On International Women’s Day, like so many others, we are focussing on the ladies! Women dominate the communications industry, we like to talk, to get to know each other and create strong networks… So why are we so reluctant to talk about ourselves and give ourselves the recognition we deserve??
A strong personal brand can develop our businesses and advance our careers but you can’t have a strong personal brand without putting some work into your own self-promotion. It may not feel very comfortable for the majority of women, but if done right, your personal branding can expand your network and exposure, increase credibility and trust in you, attract more of the right kind of clients/partners, increase your perceived value and therefore your earning potential, and keep you front of mind, leading to a more consistent flow of opportunities for personal and business development.
So why are we so reluctant, and what steps can we take to build our brands?
Generally women feel that doing a good job is enough, that the results speak for themselves, whereas men are much more comfortable speaking about their accomplishments publicly. Women tend to be more modest, and have higher standards for the level of achievement they feel warrants extra attention and shouting from the rooftops. Plus we feel more comfortable with ‘we’ statements, rather than ‘me’ statements, as they prefer to push the team’s accomplishments, rather than their own.
We need to get over it!
If you don’t brand yourself, others will do it for you based on their perceptions, and it may not be accurate! If you are quiet, you may be branded as passive; if you’re overly caring of other’s feelings, you may be branded as weak. You need to make an effort to position yourself and influence how people see you.
Your brand is everything about you and what you stand for – your values, aspirations, personality & way of speaking, attributes, skills & knowledge, interests & actions. Women are actually at an advantage when it comes to establishing a personal brand, as we have been proven to be more self-aware, and it should therefore be easier to determine an authentic personal brand.
Once we do embrace the idea of developing a personal brand, we should find it much easier than men to do as it plays to our natural strengths. Genuine personal branding is not self centred and focussed on gains, it is all about giving versus bragging, whether that’s giving value, sharing knowledge, acknowledging others, showering praise and expressing gratitude. The other key cornerstone of a personal brand is the building and nurturing of relationships – and women have been proven to have a higher EQ (Emotional Intelligence) than men, which is a key ingredient in relationship building. Back in the Industrial Ages, business was focussed on transactions and driven by men, in the current experiential age, these relationships hold the key to success.
So how do we go about developing our personal brand?
1. Know your brand
Who are you? What do you stand for? Who do you want to influence? What do you want them to know or feel about you? What evidence do you have, what activities, accomplishments, skills do you have that support your positioning of yourself? What makes you unique and what can you offer others in terms of your experiences, insight and networks? How are you perceived by others at the moment – are there any misconceptions to correct, or elements that people are not aware of? Perception is reality – it’s what people believe about you that is shared, not necessarily the reality.
2. Define your brand clearly and memorably
Focus on a maximum of three key messages that you want to come through – your main attributes/skills/values that will have most impact and which are of most value to you and others. Make sure you have ‘evidence’ to support these, paint a picture to highlight each and draw an emotional connection with others. You need to be able to communicate your competitive difference with confidence and clarity in order to be visible and memorable.
3. Own your accomplishments
This doesn’t mean shameless bragging or excessive self promotion, but you should be proud of your work and your achievements, and ultimately who you are! Recognising and owning your strengths and accomplishments allows you to project yourself fearlessly and authentically. Focus on adding value to those around you, and the value these accomplishments could have for others – in terms of inspiration, motivation, advice, support and community connection.
4. Shape your brand – actions speak louder than words
You need to get involved, you cannot develop a strong personal brand by being passive. Attend events, post on social media, get involved with community networks and organisations that you identify with, and which support rather than conflict with your personal brand messages. Your actions will physically demonstrate your values and embody your brand. The process works as a cycle – attending events and getting involved in the community will give you more experiences and insight, and provide you with more to say and a greater audience to say it to. Just make sure you are being true to yourself, your actions will not be sustainable long term if they do not reflect your passions/interests – it’s essential to be authentic at all times.
5. Surround yourself with the right people
You will be judged by the company you keep, so think about the people you surround yourself with. Not just professionally, but also personally as the lines are increasingly blurring. The people in your immediate network reflect (or should reflect) your brand – your values, your interests and/or your passions.
6. Maximise your network
Invest time in your people, make time for relationship building, and nurturing the relationships you already have. It’s amazing the impact the odd coffee or lunch can have on your relationships. Picking up the phone and speaking to someone does so much more than simply liking Facebook or LinkedIn posts and thinking that means you are in touch. Whilst focussing on your existing contacts, don’t forget to get out there and grow your network too!
7. Be generous
Not just with your time, but in terms of recognising and supporting others. Pay it forward as much as you can, support the events and initiatives of those around you, attend their events and promote their services. Give referrals, reviews, recommendations and testimonials wherever you can, and be as constructive as you can be.
8. Don’t be afraid to reach out
Start the conversations, proactively reach out to the people in your network. Build trust by sharing frustrations and issues and asking for advice. Ask for referrals, recommendations, feedback and introductions – your network may be well aware of what you do (or not) but they will not necessarily know when you need extra support.
9. Develop your online presence
Nowadays people will Google you to dig the dirt and will form an opinion of you from what they find. What do people find when they Google your name? Not being confident online, or being scared of the risks, is not a reason not to have a presence. People are online talking about you, whether you’re aware of it or not. wouldn’t you rather be able to see what they are saying and in a position to respond? Adjust your privacy settings to make sure that anything that doesn’t contribute to your public image is kept private, and think twice about everything you post.
10. Develop online content
Once you’ve identified your brand and voice, think about how you can maximise social media to communicate broadly and more efficiently. Firstly think about the existing platforms you have, and any other platforms that might be beneficial to you and your audience – are you using them consistently and strategically? Then think about the content types and subjects that support your personal brand and add most value to your audience. Collate and create content in advance, whether that’s news articles, event details, photos and videos, tips and advice, trends, research, testimonials, anecdotes, quotes, stats and soundbites, or third party content.
Spend some time thinking about how you use LinkedIn, as studies have shown that only 19% of Internet-using women actively employ LinkedIn. Men are twice as likely to have a complete profile and be using LinkedIn regularly. This means that women are less likely to be part of the conversation and less visible to decision-makers and influencers. nowadays, incomplete profiles make us seem less serious about our career and less engaged in our work.
To summarise, the first step is believing in yourself and everything that you do, and to be able to communicate that clearly. Whether you’re an entrepreneur, job seeking or corporate career woman, in today’s challenging global marketplace, this is not the time to be shy or modest – share your successes and encourage others to do the same. Invest time in your network online and offline – building new relationships and nurturing the existing ones – and develop an authentic, compelling and consistent presence online. It’s no small feat, and takes a fair amount of work, but us women are renowned for our skills in multi-tasking so at least we have the advantage there!
Please do share your thoughts, and any other tips, and if you’d like to discuss this further, drop us a line: sam@footstepcommunications.com
