How to Make Your Personal Brand Stand Out Without Being Loud

 One of the goals of having a Personal Brand is to communicate the knowledge you have and the value you can bring to a table, in a way that will affect the influence you will have towards an audience.


Any end goal you have for building a Personal Brand, be it:

• career pivot

• landing a job

• getting a promotion

• career growth

It will all have to come down to how much you understand the company you’re wanting to work with or a particular audience, and how effectively you can connect with them.

Standing out may seem like natural thing known experts have, but it’s actually all perception (aka Personal Branding), and they’ve put in some form of work to gain that.

Of course, you’ll want to do it without being, loud, aggressive, salesy, or presumptuous.

Come prepared

To do this, you will need to select the right niche and get to know them really well by doing a bit of research.
 

Who is your audience?

How much knowledge do you have about the company you’re applying for? Apart from their industry and who the CEO is, do an in-depth research about the business they are in.
 

What are their key generators of income? What products and services do they offer? Have they been in the news lately, or did they recently launch something? What do they do as part of the corporate’s social responsibility?

These information are not simply for. “small talk.” You can utilize these as they are helpful in creating conversations that will get key people to know that you have a sense of understanding of how their business works.

It also helps to ask questions during the first interview such as company values, culture, etc., so that in the following interviews, you can position yourself as someone who is a right fit for the company given your character and experience.

The process is also the same if you’re eyeing career growth or building an audience as an Industry or Thought Leader. You will need to be asking the right questions about your audience to stand out.

What is the problem that you are trying to help them solve? What is the need you can help them with?

Where can you reach them?

a. Offline
Events, NFP Organisations, Conferences, Trade Shows

b. Online
Social Media, LinkedIn, Forums, YouTube

The right connections can be made when you are in the right place, saying the right things, to the right people.

Leverage your work

There’s a big difference between talking constantly about what you can do, and talking about what you have done.

If you don’t want to come off as loud and salesy, talk about changes and actions instead of just buzzwords.

The most subtle way to do this is to show results, or let others speak for you. If you have measurements of changes you’ve contributed to in your previous work, talk about that. If you have testimonials from clients you’ve helped, show it.

Nobody’s you, and that’s your superpower

Quite literally.

Your special mix of traits, skills, and values already makes you a stand out candidate, but the interviewee or the next client needs to know this.

Things you can do:

• Use your unique Point of Difference and be clear with it

• Let your personality shine. It doesn’t matter if you think you’re not funny, or not bubbly enough, etc. It only matters that you’re genuine and confident.

• Evoke positive emotions, online or offline. Show eagerness, share knowledge, inject some humour, etc. Your attitude comes through in your actions, so be mindful.

Work with other people

Building a network is another effective way to stand out. Immersing yourself and taking time to get to know people in the industry will add significant points to your reputation.

Nurture these relationships by keeping in touch, being generous with your time and knowledge, and whenever possible, learn from feedback and others’ insights.

Join memberships, conferences, or MeetUp groups. Being involved and participating in these will build credibility, and it will make word of mouth recommendations possible for you.

You can also collaborate with people if the nature of your work allows you to, to help you create content and with promotion as well.

If you want to know how you can build a strong Personal Brand with a clear Point of Difference, create an effective communication strategy, and have a sustainable and profitable career that you love, don’t hesitate to seek help. Send us a message and we can help you assess your situation and take the necessary steps with you using our tried and tested methods in 1:1 coaching.