“Personal branding” may seem like a buzzword, but in reality, it has been around forever. As Melonie Dodaro, CEO of Top Dog Social Media, puts it,
“Personal branding used to be something that was reserved for celebrities, speakers, authors and other public-facing professions just a mere decade ago. The Internet and social media have completely flipped that upside down.”
Personal branding is something that continues to evolve. In an age when most professionals will Google you before they ever meet you, presenting a strong brand both online and in person is important.
Didaro discusses other ways that personal branding has shifted through the years. We encourage reading her entire article here! These are some of our favorite points she discusses:
- Because they have the ability to research individuals, companies, products, and brands before they choose to purchase products or services, customers today are more “critical” than customers of the past. Your brand must act as “evidence” that you are worth time and money.
- People can make judgments about you faster now than they could in the past. Because of social networks and Google, it is likely that a professional or customer you are meeting for the first time has already gathered some level of information on you before they even see you! Make sure that what they see when they search online makes a good first impression.
- With so many business, brands, products, and services, customers are starting to look for companies and individuals that offer a reason or story behind why they do what they do. Communicating the meaning behind your passion through storytelling is one of the most effective ways to attract others to your brand.