How can I build my personal brand if I don’t like being in the limelight?
The following answers are provided by members of Young Entrepreneur Council (YEC), an invite-only organization comprised of the world’s most promising young entrepreneurs. In partnership with Citi, YEC recently launched BusinessCollective, a free virtual mentorship program that helps millions of entrepreneurs start and grow businesses.
1. Let Your Work Speak for Itself
“Put the focus on your accomplishments. Let people react to the work you’ve done rather than the fact that you’ve done it. It’s a slight change in perspective, but it allows your achievements to be on center stage with you playing the background. Trust me, once you start piling on the accomplishments, people will know who you are.”
Rakia Reynolds, Skai Blue Media
2. Stay Behind the Scenes and Use Social Media and Web-Based Initiatives
“Use social media and business listing websites, comment on other blogs in your industry, and tell family and friends more about your business. Of course, you should still work on becoming less introverted, as the ways to publicly build your brand are immense.”
Andrew Schrage, Money Crashers Personal Finance
3. Gather Customer Testimonials
“Most satisfied customers are happy to give you a testimonial for your website. Use their stories to help you build your personal online brand by funneling traffic to your website. Consider using video testimonials, too. These are powerful representations of the benefits you provide that are easily and quickly consumed by visitors.”
Nicole Munoz, Start Ranking Now
4. Endure the Short-Term Discomfort for the Long-Term Gain
“Much of your job as an entrepreneur can be uncomfortable, but I’d go as far as to say that building your personal brand as a business leader today is almost necessary. The advice I often share with companies we represent is best summed up as “suck it up — it’ll only take 15 minutes” and “smile through the pain.””
Elliot Tomaeno, Astrsk PR
5. Focus on the Brand
“Personal brands are difficult because they require you (e.g. your ideas and your thought leadership) to be tied intrinsically with the brand’s identity. That being said, it’s entirely possible to hyper focus on the brand itself, conveying your personal ideologies onto what that brand represents without bringing attention to yourself.”
Blair Thomas, First American Merchant
6. Be Authentic
“When you do end up speaking or presenting yourself publicly, it’s OK to make it clear that you’re not there to build up yourself but that you’re there for your business. In fact, this is pretty compelling and relatable. Even if you’re not perfectly polished, just be upfront about why you’re in the public eye and what you hope to get out of it and people will take you at face value.”
Roger Lee, Captain401
7. Grow a Presence on Quora
“Quora is a Q&A community that allows users to answer as many questions as they would like. You can ask a question, suggest a question, and answer questions. It allows users to go under the radar and become largely successful in their profession. Quora is one of the best ways to grow your personal brand and build a following without undesired publicity.”
Tommy Mello, A1 Garage Door Service
8. Build Individual Relationships Instead
“You don’t have to be on a stage or speak to large groups to establish a solid personal brand. Work to establish personal relationships with people in your industry by meeting them for lunch and coffee. Make yourself unforgettable to them by creating educational and informative content through a book, blog or podcast and publishing it in places where people in your industry will see it.”
Matthew Paulson, MarketBeat.com
9. Demonstrate Your Industry Expertise
“Create great content that really shows off your expertise and has an impact in your industry. You can also engage audiences on social media and use it to prove your expertise and promote your content. At some point, you’re going to have to be under some sort of limelight to build your personal brand, even if it’s just digitally.”
Zev Herman, Superior Lighting
10. Give the Spotlight to Others
“My business isn’t about me and my accomplishments. It’s about the people I want to inspire, encourage and feel beautiful though people tell them otherwise. I prefer to give the spotlight back to them — the very reason why I have this company. I also want to highlight my team and their efforts for the company. The focus should be on my beautiful customers and the team who help me on this mission.”
Daisy Jing, Banish
