Building A Personal Brand: It's Not Who You Think You Are That Matters

What was it like the first time you heard your own voice from a recording?  Weird, right?  The first time I heard myself from a voice recording, you know way back when kids carried ghetto blasters around, I was like..."Wait, that's not me!  I don't sound like that."  Well I did sound like that...to others.  If you sound a certain way speaking to others, is it also possible that perhaps you come off differently to others?  Of course!



I've learned from entrepreneur extraordinaire, Gary Vaynerchuk, whose course on Udemy right now is selling for a mere $15 through the next two days, that the key to building a personal brand and becoming a leading authority on anything, begins with self-awareness.  You have to know your strengths and your weaknesses.  And you cannot go off what you believe you're great at.  He calls this, the romantic version of yourself.  Instead, you have to get help from acquaintances and close friends.  They have to be the ones that give it to you straight.

Not everyone has it to become a celebrity authority making millions of dollars spreading their gospel on "pillows or wine," says Gary.  It takes a great deal of work figuring out what you can talk endlessly about, crafting the best story of you, and have unlimited amount of content on.  If you sort of like something, you can't go all in.  So determining what you're best at is the key to loving what you do daily.

Next, you'll want to put forth a ton of content.  Daily is best.  You also need to discover which method you're best at.  Do you write well?  Perhaps a blog would suit you best.  Do you listen well?  Perhaps a podcast where you can interview others and chime in once in a while with thought provoking questions is the way to go.  Video is number one, however.  Make great videos sharing your story and awesome content, and you have a shot at being an influencer.

Social Media is the next medium you'll want to conquer.  Be a king of one or two social apps.  If you're doing videos on YT, you'll want to combo this on Facebook.  Better yet, to have as less "friction" as possible, post video from your phone straight to Facebook, meaning not linking YT on a post, especially when you're starting out and want to grow your audience.  

Basically, wherever your audience is, Twitter, Snapchat, etc., that's where you need to be.  Understand the "nuances" of each of these channels.  But also get on the ground floor of any new social sites.  There is so much saturation in the established social sites that carving your space out will not be easy.   

Lastly, don't forget to evaluate your efforts.  You gotta know your numbers.  Is your audience engaged?  Are they clicking and posting comments?  Are they buying.  Are people sharing your post, link, etc.?  Keep an eye on your traffic.

Becoming your own social media empire or online personality is not easy.  It takes learning details from experts, reading constantly, lots of trial and effort, and a thick skin when your numbers fall flat.  If building a personal brand is what you want to do, I strongly suggest you buy this Udemy course by Gary Vaynerchuk.  By the way, I am not getting paid to promote this course.  Wish I were.  I just want you to have the best information possible and achieve your goals.

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