1. Engage in Thought Leadership
“Position yourself as a thought leader in your space by authoring original content on industry trends and publishing it on your own blog, Medium or LinkedIn. Then, share it with your network.”
Stephanie Kaplan Lewis, Her Campus Media
2. Document Your Journey as an Entrepreneur
“People like following a good success story and getting a “behind the scenes” look. Show all the cool stuff you’re doing as a team by posting Snapchats, Facebook Live videos, or photos on Instagram. By documenting the growth of FenSens this year, I’ve been thankful to have numerous people reach out to try to help directly or indirectly connect me with somebody.”
Andy Karuza, FenSens
3. Give Before You Take
“The best way to promote your personal brand is to proactively think of ways to help others. Instead of promoting yourself, focus on asking how you can help other people. You’ll be amazed at how much you enhance your personal brand by constantly thinking of ways to help others.”
Doug Bend, Bend Law Group, PC
4. Get Quoted in Blog Posts, Magazines and News Articles
“Demonstrate your expertise by working with bloggers, journalists and writers who cover your industry to provide them with newsworthy insights. This can be hard to do at first if you haven’t developed a strong enough personal brand. But once you start getting quotes published in reputable media outlets, you’ll soon be a highly sought-after expert in your field who writers, by default, reach out to.”
Firas Kittaneh, Amerisleep
5. Become Active in Your Community
“Volunteer your time and be present at community activities. Show people that you’re willing to help out without expecting anything in return. You could volunteer to speak at community meetings, chamber of commerce luncheons and other business gatherings, or even lead a class at a local college.”
Nicole Munoz, Start Ranking Now
6. Feature Your Content in Your Posts
“If you’re sharing other people’s content more than 10 percent of the time, stop. Your social media pages are your media. Use them for positioning your message. If you don’t know where to start, begin by creating a list of 25 questions your prospects tend to ask when you meet with them and answer them.”
Kim Walsh-Phillips, Elite Digital Group
7. Get Artistic
“Your personal brand is the work you do and your philosophical ideals. In 2017, I plan to combine my work and philosophy into art, and to document the process on my personal website. I can’t think of anything more representative of who you are and what you are capable of than art.”
Peter Bonac, Bonac Innovation Corp.
8. Build a Engaging Instagram Account
“Getting on Instagram and using that to promote your personal brand is important. Curate quality content and thoroughly engage with your followers to really allow your account to grow. Your personal brand can easily be defined by your Instagram account and a couple scrolls through the feed can heavily affect your brand.”
Leila Lewis, Be Inspired PR
9. Promote With Podcasts
“Podcasts are a great way to show the personal side of your personal brand and reach different audiences in a meaningful way. Additionally, they are great ways to build relationships with the hosts (who are usually well connected) in the process! By getting guest slots on podcasts that fit your target market, you can make a lasting impression (and it doesn’t take long to record an episode).”
Robby Berthume, Bull & Beard
10. Write Long-Form Content
“Everyone blogs, and one more hot take or short advice piece will be lost in the deluge. Evidence-backed, long-form content that provides information of real value is far more likely to be shared, talked about and read. Instead of publishing four short articles a month, consider focusing on one high-value, evergreen piece of content that makes a valuable contribution to your audience’s lives.”
Justin Blanchard, ServerMania Inc.
11. Use Quora
“The best tool I have found is Quora. I find questions in topics that I am an expert in and answer them with very specific and elaborate answers. The goal is to give them a link at the end of the answers to get more. Then, push them to a squeeze page to capture the reader’s information to continue to stay in front of them.”
Tommy Mello, A1 Garage Door Repair
12. Create Authentic, Original Content
“We focus on strategic and creative original content that follows a consistent and thoughtful personal brand narrative. Focus on what your key brand line is and find creative ways to deliver that message that will speak to your audience while staying true to your voice. I have always found that authenticity is key.”
Justin Lefkovitch, Mirrored Media
13. Swing for the Fences
“Only you define the boundary of your personal branding. For example, if you want to get onto “The Today Show,” reach out directly with a quality pitch and press kit. Quick success in personal branding is a function of two things: likability (Are you fun, engaging and intelligent?) and legitimacy (Do you have the brand names to back you up?). Craft a personal brand around these two concepts and go sell yourself!”
Peter Kozodoy, GEM Advertising
