How Important Is Your Personal Brand In 2016?

While the tech area is growing exponentially, the job market has also been starting to shift. The usual working model of people going to work in a certain place has been shifting rapidly into a more agile environment. Therefore, it has started to shift the job market for a need of freelancers and contractors instead of regular employees. It has been predicted that in 2050 more than 80% of company’s employees will be freelancers. According to Forbes in 2015, there were more than 53 million Americans freelancing that makes approximately 34% of the US workforce. As the number of contractors is growing exponentially, it makes it even more important to focus on personal branding.

Why should you focus on creating a personal brand?

For example, you just finished college and you are looking to establish yourself in a job market. You would want to establish yourself as the growing expert in your field. If you are looking to grow revenue for a company you work with, you would want to associate your personal brand with trust and as a person who always delivers great results.

Building Your Personal Brand In 2016

Find Your Niche

In today’s market, it’s necessary to be a Jack of all trades, that means you know everything about your industry, and you need to learn daily about it. Creating a personal brand you need to decide what you want to be known for. It’s not good enough to choose a more general field like Marketing, Sales or Human Resources because everyone is doing it. Find a specific niche you love and develop yourself to be an expert in that area. When you choose a niche, it’s easier to cut through the noise of the general market.

Start Creating Content

The fastest and the easiest way to build your reputation is by creating content. Find out what people in your niche are looking for and start writing about it. One of the best places to look for ideas to write about is Quora. If you have established some following, you can ask your followers on social media what’s bothering them and give them a solution. The easiest way to start is by answering questions on Quora and writing on Reddit, Medium, etc. You should also create your personal blog. Ask to be a guest writer for other blogs in your industry or check out other free collaboration platforms like HARO or MyBlog.

Have A Strong Social Media Presence

If you know who’s your main audience, you can change your focus towards the more relevant social network. In the long run, it’s necessary to have a strong social presence on all platforms. That said, social media is the best platform for creating your personal brand. Use it for sharing your written articles and other relevant topics about your expertise.

Create Your Own Community

Networking is the fuel for creating a successful personal brand. If you just put your blog out there and share it among your own social circle, the odds are usually against you. Building a personal brand is time-consuming and it’s not easy to cut through the noise. That’s why it’s necessary to build your own community of influencers. You can reach them locally through networking events, although usually it’s not most effective approach because everyone is doing it. Be creative and find new ways to connect with influencers and of course be respectful for their privacy. The easiest way to do so is by finding a way to offer value for other influencers.

Conclusion

Today more businesses are finally starting to focus on the power of social media and employer advocacy. I’m not surprised that in few years employers will be starting to watch a engagement rate of peoples social networks to determine if that person is good enough to work with them or not. Having a personal brand is not only for authors or for artists, it is rapidly becoming a necessity of every employee, contractor, freelancer or entrepreneur.

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