & Founder - Public Media Solution
About: Ravinder Bharti is the Founder and CEO of Public Media Solution,
a leading
marketing, PR, and branding company based in India.