It is extremely easy for entrepreneurs to get lost in their business and carry its identity. But every fashion entrepreneur is a different entity from their brand. This is way personal branding is important.
People like Oprah Winfrey, Elon Musk, and Kim Kardashian have built personal brands outside their businesses. This has helped them grow fast and soar to the top. As a fashion entrepreneur, you should also do this.
But, what is a personal brand?
What is a Personal Brand?
A personal brand is in many ways similar to a corporate brand. It is who you are, what you stand for, your values and the way you express those values. A personal brand portray you as a different entity from your business.
It is the unique combination of skills and experiences that make you you. A personal brand is how you promote yourself and endear your audience to yourself. It defines how you want others to identify you outside of your business brand.
As a fashion entrepreneur, you should build your personal brand as you build your fashion brand.
Why is Personal Branding Important?
Personal branding has so many advantages for business owners, some of which are;
1. It helps you build trust
Having a personal brand helps you build trust in your audience. When they google your name and see all you are about, it helps put them at ease about you. Also, it positions you as an authority in your field.
2. It helps you build your network
When your personal brand clearly shows who you are and what you do, and how you help people, it draws others to you. Both individuals and other entrepreneurs will see value in connecting with you online and offline.
3. It helps you attract more clients
With an established personal brand that positions you as a go-to person in a specific field, your ideal client will naturally come to you. It also makes it easier for others to refer clients to you.
4. It stands you out of the crowd
There are many fashion entrepreneurs all over the world but there is only one you. When you have a personal brand outside of your business brand, you will stand out from the crowd. Those that resonate with your personal brand will vouch for your business brand and choose you over competitors.
With a solid personal brand, also, charging premium prices for your fashion products will be justified.
5. It creates a lasting legacy
With time, your fashion business will evolve and you might even build other businesses outside of the fashion industry. In all of this, your personal brand will stay with you and tie them all together giving you a lasting legacy.
Steps to Creating a Solid Personal Brand
Creating a personal brand is much like creating a business brand except this time the focus is on you. Here are the steps to follow;
1. Identify Your Niche
Pretty much like it was when you decided to start your fashion brand, you need to identify your niche. Ask yourself what you want to be known for. It might not be the easiest thing to do but once you find it, you are on your way to building that personal brand.
At this stage, you build your foundation. Lay a fountain that you can confidently build on and be your authentic self. Let everyone know your skills, achievements, beliefs and value system.
Some of the questions you can ask yourself to develop your mission and vision statement are; What skills do you possess? What core values do you hold dear? Which industries or fields are you passionate about? What do you want to be known for? What message do you want to pass across? Why is personal branding important to you?
With all of these, you will be able to identify where to start.
2. Define Your Target Audience and Connect with Them
When you have identified your niche, the next step is to identify your ideal target audience. Who are those you want your brand to resonate with? By defining your target audience, you get to know which platform to use to pass across your message.
Sit and define who you want to pass your message across to. Try yo visualise who they are and write out their qualities. The more you know about them, the more prepared you will be to serve them right. Remember that not everybody can be your target audience.
By knowing so they are, you can now create content around their needs to appeal to them. Focus on becoming a leader in your niche and building a community for them to communicate with each other. Discuss topics that interest them and make them feel a personal connection to you.
3. Tell a Story
One of the best ways to connect with your audience is to tell a story. Just the way your brand story attracts people to your fashion brand, your personal story will attract people to you.
With your story let the see hat you understand where they are and create a promise to help solve their problems. Never create a product or service you want, create what your audience wants.
Let our offer be a combination of what you love, what you do best and what your audience wants most. With your story and offer, you should be able to draw your ideal audience to yourself.
In telling your story, inject your personality into the brand. Be authentic and genuine and let your audience have a peek into who you are. Decide on your tone and how you want to present yourself to them to differentiate yourself from others.
4. Increase Your Online Presence
The Internet is a global village. To reach people far and wide, you need to go online. Getting your content online will help you connect with a wide range of those that fall into your target market category.
Having a personal website is important in building that personal brand. Since you can control your website, you determine what happens there. When people visit your website, they should be able to connect with you and buy into your brand.
When people visit your personal website, they should be able to immediately detect who you are and how you can help them. They should feel lie they have come to the right place and feel a sense of belonging.
Having a strong social media presence is also important but you do not have full control over what happens there. This, however, doesn’t mean you should not build your social media presence. You can also reach out to others to feature on their blogs for a wider reach.
5. Create a Content Strategy
Content is king. In building that personal brand, you need to decide on what content you want to put out. This means making a list of popular topics in your industry that can help you industry.
Creating and distributing free content is one very effective way to boost your brand. Doing this shows people that you can actually help them and you won’t have to struggle to convince them of it. This builds trust and helps you position yourself as a leader and expert in your industry.
In creating and putting out content, consistency is key. So your content strategy should outline what you want to put out and how frequently you want to do it. Focus strongly on consistently and quality to keep you at the top of minds of your audience.
6. Get Mentors
Mentors help build you up. There’s no such thing as a completely self-made individual. Everyone needs helps at one time or the other.
When building your brand you will need the input of other industry leaders. You will also need them to recognise you as an expert to help push you to the top.
Never overlook the power of a mentor in your life. They’ll help you through tough times and make the way easier for you.
Building a personal brand as you build your fashion brand has so many great benefits. It helps people get to know you better and helps you diversify your portfolio. Start working on it today by following the steps listed above. Good luck!
1 comment
Very interesting topic, thanks for putting up.