Building Your Personal Brand: A Guide

Regardless of what your business is or how vast your scale of operations, building a personal brand is important. Your personal brand is your story; it infuses your work and business with personality and differentiates you from your competitors. Given its importance, developing your personal brand can seem like an overwhelming task. It isn't always easy, but you can begin by asking yourself the following questions.

Who Are You?

As mentioned in the introduction, your personal brand is your story. The titular question is your personal brand's starting point, but it can be broken down into more questions. For instance, think about what drives you to do the things you do and what are the things you enjoy doing. 

Besides that, reflect on areas where you're lacking or things with which you struggle. Humans make mistakes but strive for perfection, and your personal brand should capture that.It'll make your brand more relatable to potential clients and customers.

What Do You Want to Be Known For?

Your bio tells people about you, but it isn't necessarily what you'll be known for. Your reputation is going to stem from your experience, expertise, industry, etc. The goal is to establish yourself as an authority on whatever it is that you're known for.

You can begin doing this by identifying your niche. Doing this ensures you don't overstate your qualification and that there isn't any vagueness regarding your specialty. It also limits your competition, as the broader your area of expertise, the more competition you have. Once you've identified your niche, begin noting down the experiences and skills that make you an expert in said niche. The last step is conveying all this information, which is the subject of the next question. 

How Will You Make Yourself Known?

With the brand set up, your next step is to convey it, and there is a multitude of ways to do that. You could begin networking through LinkedIn or using other social media sites, like Instagram and Twitter, to market your site. You could also request endorsements from former colleagues (LinkedIn is a good place to do this).

Besides this, you could set up a website with a blog. Using search engine optimization (SEO) techniques, you can expand your reach with blogging. Further still, you can complement your social media and blogging efforts with lifestyle photography to visually get your story across. Regularly adding photos and blog posts to your website is an effective way to expand your reach and convey your personal brand.

If you're looking for professional product photography or lifestyle photography in Medford, Oregon, contact me. I'm Adrien King, and I'm a photographer and director in Ashland, Oregon. My photography services include boutique, commercial, and family lifestyle photography, as well as e-commerce photography. Get in touch to put the finishing touches on your personal brand in the USA.

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Lifestyle Photography and Brand Identity