At first, my perception of personal branding was extremely primitive.
Personal branding was all about showing off my results to people.
Got a certificate after some training? Post it!
Completed a project? Tell people about it!
Learned something new? Post it on LinkedIn!
Got some achievement? Well, you have to tell people about it!
Of course, I think, all those actions should be done.
But now, after some more time spent on LinkedIn and having examined the profiles of other people, I got the feeling that something was missing in this concept of personal branding.
Since I am going to keep posting my results, what will anyone know about me?
Someone might know what courses I’ve finished.
Someone might know about the projects that I’ve worked on.
But do they know what interests me?
Do they know my way of thinking?
Do they know what type of tasks I prefer to do?
Of course, they don’t.
I don’t think a certificate tells my whole story
There are so many certificate posts on LinkedIn.
I have posted such posts too.
Someone finishes a course and posts the image with the text about how happy they are to move forward to the next stage. And then, someone else does the same.
That’s alright.
But seeing so many similar posts, I got myself thinking what is it that really makes someone’s profile stick in my mind.
For me, that’s definitely not the number of certificates someone has.
That’s the person behind those certificates.
I remember people who share an interesting thought about what they do.
I remember those individuals who reveal their learnings from experience.
I remember someone who tells a story about the project they did and how things went wrong and what changes were made.
These posts let me understand a little bit how this particular person thinks.
And that’s when personal branding gets more interesting for me.
How would I like to be remembered by others?
One thing that I have started wondering about is this question.
What does someone gradually realize about me when they have seen my name many times over the internet?
I do not want people to know from my profile that I’m studying digital marketing.
I want them to see my portfolio and understand that I’m genuinely interested in subjects such as content, social media, branding, and digital marketing.
I want them to understand that I’m learning and experimenting rather than just telling what I have done before.
Obviously, I’m learning this myself.
But this is probably another thing I need to learn too.
One thing that I have started thinking about is this question.
I use to think that I should know everything before discussing anything online.
This does not seem very realistic.
After all, I am learning digital marketing too.
Therefore, when I learn something new and interesting related to social media, I can talk about it.
When I analyse a certain advertisement and find something interesting, I can discuss it.
When I do any project and commit errors, I get a chance to pass on my experience to other people..
It is not necessary for me to present myself as an expert.
All I need to do is to become a learner and thinker in the field.
In fact, this seems much more honest to me.
The way you communicate is also part of your brand
It is not all about putting up posts on LinkedIn either.
Just imagine this.
They may look at your LinkedIn profile and check out your portfolio next.
They may contact you after that.
Perhaps they will read some of your publications.
Everything this person sees will build an image.
Your writing style.
Your manner of explaining things.
Your presentation.
Your responses to different people.
Even the selection of your projects.
Slowly, all these things build up the picture of your professional self.
This is the reason why I believe that one cannot achieve personal branding through strict posting.
I don’t want to create a “perfect” version of myself online
There is something about personal branding that I also find somewhat awkward.
Social media sometimes tends to portray everybody as doing wonderful things constantly.
New job.
New certificate.
New project.
New accomplishment.
New milestone.
All of them seem successful.
But when you are learning something, it may not necessarily be the case.
Sometimes you do not know what you are doing.
Sometimes the plan does not pan out.
Sometimes your first try will look nothing like what you have in mind.
We do not have to put up everything we fail at on the Internet.
However, we do not necessarily have to act as if we know everything.
I prefer to showcase myself as someone who is still learning.
Personal branding should still feel like you
This I believe might just be the most crucial aspect for me.
There are so many formulas to build up your personal brand.
Post thrice a week.
Include a hook.
Share stories.
Create a call to action.
Keep up with trends.
And, indeed, some of the above can be quite helpful.
However, if everyone uses the exact same formula, everyone’s personal brand will end up looking like everyone else’s.
I believe that there has got to be some room left for your personality to shine through.
Your style of writing.
The topics which interest you.
The type of visuals that attract you.
Your approach towards things.
Such small details are what can make all the difference.
So, what is personal branding to me now?
I don’t consider it to be just a set of accomplishments.
My accomplishments are part of my professional journey, but not everything about it.
In my view, personal branding is all about revealing to people gradually:
What I am interested in.
What I am learning.
What I can do.
How I think.
And maybe, most importantly, what kind of professional I am becoming.
One single perfect post on LinkedIn does not constitute the construction of a personal brand.
This is done over time.
A person sees your post today.
He or she will see your project next month.
He or she will see something you wrote down sometime later.
After a while, he or she will begin to know who you are.
It’s not just about showing people what you have achieved.
It’s about giving them a reason to remember you beyond your achievements.
