5 REASONS WHY YOUR BRAND SHOULD LOOK AND FEEL LIKE YOU

So you hear about building a brand all the time, right? But do you know it’s not JUST about turning your business into a brand? Why? Well, and I’m going to be 100% honest, because you are your brand. You’re the reason it’s not just an idea anymore. You put the hours in, you show up and you are the driving force behind it.

More than that, your brand represents you. It’s the shop window for your business, the glue that holds everything together, so that when you show up and own it, everyone knows exactly who you are, what you stand for, and how you can help them.

And you know what the best bit is? No-one else has YOU. You are the secret ingredient. You are the X factor that sets your business apart from all the competition. That’s why you have to be at the heart of everything. Now if that doesn’t convince you, here are 5 reasons why you should build a personal brand.

 

#1 – MAKE YOUR BRAND WORK FOR YOU

We’re not in 9-5 world any more. And I love that. But what that means is that everything we do, we’re doing it for us. We’re getting ourselves closer to where we wanna be. We live it every day. Not just Monday to Friday. We can’t clock off and leave it to someone else. If we don’t take action, it doesn’t happen. Simple as that. So our brands have to work for us. They have to help us and make our lives easier. So I always work with my clients to ensure their brands do just that.

As I said in the introduction, at the end of the day, your brand is your shop window. And if you nail it, it can do a lot of the selling for you. Honestly, it can. It can hook people in before you even jump on the phone with anyone. If your brand looks like you, feels like you and even sounds like you, then you will already have your potential clients on side before you start selling. Then, when you do speak to them, or meet them, it’s about proving to them that everything they’ve seen and heard matches up to the real you. That sounds pretty good, right?

 

#2 – BE AUTHENTIC, BE BRILLIANT

Following on from that point, one of the big things I believe in is the power of authenticity. I mean I even have ‘be you’ tattooed on my arm! At the end of the day, even in the modern, digital world, people buy from people. So being yourself, and being real is the perfect way to create a connection with your audience. And that is huge when it comes to building the infamous know, like and trust factor.

You can’t put on an act. Or create a ‘business persona.’ The harder you try to be something you’re not, the harder it will be engage with your clients. People will see through it. They will be able to tell something feels off. And how often have you gone ahead with something that just doesn’t feel right somehow? Plus, on top of all that, it would be so draining. Putting on that act across every touchpoint must be impossible.

So be confident, be engaging, be honest, be vulnerable. Just be you, back yourself and use your brand to make your ideal clients fall in love with you.

 

#3 – BUILD A REPUTATION

One of the most successful ways to stand out in your niche is to position yourself, and become known, as an expert. If you can become THE expert, the go-to person in your field, even better.

So how do you do that? Well, you need to build that reputation. You need to put yourself out there and share your opinion. I know this is a massive buzzword, but you need to get visible, simple as that. And you can’t do that without a personal brand.

You won’t become known if you hide behind your logo. Sharing another post to your perfectly curated feed on Instagram isn’t enough. People need to see the face, and hear the voice behind your brand. And you need to nail your message. Based on your values, and your brand, what is your take on your audience’s pain points? How would you solve their problems? Do this and you’ll be adding value to their lives and their businesses. And the more value you can add, the more you can genuinely help them solve their pain points, the more they’ll come back to you. Even better than that, they’ll recommend you to other people in their network. Your reputation will grow based on those referrals, and your consistent message. Then, before you know it you’ll become the trusted voice in your field. Winner, winner.

 

#4 – CONSISTENCY = SUCCESS 

Consistency always sounds like a negative word. It doesn’t make you feel the same way you do when you hear things like spontaneous or impulsive does it? It doesn’t have that energy.

But you know what, when it comes to branding, and building successful brands, it is the exact, polar opposite. Consistency is massive. It’s one of the biggest things to nail, and it’s one of the key reasons why you need a personal brand.

So the big question, why? Well, to put it simply, there are just so many touchpoints. So many ways to connect with your audience. From a Facebook post to a Facebook live, your Instagram feed to a Skype call, not to mention the other 18! And it all needs to be consistent to your brand, and your message. I’m talking about making sure the tone of voice you use in posts or blogs, the way you respond to emails, and the way you speak on Lives, is all from the same world. Or ensuring that the clothes you wear on your brand shoot, match your style when you meet clients. If there’s any disconnect, you will lose potential clients. Guaranteed. So the more your brand looks and feels like you. The more natural and authentic it is. The easier it is for you to make sure everything is on point, and synced up, which is how you get where you wanna’ be.

 

 

#5 – GOING BEYOND

The branding journey, and your launch is just the start. A great brand, if built right, will last forever. Or at least as long as you want it to. But you need to be able to scale, and grow in order to really get where you wanna’ be. That’s why investing in your personal brand is so important.

I once read a great quote, ‘branding is like falling in love.’ And that doesn’t just happen does it? It takes time. It evolves, and that’s what building a personal brand enables you to do. The great thing about building a personal brand is that it enables you to evolve over time. As you scale your business, or start to offer more services, people will still recognise the name, your name, first. They will know you as the expert in your field. They will like you because of who you are. And they will trust you because they see you across every touchpoint. When you get there, you’ll have a loyal customer base who will keep coming back for more. Not to mention telling all of their friends about you.

 

So there you have it, 5 reasons why you need to build a personal brand. Always remember, you represent your brand every day, and it represents you. Nail it, and it will work wonders. Those enquiries from your ideal clients will start rolling in, trust me. Why? Because they love you and everything you stand for.