Why entrepreneurs should opt for Personal Branding??
Long gone are the days when our kith and kin used to propagate about our grandfather’s and father’s businesses. They used to spread the word of mouth, may be because that was the only means of advertising and branding back then. They were also okay with that as it saved their otherwise heavy advertising expenditures. What else does a businessman wants?!
In today’s era, after the emergence of PRs, scenario has changed. Around 10 years back, only the celebrities used to hire a PR team to manage their publicity. But now, these services are not only restricted to just few occupations, but also has benefitted vast number of businesses.
‘ Personal Branding ‘ , if we see in simple words, means ‘Khud ki Tareef’. You are the sole advertiser of yourself. In today’s highly globalised and competitive world, survival has become a Herculean task; one has to undergo multiple ways to ‘self-promote’ oneself. A big thanks to these various social media sites which have helped budding businessmen and also the commoners in several ways to make themselves and their businesses known and grow globally. Due to the digital advancement today, marketing oneself is no more a rocket science.
For example, Modi ji, our very own Prime minister, has become a brand now, quite feasible, the biggest brand of our country (I wonder if he has left behind SRK !!.) He has mastered the art of connecting his and his party’s name with his business. He has a solid personal brand, nation wide and internationally.
Personal brand is an extension of who you are and how you present yourself, be it online or offline. Apart from building your business, it focuses on you as an independent individual and also making yourself available to your clients, present and prospective.
Importance of Personal Branding-
Personal branding benefits a businessman both professionally and personally.
⁃ Professional advantages:
• Personal branding is necessary because people tend to trust individual more than companies. It allows to maintain a professional reputation along with a personal touch through social media.
• It makes you a leader and boost your image which would open new doors and many professional opportunities. The connection between professional success and personal branding is very unique and has the capacity to take an individual to new heights.
• It is also a medium through which you can establish how you want to be known in and out of your workplace. It is the image you portray to the world.
• Networking is another important advantage of personal branding which eventually increases the business.
⁃ Personal advantages :
Apart from the advantages on the professional front, there are certain personal benefits as well.
• Personal branding helps you to understand your strengths and weaknesses, it showcases the world what you are best at and how you do it and at the same time pinpoints your weaknesses too which also helps you to understand that it’s okay to be not perfect all the time and people look upto to you for who you are.
• You gain the courage to stand out in front of your team members, clients, peers and competitors, demonstrate your value through your actions and deeds and finally become more confident.
• It helps you to develop more friendly and amicable relation with your clients and employees which makes you an approachable person; which may turn out to be a win-win situation for your business because a friendly attitude is liked by all.
Everyone possess a decent degree, but not everyone has that unique personality to stand out in the crowd and market themselves. In order to make yourself known, you have to ditch the old and status quo mindset and think out of the box and establish yourself as a brand; for that, Personal Branding is undoubtedly the path to success.
*image courtesy: google