Q: How do you create a brand for yourself?

A: Personal branding is the process of defining and presenting yourself in a manner that reflects your values, standards, and beliefs. Many early career professionals have utilized personal branding to not just secure opportunities but to advance their careers and create a strong presence in their industries.

In the 21st century, social media has become an important tool to use to present yourself to people globally. Nowadays, with just your Instagram bio and posts, people can gain insight into your personality without even meeting you. That is why people are advised to be careful of what they post on social media.

Also, when you set a trademark for yourself, you become identified with it and people will know you for it. A trademark can be anything from a clothing style to a closing phrase or a logo. It is something that is unique to you. It is always interesting seeing career professionals have their own letter headed paper that they use in sending out letters to people or having their portfolio at the end of their emails to sign off. This gives people a sense of trust in you and it makes them view you as someone who has high standards and makes a great impact.

In addition to that, you must ensure that your choice of branding is original and has not been used by anyone else. Besides copyright infringement being a demerit of using someone’s brand as yours, you face a huge risk of being in the shadows of someone else when you don’t own your brand. There is a reason it is called your ‘personal brand.’ It is because it must only be identified with you.

Finally, you are never too small to have a brand for yourself. It doesn’t necessarily mean you must own a company. A personal brand is what people will use to know that you are who you claim you are.