8 Strategies to Build your Professional Branding - Introvert Whisperer

Introvert Whisperer / 8 Strategies to Build your Professional Branding - Introvert Whisperer 8 Strategies to Build your Professional Branding In today’s competitive landscape and digital-driven world, it’s important to build a professional brand as unique as you are. Today’s tech-savvy hiring managers tend to rely on candidates’ online presence to make crucial hiring decisions. In fact, a recent survey suggests that nearly half of employers are less likely to consider a job candidate if they’re unable to find the candidate online. Whether you’re a recent graduate entering the workforce or a seasoned professional looking to build your own business, a distinctive professional brand both online and offline   could be the key to setting you apart from the competition. A strong professional brand can help you stand out in the market by establishing you as a credible, reliable expert in your field. If you’re just starting on your professional brand journey, you might not know where to begin. There are plenty of strategies you can employ to bring your professional brand to life; the key is to find what works best for you. Here, we share some proven strategies for building your professional branding.   1) Know yourself   In order to create a professional brand, you first need to define who are you are, and who you are not. Start by examining your core strengths and the value you could provide to employers or customers. Be introspective and objectively assess your strengths and weaknesses. Once you’ve defined what you stand for, you can start to identify companies or customers who would benefit from your professional brand.   2) Create your elevator pitch   Every brand requires a strong brand statement, and your professional brand is no exception. To resonate with your target audience, you need to be able to clearly articulate your professional brand and summarise what you do and who you serve in a concise statement. Your elevator pitch should clearly articulate your value and capture people’s interest in as little as 15-30 seconds. Though this may seem like a daunting task, a strong elevator pitch can be a powerful sales and promotional tool. Start by asking yourself the following questions: In what areas or industries am I most knowledgeable? What characteristics do I have that make me stand out? What type of role or projects do I want to pursue? Once you have the answers, you can start to craft your elevator pitch. 3) Define your brand   Once you’ve developed your elevator pitch, it’s time to define your brand. A professional brand isn’t only a reflection of who are you today, it’s also a roadmap for where you’d like to be in the future. Evaluate where your current expertise lies and how it relates to the industry you’d like to pursue. Then, build your brand around your specific area of expertise and vision for the future. Hone in one area where you posses the most expertise and highlight how you can tap into to build value for employers or customers. 4) Take your brand digital   Your online presence is a key component of your professional brand. Consider starting your own blog or website to help promote and share your expertise and knowledge. There are a lot of website builders available today that make it easy to design and build your own website, such as WordPress, Squarespace and Wix. If you opt for launching for a blog, remember that quality trumps quantity. Though it’s important to post consistently, you should aim to create content that’s informational, educational, and effectively showcases your expertise. Also, be sure to make content easy to digest and simple to share. Miss Thrifty, written by frugal blogger Karen Fleeting, is a wonderful example of a well-executed professional online brand. Not only does the site’s content appeal directly to its target audience of young mums, but it also uses a conversational tone that connects readers to the real person behind the brand.