A part of being an entrepreneur is all about getting yourself out there. This means having to build your personal brand anyway that you can. We cannot all be rock stars from day one and we may never become one, but we can sure as hell be successful business leaders in our field.
You can build your presence in a number of ways and they do not have to be expensive or particularly hard. In fact, most require discipline and self motivation. This is something you should have in spades as an entrepreneur already.
Here are some simple tips you should definitely consider if you want to build your personal brand presence.
Leverage your network regardless of size
It doesn’t hurt to leverage those within your network as you start out. By communicating with those in your network regularly, you are able to gain visibility and start that initial engagement.
This doesn’t mean that updating your status is the best way to go about it, but you should be thinking about the value you’re able to provide to others. If you go about engaging your network, you should consider the following questions first:
- How can you help them?
- Can you provide them with business opportunities?
- What kind of support can they get from you?
Don’t wait for networking events, but pick up that phone or drop them an email. At take advantage of all the people in your circle and always assist when you can.
Become a thought leader through content
Sharing articles and videos is great, but ultimately you’re a curator at best. By actually creating the content, you can become the thought leader behind the conversation and drive the discussion.
We have met many amazing thought leaders and one thing that they do is build great content. See something like Konsyg CEO, William Gilchrist and the some of the content he has shared with us. Also, he does video.
Another good example of a thought leader would be SYNC CEO, Terng Shing, who is a regular contributor to our publication. His views of PR and content marketing are regularly featured on our platform, his corporate blog and other outlets that see his work.
So make sure you build presence by creating thought leadership pieces, start a podcast or even film yourself. Find out how you can add value or educate, and start doing it. Ask yourself the following:
- What knowledge or tips can help others?
- What are some of things that you find not to be accurate portrayals of the industry?
- What do I want to hear about?
Infographic created by HALO Branded Solutions, a branded merchandise company
Always add value
When you give, you tend to get a lot in return. So be sure to volunteer to help where you can. There seems to be too many people just looking to sell through networking, without first putting in effort to add value to that network.
By being someone who adds value, you gain reputation and also you’ll be remembered as someone who helps rather than just tries to take. Remember that building presence won’t happen overnight, so staying the course is essential.