What Does Personal Branding Mean and How Can You Build It?

Personal branding is certainly not a foreign term. Especially with the massive social media that allows a person to be with whoever him or her self  wants.

For example, when asked to name a journalist, you could easily mention Najwa Shihab. Or when asked for a YouTuber's name, you can easily mention Atta Halilintar.

This is what is known as personal branding. So, what does personal branding really mean and how can you build it? Come on, see the following information!

What Does Personal Branding Mean?

Basically, personal branding is a process to form, create perceptions, and maintain perceptions in the eyes of the public in order to achieve a positive image.

The perceptions that are built and displayed can also vary, for example a person's expertise, personality, achievements, and other values.

Several experts also expressed their opinions about what personal branding means, for example from Erwin Parengkuan and Becky Tumewu who have been in the entertainment world for a long time. According to both, personal branding is an impression or impression that is closely related to skills, behavior, and achievements that are built either intentionally or unintentionally with the aim of displaying self-image to many people.

In other words, personal branding can make someone remember us easily.

When someone starts the personal branding process, there are three things that must be answered first, namely:

A. Who are you?

B. What have you done?

C. What is the goal you want to achieve?

Benefits of Personal Branding

Some of the benefits of personal branding that you can get, including:

A. Credibility and Confidence

In real terms, personal branding means that it can be implemented directly to build credibility or someone's trust in us. With someone's trust, this automatically has an impact on self-confidence. However, it should be noted that this image that you build must be in harmony in all things, including on social media so that everything looks honest and does not look like it is made up.

B. Have Self-honesty

Everyone who starts to brand themselves certainly agrees that they have gone through a process of self-discovery where everything starts with honesty. Remember, personal branding is about you, not about other people. So you don't have to create a fake persona that you're not.

C. Have Extensive Networking

Networking or connections or relationships with other people is one of the benefits of personal branding. Because basically, when people recognize who we are, this will open up opportunities for you to meet new people, and even meet mentors who can help you grow.

How to Build Personal Branding

The question is, how to build personal branding? Some of the steps you can take are as follows:

A. Make Sure You Know Yourself

Get to know yourself and start by answering the question, what motivates me to do this?

B. Find out who you want to be known as

Determine who you want to be known for, whether as a graphic designer, writer, psychologist, or professional in a particular field.

C. Don't Forget to Set Your Target Audience

Determine the audience you want to reach, for example you want to be reached by the manager of company A, then build an image that has a close relationship with company A.

D. Determine and Look for Characteristics

Look for differentiating yourself from others because out there of course there are many graphic designers, writers, psychologists, etc. After being able to answer the questions above for personal branding to be successful, you must consistently introduce yourself to these characteristics continuously so that people remember you easily.

E. Prepare a brief introduction

Various self-introduction words are very important in everyday life. That's because by introducing yourself to others can know who we are. Therefore, do a brief self-introduction but still be able to voice what the personal branding you are building means.

F. Understand the industry you want to work in

Once you've started to map out the career you want to pursue, it's a good idea to start studying the industry. For example, you can start by finding out who the successful people are in that field, and don't just follow them. By studying the industry and the great people in the industry, you can then take the lessons to be applied.

G.Learn and follow experts in the chosen industry

To be able to maximize what personal branding is being built on, you can also start studying the attitudes or thoughts of a professional in the field you are aiming for. That way, you can learn about what it takes to enter the profession.

H.Jangan takut meminta rekomendasi

Memiliki kolega baik itu senior ataupun junior di tempat kerja sebelumnya yang mendukung kamu adalah salah satu cara termudah dan paling efektif untuk menguatkan apa arti personal branding yang kamu miliki. Sama halnya seperti bisnis yang dapat berkembang dengan ulasan dan testimoni baik, kamu juga harus memiliki rekomendasi dari orang-orang sekitar yang pernah bekerja denganmu.

I. Don't forget personal branding offline

Personal branding is more than just an online persona; that's how you carry yourself at home, the office, and even on your daily commute. Sometimes many forget the importance of doing personal branding offline because they are too focused on online personas. These two personal branding must go hand in hand.

J. Maintain reputation and consistency

A good reputation as well as consistency are the keywords in strengthening what your personal branding means. The reason is, if you are always consistent and have a good reputation, then you have proven that you are indeed a person who never gives up and is authentic.