.png)
If you are a business owner, an employee, or are even thinking about having a career, you have a personal brand whether you realize it or not.
Everything about you - your Facebook profile, the car you drive, the clothes you wear - are all saying something about how you live your life.
How you represent yourself to others reflects you as your brand. Do you post negative stories and rants on social media? Are you friendly with your local post office employee? Think about how you hold yourself in daily life as it directly relates to your business.
You see, if you sell mattresses for a living, you're not just selling a place to sleep. You're selling yourself too.
If you greet a customer and say "Yeah, pick any mattress, you can sleep on any of them," those people will not buy from you. If you say, "Wow, I have this one and I can tell you my back problems have lessened significantly," you just created an instant relationship with your customer and they feel more comfortable with you.
I've noticed it with my blog too. People crave human connectedness. Give it to them.
For Business Owners:
No matter what you are selling...I repeat...no matter what you are selling, you are also selling yourself.
People want to feel comfortable with who they're buying from, not just what they're buying.
You need to put a face to your brand. You need to show people there is a human on the other end of the computer screen who is trying to take their money.
It can be scary to put yourself out there, but it's imperative. If you don't have a picture of you on your social media pages and website, you are missing out on sales. 82% of people are more likely to buy a product when their CEO is active on social media.
Look at Jenna Kutcher - an Instagram legend at this point. She did an experiment where she only posted photos of herself for 30 days on her feed. She gained 13,000 followers from just letting them see the real her.
For Employees:
Do not think for a minute that just because you work for someone else there is no benefit to having a personal brand. You may have a franchise or work for a big corporation. Either way, you could use your social media to complain about politics or post funny memes, or you could post how you are so proud to work for your company and why. You could post about initiatives and charities they donate to and how one customer today brightened your day. Not only are you putting positive information out there for yourself, your company will see this and see your value as an employee, putting you at the top for promotions.
For Anyone:
Is the person you are portraying on social media the person you strive to be? Are you surrounding yourself with people who lift you up and make you a better person? If not, it's time to start tweaking your image. Take a good look at what you put out and if it doesn't align with the person you envision yourself becoming, take it down and change it.
If you want to be a professional you need to paint yourself in that light. You need clean, good quality images (that are not selfies!!) out on your social media showing everyone who YOU are and what you stand for.
You need to show them what makes your brand unique and what makes you worthy of their business. A personal brand is so important because it defines your values and mission to others and also holds yourself accountable to them.
So start sharing. And not what Johnny got on his English paper or the new shoes you got from Target. Share what your clients would want to see. Share what makes you unique and what you enjoy doing in your down time. Be relatable. Pretend your followers and clients are people you want to be friends with. How do you market yourself in your best light to make that happen?
Personal Branding Sessions with me start at just $150 to help you grow your business and your brand. They include headshots and authentic images of your life to build the personal brand that will attract clients and show everyone your best self.
I will work with you to hone in on your best qualities and why people should choose you and then capture them in branding photos you can use on your website and social media pages.
Even though it seems scary at first, I promise putting yourself out there will be worth it! Contact me for a free consultation and any questions.
Gina
Gina Co. Photography
Nashville, TN