In today's competitive landscape, standing out has become more challenging than ever. With layoffs becoming commonplace, rising costs of living, and an increasingly cutthroat job market, you might be wondering how to distinguish yourself in your professional field.
Sources: layoffs.fyi
You may be one of many experiencing this, having questions such as:
How am I meant to stand out?
How can my talents be recognised and appreciated by employers and clients?
How can I attract top companies and startups for once-in-a-lifetime opportunities?
One of many solutions to these pressing questions is to develop a strong personal brand online. While traditionally associated with internet creators, social media influencers, and celebrities, online personal branding has become essential for everyone, especially designers, artists, and entrepreneurs.
In today's digital age, your personal brand can be your most valuable asset. It's a powerful tool that, when leveraged effectively, can open doors to new opportunities, allow you to build a powerful network of like-minded individuals, and increase your earning potential.
According to Goldman Sachs, the creator economy could approach half a trillion dollars by 2027. Yet, only about 200 million people out of 7 billion are content creators. That's just 2.86% of the entire population. The good news in all this?
We're still very early.
What is personal branding?
A personal brand is much more than just an online presence. It's the unique combination of skills, experience, and personality that you want the world to see. It's the telling of your story, and how it reflects your conduct, behaviour, spoken and unspoken words, and attitudes.
Here's an example of a LinkedIn influencer in the design space:
This influencer has built a substantial following in her niche and provides easy access to her portfolio, making her visible to potential clients and employers.
Her profile tells you that she is an experienced professional given her past roles and her clear objective of helping lead others to a dream career. It gives you a glimpse into the kind of person she is as well as makes you intrigued to learn more about her.
Why do you need a personal brand?
You've probably noticed the rise of internet creators and influencers over the past decade. YouTubers, Twitch Streamers, Instagram/TikTok Influencers – they've all leveraged personal branding to build their careers.
But it's not just for content creators. Gig workers, freelancers, contractors, and consultants – often referred to as solopreneurs – are becoming increasingly common. The internet has democratised access to information and networks, allowing anyone to build and monetise their online presence.
With remote work becoming the new norm, people are seeking more autonomy over their lives and better career opportunities. This is why we're seeing entrepreneurs emerge from all walks of life.
Having a personal brand is the best way to:
Express your authentic self, online through your work, while making a living doing it.
Differentiate yourself through the value you provide, whether it's your design work, industry insights, or even entertainment.
Get more eyes on your portfolio and services, allowing you to become more accessible to high-net-worth individuals.
The biggest advantage of having a personal brand is enhancing your credibility and authority, allowing you the opportunity to increase your earning potential. This is possible through a concept known as leverage.
Leverage
Leverage refers to your ability to scale the value you provide to your audience through a product or service using capital, books, media, movies, and code. This is a term that was popularised by entrepreneur and angel investor, Naval Ravikant:
"This includes books, media, movies, and code. Code is probably the most powerful form of permissionless leverage. All you need is a computer – you don't need anyone's permission."
I'd like to focus on two forms of leverage that Naval mentions and that he believes to be the ultimate forms of leverage: media and code.
Media
Media refers to content, which is essentially social media, influencers, YouTubers, Twitch Streamers, Online Courses etc. These all come under the creator economy:
Source: GRIN
The beauty of the creator economy is that you are free to choose what works for you to express yourself.
While there are many avenues to explore, educational content often proves to be one of the most lucrative. According to a blog post by Teachable, course creators on their platform earned over $456.7 million collectively in 2020 earning Teachable $1 billion in creator sales, highlighting the potential of educational content in the creator economy.
Educational content typically involves:
Online courses
Coaching (1-1)
Paid communities for students
Education content is a give-and-take relationship. You provide value, you get rewarded.
Why is media so powerful?
Because it is easy to replicate on a large scale very quickly. You create a piece of content once and distribute it an infinite number of times (in theory) via the internet.
These forms of leverage can earn you money whilst you sleep, which is said to be a much better measure of having wealth. Think about:
A YouTube video that earns you money through views and ads.
A website that earns you money through traffic and ads.
Twitter and LinkedIn profiles with work that gets you access to high-net-worth individuals and opportunities.
LinkedIn posts with high levels of engagement that unlock opportunities for you in your career.
This is the end goal that we are aiming for with our personal brand. You shouldn't have to struggle financially to do what you’re passionate about for a living.
Getting Started With Your Personal Brand
Building your personal brand isn't something that happens overnight, this is something that you will be doing continuously for the rest of your career (and even life). This is why it's important that you:
Be Authentic: Express your personality and be genuine. People can tell if you're putting on a persona or if your actions don't match your words.
Be Consistent: Maintain consistency in your message and in your online presence. Regular posting, interacting, and networking are crucial for growing your audience.
Have Integrity: Honesty and strong moral principles are essential. Consider your top values and filter every decision relating to your personal brand through these values.
Provide Value: Share insights, unique perspectives, and first-hand experiences from your craft or industry. Content that makes your audience smarter, feel good, or laugh is on the right track.
Steps To Take Today:
So, what should you do moving forward?
Set up social media handles across relevant platforms: LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram, etc.
Think carefully about the skills, experience, behaviour and personality that you want to reflect through your brand both in person and online.
Identify the key topics you want to be known for.
Start posting about these topics via your social media platforms.
Continuously learn about these topics as you create content to educate yourself and your audience.
Remember, building an audience can take time, but with consistency and value-driven content, you can create a personal brand that opens doors to new opportunities.
Don't leave your success to fate. Start building your personal brand today.
We’d love to hear your thoughts on the topic in the comments below.
Until next time,
Design Zindagi Team
Suggested Reading: If you're intrigued by the concepts discussed in this article, we highly recommend reading "The Almanack of Naval Ravikant". This book is a collection of Naval's most impactful thoughts on wealth creation and happiness, available for free online. It's an excellent resource for anyone looking to deepen their understanding of leverage and personal growth in the digital age.
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