We encounter brands all day, in everything we do. Symbols, designs, names, slogans, colours – this is branding. Beverland (2018) said that “people use brands to project whom we want to be, how we want to be perceived and how we want to feel about ourselves.” Your personal brand is everything that people think about you. Subjective to each person, all you can do is create an impression through the actions you take and what you say on social media. Ever heard someone say, “I’m not a product, how can I have a brand?” Many people associate a brand with a product. But this is only because a brand can be so powerful it can become synonymous with a product – e.g. Sellotape and Blu-Tack. It is how a company differentiates their product from their competitors. Equally, in a professional world, it can be profitable for your success to stand out from other people doing the same thing as you. In an age where people want to do business with people, no corporations, it is a powerful tool. “Your personal brand is the synthesis of all the expectations, images, and perceptions it creates in the minds of others when they hear your name” (Rampersad, 2008)

2. 2
WHAT IS A BRAND?
We encounter brands all day, in everything we do. Symbols, designs, names, slogans, colours – it is
all branding. Beverland (2018) said that “people use brands to project whom we want to be, how we
want to be perceived and how we want to feel about ourselves.”
Branding is everything that contributes to your customers’ opinions and feelings about your
company. A strong brand is important because it “increases customers' trust of invisible products
while helping them to better understand and visualise what they are buying."
“We are immersed in a branded world from the day we are born to the day we die” (Beverland 2018)

3. 3
HOW CAN A PERSON BE A BRAND?
Just like a brand differentiates a product from the one next to it, a brand differentiates a person from
the one next to it in their careers. Like a business, individuals can illustrate a brand identity as part of
their marketing strategy, to nurture a certain image in consumers' minds.
The tone of voice in your copy - tour personality, the way you think, the way you speak, the way you
look…
“Your brand is a perception or emotion, maintained by somebody other than you, that describes
the total experience of having a relationship with you." (Peter, 1997)

4. 4
AUTHENTICITY
Authenticity is another word for genuine, real, true. If you are truly genuine, then you will have a
unique personal brand.
• If people find you authentic, they will trust you. If people trust you, they will do business with you.
• If you are an expert in your craft, communicate this by providing value in your marketing content. Give away
this expert advice for free. ‘Givers gain’ in social media and collaboration builds a culture of trust.
“If personal branding is developed at only a superficial level, for example by basing it simply on ego, spin or
piggybacking off the work of others, then it will not be enduring.” (Harris & Rae, 2011)

5. 5
CREATING A BRAND STORY
🤗 Embrace your personality
🖌️ Illustrate your values
💥 Capture attention
🔗 Connect with the reader
🚢 Take the reader on a journey
🤣 Be emotive
🦸 Use characters such as a hero
and a villain
👋 Help people get to know you
🗣 Tell why your credible
📖 Reflect on the lessons you’ve
learnt
🤔 Justify why your brand exists
🧮 Explain the problem you
solve
✅ Have a call to action
🖼️ Be framed to be easy to
follow & understand
🗓️ Be consistent across your
marketing
Connect with your target audience. It is the "WHY" behind what you are
doing. "HOW" you provide expertise. Brands are following the lead and
connecting with consumers on a more personal level through sharing more
human stories of their own.

6. 6
Decide what your key message is and stick to it. Find your niche and target it. the
narrower and more focused your brand is, the easier it is for people to remember who you
are.
Once your message is defined to target the customers you want, you choose how you
want to communicate with these people. Consider what your strengths are. If you are not
comfortable on video, then you do not have to do it. If you are a great copywriter, then
make a name for yourself through blogging.
FOCUS

7. 7
Consistency breed results. Similarly, to a narrow focus, it is easier to stand out for
something if you are consistently creating content around that topic.
Have something unique that you consistently do. Something that people will
associate with you.
It could be a slogan, a jingle at the end of videos, a hashtag at the end of posts… there
is plenty of ways to create your brand. People will fall in love with it and you will have
fans you do not even know exist.
CONSISTENCY

8. 8
Building your
Personal Brand
Social Bookmarking
Digg, Delicious,
Reddit, Stumbleupon
/ Mix, Pinterest…
Offline Networking
LinkedIn Local, BNI,
Coffee groups,
Conferences, Expos…
Social Objects
Business cards,
logos, branding,
billboards…
Social Rankings
Google reviews,
Amazon Testimonials,
Twitter Search, LinkedIn
recommendations…
Commentary
Other blogs, other
forums, other media,
interviews/podcasts…
Video / Photo
Sharing
YouTube, Flickr,
Instagram, TikTok,
Vimeo…
Blogging /
Microblogging
Writing Posts,
Linking to Bloggers.
Twitter, Syndication…
Social Networking
LinkedIn, Facebook,
Instagram, Snapchat,
Twitter…
Tools available to enhance your personal brand

9. Daniel Hopper
Marketing Specialist, BYB MARKETING
#50WEEKSOFMARKETING
50 weeks of 50 marketing topics