5 Tips to Grow Your Personal Brand

Whether you are an entrepreneur or work for a company, growing your personal brand can grow your success. Consumers are becoming more interested in the “why” behind the product or service they are buying, so having a face behind the brand is vital.

If a Facebook friend you’ve never met in person before ran into you at a grocery store, what kind of small talk would you expect?

If you are doing a good job growing your personal brand, they should already know exactly what you do and why you do it, making it easy to start a conversation around your company, or your professional aspirations.

But if you find yourself thinking only about all of the political rants or pictures of your pets you’ve shared online, perhaps it’s time to dedicate more effort into growing your personal brand. The good news is that it’s completely free and requires little time.

So, how to improve your personal brand? Below are five tips to start growing your personal brand from CityCentral coworking space experts.

1. Upgrade your profile picture

Does your profile picture reflect what you would like people to see when they think about your company?

Simply having a picture of your company logo doesn’t bring an authentic feel to your audience. People want to see who you are and want to get to know you the best they can through social media.

Make sure you have a professional headshot that shows your personality or a candid picture of you doing what you love.

2. Use LinkedIn for networking

Many people only use LinkedIn when they are looking for a job or looking to hire, but LinkedIn is a powerful networking tool that everyone should be using daily.

Unlike Facebook, when someone likes or comments on your LinkedIn posts, their network sees the activity, regardless of if you’re connected with them or not.

Using keywords and hashtags is a great way to connect with more people in your industry. Engage with their posts and watch your network rapidly grow. If you stay consistent, you will get plugged into a new community that will help you grow your business.

3. Attend industry events

Not everyone is a social butterfly or loves to network, but it does pay off to attend events that are relevant to your company.

If you are not comfortable with migling just yet, bring someone with you and take pictures to post to social media using the event’s hashtags. This will help you increase your following on social media with industry leaders who are active in the community.

4. Share information

The easiest path to becoming a thought leader in your industry is to share information and resources. Not only is it good for you to keep up with trends in your industry, posting content will provide value for your followers.

The easiest way to stay up to date on trends is to set up a Google alert so that you are notified via email when news articles that are relevant to your business are published.

5. Get involved and give back

It’s easy to find a non-profit to volunteer for that aligns with your business. Sell software? Get involved with a non-profit that helps kids learn how to code. Own a restaurant? Help feed the homeless.

There are many things you can do to give back simply by volunteering your time. It’s important to be more than someone who just makes money. Be someone who makes a difference.

There is no downside to growing your personal brand. You meet new people and get new opportunities, which you can take with you wherever you go. When you allow people to follow your journey, they are more likely to remember you and reach out in the future. The best part about it all? It costs nothing to get started.

So what are you waiting for?