5 Advantages of a Strong Personal Brand

Having a strong, strategically crafted Personal Brand with a carefully planned visibility strategy will bring enormous benefits to your career. It can mean the difference between a career that is ordinary and one that is truly epic. Below are 5 advantages that a strong Personal Brand can do for you and your career.

1. A STRONG PERSONAL BRAND POSITIONS YOU AS A THOUGHT LEADER IN YOUR FIELD

A Thought Leader is someone who is an authority in their specialised area, who stands out as being one of the top people in their industry. It takes time to build and hone your expertise and become a Subject Matter Expert (SME) but once that perception is created, you will be able to build credibility and trust to become that person of influence.

When you have a personal brand that positions you as a SME in your field, people tend to sit up and listen. Even more so when you have built your brand on a genuine and authentic reflection of yourself.

Now, it’s one thing to be an SME but it’s another to be seen as one. The easiest way to position yourself as an SME, is to create content. All that knowledge in your head needs to come out. It has enormous value for others either in your field or those looking to get into it.

It’s great when people seek you out for your advice and expertise, and being seen as a Thought Leader can seriously elevate your career.

2. A STRONG PERSONAL BRAND GIVES YOU A COMPETITIVE EDGE

A person who has a strong Personal Brand with credibility and influence, has as an enormous edge over someone whose brand is not known, especially when it comes to landing a new job or winning a new client over the competition.

When I was a recruitment consultant, I started noticing something that really made me sit up and take notice. Let’s say I had two great candidates that were perfect for my role and so I’d bring them for interview. Although both met the job selection criteria, one may have been more skilled and experienced that the other.

However, the less skilled and experienced candidate had this going for them:

A much better concept of their professional identity and who could easily communicate who and what they were, what problems they solved for organisations, their key skills and the value they brought.

When I Googled them, I could see the content they had created that positioned them as a Subject Matter Expert in their field. They may even have video footage of them presenting at a conference.

A great LinkedIn profile with powerful testimonials and recommendations given by the people they had worked with.

In other words, they had a great Personal Brand and credibility.

Guess what? Even through the other candidate was more skilled and had more experience, the second candidate had the competitive edge.

Your see, it’s not always the most skilled and experienced person that lands the job, it’s often the one with the strongest personal brand who does.

3. A STRONG PERSONAL BRAND GIVES YOU CONTROL OVER YOUR CAREER

Ever feel like you have been bouncing around in your career going from job to job but lacking a sense of direction and career fulfilment? Well an in-depth exercise in defining your Professional Identity and figuring out how you want to brand yourself, has the power to reset your career compass.

You see, when you have gained a good solid understanding of your Professional Identity, i.e. what you are as a professional, what problems you solve for companies, and what your skills, areas of expertise and specialisation are, you will have a much clearer certainty and control over the direction you want to take your career in.

4. A STRONG PERSONAL BRAND GIVES YOU THE POWER OF INFLUENCE

At the end of the day, people don’t want to be manipulated but they do want to be influenced. They are looking for someone to cut through the noise and uncertainty to give them clarity.

A great Personal Brand has the ability to influence the opinions, decisions, attitudes and actions of your audience, especially if you are able to educate them through the sharing of your knowledge and expertise… and of course this has great value.

5. A STRONG PERSONAL BRAND ATTRACTS CAREER OPPORTUNITIES

A Personal Brand that has been consciously and strategically built and promoted will help you attract exiting career opportunities. It has the ability to generate buzz, and of course word of mouth is one of the most powerful tools when it comes to getting your name out there.

A well-positioned brand with a strategic visibility plan enables you to remain front of mind in your industry and puts you in a great position to be sought after and headhunted for your expertise.

Being a person of influence means you are no longer at the mercy of the fickle job market and gate keepers, allowing you to bypass many of those painful and frustrating processes so that you can secure the job you have always wanted.

To wrap up, my message to you is this; take the time to strategically craft your Personal Brand and build a strategy so that people get to find out about you and the value you bring. So, that instead of chasing that dream job, go ahead and attract instead.

If you are looking to define your Professional Identity and build your Personal Brand but not sure where to start, then check out my Personal Branding Master Class. The next session kicks off on the 9th August. For more information head to www.johnmaltby.com.au or get in contact with me on john@johnmaltby.com.au

Remember, don’t settle for just an ordinary career, build your brand and enjoy a career that is truly epic.