Techgue | When talking about a public figure or businessman, it is not uncommon for some of us to discuss personal branding or self-image. So, what is personal branding? In recent times, everyone who is involved with the internet or has social media definitely needs personal branding. Moreover, if they want, information about themselves on the internet can help them continue their career.
This usually happens to freelancers, influencers, job seekers, company employees who are developing their careers, or those who want to be known to the world for their contributions to a community. If we are one of these people, the following review of self-image will be very helpful.
What is the Meaning of Personal Branding ?
When we want to buy goods, apart from quality, we are definitely fixated on the brand, right? Because whether it is recognized or not, brands are often a benchmark for the quality of an item. This is why fashion products from Hermes or Gucci are more popular with socialites than local brands such as Nevada or Fladeo.
So if you have a question, what is personal branding or self-image? The answer is, brand. Yes, if an item has a brand, then humans have a personal brand. Personal brand or self-image is a message that we want to convey to other people about our personal qualities, vision and mission, values and certain goals.
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In short, self-image is the process or practice of marketing yourself as a product with a certain image. Like goods, quality is the main thing in personal branding. This is why we are obliged to build a good reputation as a brand so that people are interested in the ideas and concepts conveyed.
What are the Benefits of Personal Branding
After getting to know personal branding, you may already have a little idea about the benefits of personal branding for your career.
In this internet era, taking control of people's judgments through self-image is important. With good personal branding, you can make yourself stand out which will then open many doors of opportunity for your career advancement.
For more details, here are some of the benefits of self-image that you can feel.
1. Build Trust
When buying a branded item we indirectly believe in its quality, the same thing applies to personal branding. By having a good persona, like it or not, people will trust us so that they will not hesitate to accept ideas and collaborate.
This is why a good reputation is needed to build a self-image. And as an asset in the digital world, we should be able to create the right image so that personal branding is attractive in the eyes of other people.
2. Expanding Connections
Relationships and connections are two important things in the world of work or digital marketing. By having a self-image, directly or indirectly you will get many opportunities to engage with various people from various backgrounds.
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When one day you have to build something that requires a certain field, personal branding is very helpful in finding suitable relationships. Because whether we admit it or not, the basis of establishing relationships with other people is trust and self-image which has these elements.
3. Be Authentic
Having a personal brand can also differentiate us from other people considering that in the digital world there are many people who have similar skills. Moreover, self-image is usually built from a person's vision, mission, goals, values and skills so that the branding that is formed is definitely different from other people's.
This is what makes branding make someone authentic. Apart from that, branding can also cover weaknesses and highlight strengths so that someone can use it to achieve what they want more easily.
How to Build a Strong Personal Brand
After understanding the meaning of personal branding and its importance. The next step is to find out how to improve personal branding, here is the review:
1. Get to know yourself
To build a strong self-image, you must first start knowing yourself. Self-image is generally known as a person's second or even 'fake' image or personality. In fact, self-image doesn't have to be like that. You can do branding without needing to create a false impression.
To do this, you must first know who you are and your personality. In essence, first identify all the aspects you have and your characteristics. To find out the answer, there are several questions you can ask yourself, such as:
- In what field do I excel
- What is my motivation in life
- What characteristics do people like about me
- What job do I like
- What roles do not suit me
If the answers to the questions above have been found, you can move to the next stage, namely determining the desired branding.
2. Determine Personal Branding Goals
Reflecting on the definition at the beginning of the article, self-image is an image. So when determining branding, make sure it is not much different from your personality and skills according to the field you will be working in.
For example, you are an influencer who is known for being passionate about presenting aesthetic home interiors. So that branding can reach the desired goals, present the image of a room stylist who is able to mix and match furniture and accessories to make the house look beautiful.
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Don't be distracted by other things, such as presenting the figure of a traveler or suddenly becoming a religious leader. Focus on your abilities, the field you want to work in, and your personal skills.
3. Determine the Target Audience
For personal branding to have a strong foothold, it requires a loyal audience. For example, you are a graphic designer who has the skills to create quality animated videos. In order for this image to be attractive, of course you need a place to display your work and creations.
This is where the role of social media is needed. The combined power of social media and self-image can help reach the desired audience. In this case, you will get an audience from people who like animation. If you already have loyal fans, it is not impossible that the image of a qualified graphic designer will help us get big projects.
4. Build a Professional Network
Apart from the things that have been mentioned, you can also build a professional network to improve your self-image. Whether you admit it or not, the stronger the connection you have, the greater the possibility for personal branding to be better known to people. Apart from that, from this network we also have the opportunity to get new projects that have the potential to advance our careers.
5. Develop Branding on Social Media
As mentioned previously, the combination of self-image and the power of social media will help people get to know us better. Especially in today's digital era, almost everyone has social media and builds strong interactions with other people on these platforms.
Whether we admit it or not, nowadays people prefer to search for information via Google and the internet. So with social media, we can reach these people so that the personal branding that is being built becomes stronger. Especially if on social media we display portfolios and projects that have been carried out.
6. Develop Abilities
Building a good self-image is not only about showing what you have but also developing what you have. To be able to build a good self-image, you must never stop developing and learning. The business world is changing very quickly and you must always learn new things so you can stay relevant.