How to Create an Authentic Personal Brand in 3 Steps

Creating an authentic brand is vital to brand success in 2021. In this post I am going to discuss how to build an authentic personal brand in 3 steps.

1. Build an Authentic Personal Brand Vision

An authentic personal brand has its own vision, values and ambitions that are lived by its employees and owners. Authenticity is demonstrated when you stand for something that goes beyond yourself. That could be your product, service or the people who work with you. Everyone who’s ever worked in business knows it’s more enjoyable to work with people who share their values. Your brand should represent the employees as well as the vision. The voice and actions of your company should be one and the same.

Authenticity is something that shows with time. You can’t create it overnight and you can’t fake it – there will be no success in the long run if you do not stand behind what you say and what you do. Ask yourself: what does your brand truly stand for? Do your actions show how important that is to you?

2. Utilize Social Media

The authenticity of a business’ values should flow through all communication. Your social media platforms should communicate these values and principles regularly. With social media being a key tool in marketing and advertising, it is important to establish clear values. We have all learned this year that what you put on the internet is important and can have consequences as well as reward. When you want to build an authentic personal brand, social media is a great place to start. I like to utilize Canva to create graphics concerning such values.

3. Show up in the Workplace

Your employees should also be able to talk about them with enthusiasm and conviction. Whatever your values are, you need your staff to believe in them just as much as the people who visit or use your services. If you want to focus on creating an authentic brand, be sure not to share posts about topics that your company would not be comfortable speaking about or supporting in any given situation.

You don’t ever want to be stuck in a situation that you can’t answer confidently. This is not authentic and it doesn’t look good on your brand. Building an authentic  brand requires a lot of introspection and time on behalf of all involved. It is important that everyone understands the message you are trying to communicate. There should be an alignment between your brand values and the employees’ and owners’ personal values.

For example, if you value sustainability, every business decision should be based around that. Whether that means choosing suppliers with similar ethics or reducing energy usage in your office space, everything should flow from this authentic brand vision. If you value equality and diversity, ensure all your hiring practices reflect this. Your authentic brand should also flow through your products and services.

At Kendall Media Co., we are passionate about building authentic brands. To showcase our authentic personal brand, we align ourselves with clients that share our values and who are community focused. We spread the message of community over competition and make a point to support other companies in our community. We also work with brands that specifically fit into our niche rather than taking every client that inquires to work with us.

While authenticity may be difficult to create, the benefits outweigh the challenges. When you truly believe in what you’re saying and doing, there’s no hiding that fact. Your authentic brand will build an emotional connection with clients and customers because they know what to expect from you at all times. Your audience will then view your brand as trustworthy.

To build an authentic personal brand, it is important to be able to stand for something without the need for self-promotion or telling people what they want to hear.

Building an authentic personal brand may take time, but it will be rewarding in the long run. If you want your company to become successful, you need to be authentic about who you are and what your business stands for. What do you want your brand to tell the world?

You can find more branding information here.