Unlocking The Power Of Personal Branding As A Freelancer
As freelancers, we often don’t see the value in our work, especially as we get started. We may refuse to get a website because we don’t know what to put on our site, or we don’t see other people taking their personal brand seriously.
We have to get out of the “my experience is worthless,” mindset so we can make real strides in our business.
Related Listening: How To Win At Freelancing Using Personal Branding With Javacia Harris Bowser
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In today’s episode, we’ll be chatting about unlocking the power of personal branding as a freelancer
The Five Basics Of Personal Branding
First things first, let’s talk about the five basics I think you need to know if you want to get into personal branding for your freelance business.
1) Personal Branding Is More Than A Logo Or Color Scheme
The physical or visual elements of your personal brand are essential. Aesthetics play a role in our decisions to hire someone, but it’s not the end all be all. Your personal brand isn’t an empty shell of brand colors. It’s gotta be more.
2) Owned Media Is The Best Media
If you are going to build a personal brand, media you own is the best media ever. Get a website, start an email list, do whatever you can to send potential clients to things you own.
3) Your Vibe Attracts Your Tribe
If you give off a professional vibe, you’ll attract professional people. We all need to look at the vibe we give our potential clients because we could be attracting the wrong people if we aren’t careful.
4) Focus On Value, Not Fluff
When you create a personal brand, your goal is to create a valuable presence online, not one full of fluff. How can you help take potential clients to the next level with your content? Are you ready to truly show up with value versus flooding the internet with more useless content?
5) Personal Branding Takes Time To Implement Correctly
Last but not least, it’s essential to realize that personal branding takes time. You can’t just go at it for a week and expect it to stick. Create a schedule and stick to it for a few months before you reassess what’s happening.
I am reading This Is Marketing, and Seth Godin said something that resonated with me. We all have our goals, and we use strategies and tactics to make that happen. Strategies are a combination of tactics, and tactics are what we do to meet our goals. Tactics are interchangeable. We can use several tactics and change out ones that don’t work, but it doesn’t mean we abandon the goal if the tactic doesn’t work.
How To Balance Building Your Brand And Working With Current Clients
This is probably one of the most challenging questions ever. You need to pay your right now bills, but you also need to think about the future. That balancing act can turn into an issue.
First and foremost, it’s all about prioritization. You make room for what you want to do, even if it doesn’t feel like it. Your current position may feel comfortable, so you block yourself from even trying. Most people can find the time to work on personal branding, but they choose not to do so because it can make them feel awkward like they are an imposter or any number of excuses.
Break down what’s giving you pause. See if you can eliminate those feelings and work on your issues with working on your brand.
Work on finding an accountability buddy. Tell them what you want to accomplish each week when it comes to your brand. Check-in with them throughout the week to make sure you get those things done.
Have grace and give yourself a goal that’s approachable yet stretches you. We want to go after a goal that’s grounded in reality, but we also want to think outside the box. My journal The 90-Day Ambitious Freelancer Planner can help you tackle your personal branding goals for the quarter. Again, focus on grace, and be okay if you can’t accomplish everything when you thought you would.