Personal branding: How to build and promote your personal brand

I know what you’re thinking! Why is Becca talking about branding? Isn’t this Lifejoy lark all about the joy of life and trying to navigate the tough stuff that we encounter? Well, you’re correct on both fronts. Also, I’ve been self-employed for a decade and learned a lot about what it takes to earn money from doing something that you love and perhaps, more importantly, helping people with their unique offerings. I’ve kept learning all the time. I spent a couple of years planning and going on various training courses to be self-employed and I’m always doing a course of some kind to keep me up-to-date. Oh my goodness ~ the amount of tech that I have had to learn to just be able to communicate with my precious clients and readers has been immense!

The Importance of Living Your Values

Another interesting thing is that I have learned that personal branding is so much more than your logo and the colours you use in your promotional materials. It is all about living out your values. I attended a training course given by a very nice accountant who talked the whole time about the importance of brand values. How you presented your work to the world. I liked the accountant very much. They were affable and knowledgeable and then I got mad. Suddenly when I was asked about my brand, I just started to rant and I never rant in public!

I said, “I think it would be wise that we stop talking about BRAND values and just live out OUR values. They should be seen and not heard! Our brand values are not something that we just use for work but for all of our daily lives. Our intentions and our work must be reliable, wise, brave and good in every choice and interaction; not just when we think we can make a sale from good behaviour.” The room was silent. Then someone piped up, “Eh I could listen to her all day!” Everyone giggled.
I suddenly realised that I might have gone too far but, having had lots of people try to sell me stuff, I had realised that values need to be endemic not just for the transaction. When we behave well, we work well.

Personal Branding vs. Business Branding

Your personal brand, work brand and business brand are just your personal qualities magnified. When people suddenly become rich, it can allow the best of them to be amplified. When people suddenly become hurt, it can allow their courage to shine. All our normal ordinary hours allow us to show the world who we really are.

So the sunflowers came about because a kind pal gave me a packet of seeds when I was very ill. It may have been a tiny gesture from a skint student but it started everything. Think about all the tiny moments in life where you can have a good effect.
I believe that branding, marketing and selling can all be honourable endeavours. They can shine with service and goodness. The generosity of spirit and time can be the best testimonial ever. Ethical and holistic marketing can be about sharing your offering with the people who love what you do. Most of my clients are self-employed so we spent lots of time trying to make their lives and work shine.

Challenges in Building a Personal Brand

Now here is the interesting part. I have just signed up for two more courses because I can’t stand still. I have to learn stuff that scares me a bit and do things I don’t really want to do. After all, that is what being a grown-up in the self-employed world means ~ being unfamiliar and being ok with that process. I have had my fair share of disappointing behaviour so have had to toughen up and not be soft. I have things in place to make sure that I charge a fair price and get paid. In the early days, I had people forget to pay, not bother to pay or just do a bunk! That was distressing! Now I have better systems in place and, I hope, better people! I’ve tried things that didn’t work very well or that didn’t work at all! I’ve offered services that did sell well and some that didn’t. Most importantly, I have had the best elements of help, support and guidance from joyous souls who make my life lovely. My intention is to pass on their goodness and help others to shine.

Here are 10 ways to be your brand:

List the things you love. Make them part of your offering.
Find free or creative ways to give more.
Be as good as you can be in all that you do.
Find good people with whom to work.
Set yourself up slowly ~ that makes you sustainable.
Go gently and at a wise pace. Don’t take daft risks.
Find free and impartial advice. Listen to it. Keep evolving.
Ask yourself why you do the work you do. Tell that story to the right people. The right people are your ideal clients. Learn how to outline their needs and how you can help them.
Communicate your solutions to their problems repeatedly.
Always remember that somewhere, someone is waiting for you to do what God has called you to do.