Here's how to become a personal branding expert

Unique, we all are. So when I ask you what sets you, your business, your BRAND apart from the rest, you don't have to come up with the word unique. So what makes your company so special? That's what matters. The content - the value that gives and the result what that gives your customer. Let's talk about personal branding. We delve into what it is, why you need it and how to apply it. So that soon you'll beMARKt by your top customers. 

What is a personal brand?

When searching for personal branding meaning, you soon find out that with a personal brand you market yourself as a MARK. So you make yourself part of the BRAND of your business. Which is a necessity with entrepreneurs such as zzp'ers. 

Personal branding and marketing are often mixed up, but they are not the same thing. Marketing is generally a push technique to get sales of your product or service. However, marketing without being pusillanimous is what I believe you can achieve much more with by being visible as a BRAND onMARK and connecting with your customers.

Branding is a pull technique. You attract your target audience to you, so to speak. You show them who you are and why you exist. So with marketing you convey your message or promise, while with branding you deliver your message and promise. One certainly needs the other, they are not mutually exclusive. But they are definitely not the same thing.

Why do I need a personal brand?

Your potential customers form a judgment based on your positioning in the market. By expressing a strong sense of distinction, you will be elevated in the marketplaceMARKt. With the application of personal branding, your top clients understand why they should partner with you. With your MARK you show your passions, your ambition and your qualities. In doing so, you don't appeal to the whole world, you repel people to keep the core over: those top clients you "turn on" and with whom you know how to achieve the best results. 

How do I turn my brand into a personal brand?

A strong personal brand includes your potential, your passion, your core value and niche. Your MARKdignities make up who you are. The more specific you show who you are and what you stand for, the better. It is often these BRAND worthies that make you stand out, that along with what makes you tick and energizes you and the impact you make.  

Some examples of my personal and business MARKdignities:

• I am a big sports fanatic and do running, BodyAttack, skiing, BodyPump and snowboarding. No mountain is high enough in this. 
• Because I love fruits and vegetables, they also call me Gerdi Vegetable Farmer.
• Another nickname of mine: Duracell Bunny. I radiate boundless energy and approachable power. 
• You'll see me mostly in black clothes, but my shoes are back onMARKily distinctive. I have many shoes in different colors and types. Except heels, I really can't walk on those. 
• I love good word jokes and humor. So in between the serious moments, I laugh a lot with my clients. 
• My outlook is innovative and I make you think. 

I am Gerdi, the more than Business Coach, the one onMARKily Profitable Business Strategist, wife, mother, daughter, sister and friend. 

So I share who I am and what I stand for with my network through LinkedIn. Because of this, people get to know me better, know better what they have to gain from me and where we have a connection. So someone will want to work with me because they recognize or admire something in me. 
Earlier I wrote a blog with a roadmap for personal branding. Grab these as you take your first steps with personal branding. 

How do I get my BRAND noticed?

To ensure that your MARK stand out among a jumble of other brands, first you need rock-solid positioning. This requires a crystal clear goal. Only when you know what your goal is can you achieve it. An emotional connection with your customer is also very important. Because only when the customer feels connected to you will he or she purchase your services or products.

Being consistent and repetitive is number three to ensure your brand stands out. This is a point where many business owners miss opportunities. For example, they post about their message and offer once or just a few times and hope that's how customers will flow in to them. But the more often you repeat your message and offer, the more likely it is to stick with your top customers. Repetition is therefore crucial to get opgeMARKt to become. This will increase your chances for more sales and revenue. 

Last but not least, innovate, move with the changes in the market and adapt your offerings accordingly, so that your offerings are and remain incomparable. Don't rigidly continue doing what you were already doing. Because if you do what you always did, you will get what you always got. Keep an eye on the market and adjust accordingly. Make yourself a personal brand And earn your money in a fine way. 

How I use social media to promote my BRAND

In my strategy, I employ a mix and I adjust my content strategy accordingly. Those who have been following me for some time know that I mainly use LinkedIn to promote my MARK promote. This is where I feel like a fish out of water. When I was still working in international commercial business, I was already using LinkedIn. Since I have been active daily on this platform as an entrepreneur, it has given me so much! For me, it is the platform that allows me to grow as an entrepreneur. This is where I get upMARKt by my top clients and warm connections. I conduct introductory, potential partnership and sales meetings there.

Entrepreneurs who follow me here (quietly) schedule appointments with me and participate directly in one of my programs. I also regularly get asked by ambitious entrepreneurs HOW I do that. That is why I am now giving a Masterclass more reach(s) on LinkedIN and get noticedMARKt by your top customers. 

How do you measure the success of your personal brand?

Many people think that if your post goes viral, it's successful and if it doesn't, it's not. But what exactly is success? That something goes viral? Or that you have engagement with your post? Personally, I experience that posts with fewer likes generate precisely those top customers I want. I therefore focus on quality rather than quantity.

In fact, to me it has more value that someone visibility feels emotionally involved with me and therefore wants to work with me. So to measure the success of your personal brand, you must first be very clear what your goal is. Do you mainly want a lot of views on your post? Or do you want to get clients thanks to your post? I go for the latter.