7 Things To Do Today To Improve Your Personal Brand

The birth of a company comes hand in hand with the birthing of a personal brand. It doesn't really matter if you've begun working on improving your brand still there. Looking at most large companies, there's a trend that suggests that to succeed you'll need a larger than life brand. But how do you get there? Here's how.


1. Get in the Mindset that You ARE a Brand

When getting in this mindset, consider Apple. When you think of Apple, what do you think of? What do you want people to think when they hear your company's name?


Do you want them to think of futuristic technology or do you want them to think of a homely carpet store? Once you've got that in mind, you'll know how to market yourself well.

2. Track Your Online Presence

With the speed at which information travels in today’s digitally-focused world, the importance of monitoring your online presence is paramount. Whether you’re researching your company’s online presence or your own personal brand, monitoring your Google search results is one of the most important things you can do for your reputation. You need to know what you’re up against before you can decide whether or not you need to take any action, so understanding what your search results look like is the first step. Getting started can be as simple as typing your name or your brand’s name into Google and scrolling through the results.

One of the first things potential clients or business associates will often do when considering whether or not they want to work with you is to search for your name or your business’ name in Google. Staying proactive and monitoring your Google results allows you identify potential issues before they become crises and potentially affect your business. A single Tweet, false statement, or action can cause a public relations crisis for your brand - don’t wait until a situation arises before taking the time to create a crisis management plan. Working with a company that provides crisis management services can help navigate your search results and prevent a small mistake from becoming a brand-defining disaster.


Fortunately, the basic idea of Googling your brand is simple. Begin by plugging your brand’s name into Google to get a sense for what kind of results are common on the first few pages. Are they mostly negative or mostly positive? Is it easy to access important information about you or your brand? Is there any important information missing from your results? The following guide can help you learn more about your search results and make your searching more effective.

Google yourself. From the results you get, you can build. Set alerts that tell you when your name is beginning to pop up more often, perhaps you could Google yourself twice a day in order to check up on it.

The more your name pops up, the more people are going to see you. (*Disclaimer*: If you have a common name, add your middle initial or your full middle name to differentiate yourself.)

3. Make a Personal Website

Your website doesn't have to have complex moving parts, it can be as simple as a resume and a short bio. Although the more professional your website is, the more likely it is to attract viewers, just having a website is a huge step towards success.

What other way will people be able to discover your company?

4. Find Ways to Produce Value

Have you ever had a situation in which you noticed someone from a large company tweeting about something totally unrelated to them? It probably makes you think, Boy, I wonder why he felt the need to let us know that he really enjoyed his Campbel's Chicken soup today. Stay in line with your brand, which will in turn create more value.

Don't post just whatever you're thinking or feeling, post about different technologies if you're a tech company. Speaking of Twitter.

5. Think Before You Post

Don't post random things on your Twitter or Instagram. The people who follow your company are not interested in your life or what you did that day. Don't post too liberally, and definitely don't over-post.

Try to stay professional and adult when you post, donÕt divulge anyone who comments something mean by responding to them.

6. Become Friends with Other Brands

What college did you attend? Are any other alumni also in business? Are they successful? If you can answer yes to those three questions, youÕve got a beautiful start. Join groups, find alumni from your college, and branch out.

The more powerful allies you can associate with, the better off your company will wind up being.

7. Reinvent and Tell a Story

What's your story? How did you get to where you are now, and why did you begin your company? These are all important questions that will better your personal brand.

Having an inspirational story will help to inspire those who are investing in the company and will also do wonders in getting your name out there. Not only that, but you should always evolve. Never stay in one place, always make progress and reinvent.