Surekha Bhosale

Uniqueness | The Vital Factor For Your Personal Brand

Introduction :

There’s nothing complex than stating what makes you unique. And as you’ve heard about personal branding and its importance, you must know that the key to defining your personal brand in a strong way to set yourself apart from others (in a new light) to the target audience is none other than by being unique.

So, a personal brand statement has to crucially spotlight on that uniqueness within you. Meaning, knowing your “why” as well as being able to sell it to the people you meet is vital, and this is what will differentiate YOU.

For instance – If hundreds of similar applicants apply to the same career role, what will ensure your success in winning it is through showcasing your career uniqueness with the help of a personal brand. It transforms you from just another resume into an actual personality and tells who you are, what you care about, and the value that you bring to the industry. This is supposedly why hirers do not seek applicants with just skill-sets, they rather invest in those who are real and possess actual personality.

Hence, to secure your personal brand distinctiveness, here are 5 hints that will guide you on how to create one:

Hint 1: Find Your Key Values and Passions

You need to know exactly what you’re selling. Consider your hard skills and the personal values, passions, and dreams that distinguish you from the rest. Most of us have tough time thinking about ourselves, so initiate with some basic questions:

  • What qualities in your work do you value the most? 
  • What are your biggest passions, personally and professionally?
  • What type of impact do you wish to create in your work? Social impact? Creative fulfilment? Business results?

Hint 2: Do not Copy others, but Learn from them

You are smart to learn from others and emulate their strengths but stop short of trying to duplicate them completely. Your own unique skill set will be what establishes you apart and if you mirror another’s skills too closely it will be difficult for others to verify your particular contribution.

Hint 3: Figure out Your Value Proposition

The promise that your personal brand needs to make to the world, that’s your value proposition. Remember that a unique personal brand is like a stellar ad campaign. Apart from telling your followers who and what you are, your personal brand needs to convince them that you’re the single best person to give them what they desire. Even if you provide valuable services, industry insight, or you’re trying to build a blogging empire, you need to promise value to your followers.

Hint 4: Search Advocates

Searching for people who will actively advocate for you is essential if you wish to articulate about your own value. Why? Since, they provide valuable coaching and guidance, as well as make a case for you. It is due to this reason that you need to nurture advocates in order to evolve your network and build relationships.

Hint 5: Pull it All at Once

It’s showtime. But, before that you’ll need a personal presence makeover. Yes, a user-friendly, organized personal digital snapshot that showcases your brand and your work in the best light possible. (Emphasize yourself digitally in the best way possible by signing up with www.yourprofilecard.com) It not only displays visitors about what makes you unique but also what you can do for them. Think of it as a cover letter with a little additional colour, a little additional data, and—most significantly—a little additional you.

Remember, personal branding is everything about becoming and being viewed as the best version of yourself.

So, while building your distinctive personal brand it is mandatory for you to see to it that it also incorporates these following four rules simultaneously along with the above tips.

Rule 1:Brand for the Long Haul

Your personal brand is one of the largest investments you are ever going to make. It’s an asset that will magnify the value of existing opportunities and create new ones.

However, before that, do you know the value of your personal brand and how crucial it is for you to invest in a personal brand? Well, YOU can read the blog article – “What is the VALUE of BRAND YOU? | Why Should YOU Invest?” to gain insights on it.

If you just emphasize on branding your company or startup and it fails, you lose all that work. But a personal brand can transcend the failure of whichever project. 

Try setting up different “branding baskets” and brand yourself separately from the projects in which you are included.

Rule 2: Be a Thought Leader

Thought leadership refers to leaders or go-to people in a field or industry who have been acknowledged as authorities and are trusted sources within their areas. People head to them for advice and guidance.

To become a true thought leader you must spotlight your attention within the right areas.

Although, wondering which areas notably? Then here are 7 crucial personal branding tips to gain higher visibility that will put you on the right path to establish yourself as a thought leader:

1: FOCUS YOUR EXPERTISE

2: PICK YOUR ISSUES CAREFULLY

3: SHAPE YOUR PERSONAL PROFILES TO STAY CONSISTENT WITH YOUR EXPERTISE

4: DEVELOP A SIGNATURE PIECE OF CONTENT

5: WRITE FREQUENTLY ON YOUR AREA OF EXPERTISE

6: EMBRACE SPEAKING EVENTS AND WEBINARS

7: NETWORK WITH PEERS AND PROSPECTS

Rule 3: Have a PR Plan behind the Brand

It also is imperative to think strategically while developing BRAND YOU.

Here are 5 steps to crafting your independent PR plan for your personal brand:  

  • Find what makes you stand out among the crowd
  • Set SMART goals
  • Identify your target audience
  • Establish a routine and stick to it
  • Reevaluate your strategy

Stick to your plan as nearly as possible so that you do not fall behind schedule.

Even so, personal branding takes time. It may also require budget investment. Need clever ways around this? Implement these 7 tips to PR your personal brand on a budget:

1 – BRAND YOUR TOOLS

2 – GET MEDIA COVERAGE

3 – INVEST IN PHOTOGRAPHY

4 – ENTER AN AWARD

5 – CREATE FREE CONTENT

6 – HOST AN EVENT

7 – START LIVE STREAMING

Rule 4: Brand toward Millennials

With lots of diversions out there, it might seem unattainable to grab the awareness of millennials. Nonetheless, it can be done. How? Through these – 4 keys to creating brand loyalty among millennials:

  • AUTHENTICITY
  • SOCIAL MEDIA MESSAGES
  • MULTI-CHANNEL MARKETING
  • BRAND INCENTIVES AND REWARDS

Building and retaining loyalty with Millennials does not need to be complex. Give them an emotional connection, an opportunity to share, and in return, they will be loyal. But, be sure about the positive experience that YOU give them since millennials desire to interact and create a story, not just make a purchase.

3 Pitfalls You Need to Avoid For Crafting a Distinctive Personal Brand

Now that you know regarding how to achieve personal brand distinctiveness as discussed earlier in the above tips as well as in the rules, let me ask you this: Why do People Fail at Crafting a Distinctive Personal Brand? Do you know?

It’s due to not heeding these 3 Pitfalls:

  • Being Inconsistent
  • Making it All about You
  • Trying to do too much

To avoid the above following dangers you need to ensure that your personal brand considers the 6 following essentials:

#1: Find your edge

#2: Have clear cut goals

#3: Dedicate yourself to your work

#4: Be transparent

#5: Strengthen your weaknesses

#6: Learn from every experience

If your personal brand covers all these 6 distinctive personal brand essentials then you’re on the correct track to setting yourself apart from competition (Being UNIQUE).

Entrepreneurial Personal Branding Lessons: 3+ Key Takeaways from Elon Musk

Takeaway 1: Learn from Other’s Mistakes & Be more Hands-on

“I got into my own business because I wanted to express something that was locked away when I worked for others,” stated Musk. To build a reputable personal brand, you should be willing to undertake what others have failed. According to Elon Musk, any time he presents a product to a friend, he expects them to tell him what they don’t like about the product. His philosophy is to always take the approach that you are wrong and strive to be less wrong in the future.

Musk recommends that to craft a personal brand everyone will remember, you need to be more human and less corporate robot. Do not be afraid of displaying your personality.

Musk is both internally as well as externally a champion of his brand. Although his social media reputation management keeps his brand accessible, he is always hands-on when it comes to the business side. He works 100 hours a week.

Takeaway 2: Focus on what Matters & Think Big

It is easy to get dragged back by noise and non-existent problems. Several entrepreneurs have noted that they possess a not-to-do list, but Elon simply asks himself whether a specific path will lead to the development of a better product. If pouring money into a certain cause will not improve his product, he does not proceed with the activity. 

People will frequently be ready to rally behind a cause that has a lasting impact on the world or a particular industry. Most of Elon’s achievements have been revolutionary, and that has made it easy for him to influence people to work with him. A few of his most revolutionary projects involve PayPal and SpaceX.

Takeaway 3: Have a Powerful Vision & Execute Your Ideas Well

Most people dream of owning a business at one point in their lives. However, some problems might stand in their way. Elon Musk, one of the richest people in the world, reminds us to have a compelling vision. Besides having a strong vision, make sure that you create a realistic plan on how you will achieve it. Attaining your goals might be difficult if you do not take your time to implement your ideas correctly. Any blunder along the way might open doors of success to somebody else and drag you back some steps. 

Therefore, you need to think carefully and creatively before you do anything that might affect your dreams and goals in life. Also, you must know that great ideas can come from anyone at any time. The only problem is in the implementation of the ideas. This is why you need to be as creative and bold as possible when pursuing your dreams.

Final Thoughts

Today’s business markets and job market are more competitive than ever. In order to succeed, you’ll need a good personal branding strategy to set yourself apart. And one of the first things you will want to do when creating your personal brand is to establish a unique, powerful personal branding statement.

Find Your Key Values and Passions, Do not Copy others, but Learn from them, Figure out Your Value Proposition, Search Advocates, and Pull it All at Once to successfully create and secure your personal brand uniqueness.

Need to build a personal brand that defines your distinctiveness/uniqueness? REGISTER with our latest online platform “YOUR PROFILE CARD”, and develop creative digital snapshots of yourself with our wide range of featured PROFILE CARD READY-MADE WEB TEMPLATES (Gives your BRAND YOU 5x Growth). To PURCHASE/OWN your “Profile Card Ready Made Web Template”, VISIT www.yourprofilecard.com and SIGN UP today!!!

Scroll to Top