5 ways to Build and Establish your Brand.

So you’ve taken a leap of faith and started your own business, Congratulations! For some, it’s an exciting time to venture out and put their entrepreneurial skills to the ultimate challenge, a challenge they’re so eager to embark on. For others, it can be quite terrifying to try something new, wondering if the world will appreciate what they have to offer as they determine the best path to take to success.

Your brand is how you want to appear to the world. How well do you want to be recognized? How will you build your authority and your following? We learned a thing or two about establishing your personal brand from thought leader, Thomas Smale, a contributor for Entrepreneur.com and Founder of FE International shared an insightful article on this topic. Here are 5 Brand Building Tips:

1. Be true to yourself
For a brand to be “authentic”, so should the creator. Your brand should tell your story, who you are, what you believe in, where you came from, and how you came to creating your own brand. People connect with people better than they connect with “things”. When speaking to others about your brand, wouldn’t it would be harder to fake it then to just simply be yourself? Just some food for thought.

2. Speaking Engagements
Are you a people person? Do you speak with knowledge or from a level of authority? Do you have the ability to intrigue and captivate others? Being an entrepreneur is all about developing good communication skills because part of building your brand is being able to speak about it on a regular basis.

3. Write thought leadership articles
This will build your credibility as a leader in the industry. Write about topics that talk around your brand and share your knowledge with people who are seeking this kind of information.

4. Build and protect your internet presence
Claim your business online and be aware of how you appear or what people are saying about your brand online. Embrace online reviews, even the not so pleasant ones. Start a Facebook business page and ensure that it presents you in the best light possible. Meet your customers expectations by appearing in their search results, it further legitimizes your brand and your existence.

5. Never stop learning
You may be an expert in what you do but the development and advancement of your brand has no limits. In order to stay relevant in this ever-changing, ever-growing world of technology, continue to learn from other thought leaders and competitors in your industry. You can never have too much knowledge and perspective.

The most important thing to remember is to stay humble by being open to the opinions of your followings. Be honest about your weaknesses and strengths. There’s nothing more believable when it comes to branding than one that is “human” and one that people can relate to.


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