Think about your first day at a new job. You fit in with the crowd of eager, groomed faces, but you are strangely not there. Why? A lot of the time, the answer has to do with branding custom towels with logo. A good idea of how to portray yourself is like a neon sign in a room full of gray cubicles, even though hard work will always be important.
Celebrities and influencers aren’t the only ones who care about personalized branding. People who work in offices, are freelancers, or run small businesses also have a stake in this. Think about it: Who gets the job, the raise, or the follower? It’s not usually the most quiet or humble. It’s the one whose name you remember long after the conference is over.
Begin with tiny things. You don’t have to set your clothes on fire or make your Instagram feed so shiny that it blinds people. Instead, start by looking for what makes you different. You can be the person who always knows how to solve hard challenges or the teammate who makes jokes as the deadline is coming up. Get closer. Add that color to everything you do, like your LinkedIn page, your personal website, or your email signature.
Don’t let your digital shadow get too lengthy and dirty. Search engines eat up everything, even those fifteen-year-old tweets and that awful college blog entry. Check in with Google on a regular basis. Keep things clean as you go.
Personal branding can seem like showing off, but being real is important. If you’re naturally quiet, pushing yourself to be loud all the time will wear you out. There is a sweet spot. Let your quirks shine, but keep the version of yourself you show to others close to home. People can smell a fake from a mile away, so keep that in mind.
Don’t think too much about being consistent. A misspelled word in your bio won’t kill you. Not posting every Tuesday at 11 a.m. sharp isn’t the end of the world. Not worshiping algorithms, but being honest is what gets people’s attention and keeps it.
Some people hate networking lunches, but getting to know people is more important than any logo or font. A nice DM or coffee chat could open a door that credentials alone can’t.
Do you still question yourself? Get three words from friends that describe you. Every answer is a breadcrumb that leads to your unique taste. Put those crumbs together, bake them in, and watch how things start to alter. All of a sudden, you’re not just another face in the crowd; you’re the voice they remember.
Branding isn’t magic. It’s a bunch of choices, and each one is like a brushstroke in a bigger image. Take the brush. Give it a shot. You might be shocked at who is paying attention.