I was reading a post by a fellow author, tvlachak, and discovered that LinkedIn offered their 20 Most Popular LinkedIn Learning Courses of the Year for free until October 1, 2020.

The one that caught my eye was created by LinkedIn Learning Instructor, Chelsea Krost. She is a Marketing & Branding Strategist/Coach, global speaker, and an author. Her Learning Personal Branding course is the #12 most popular course for this year.

If you are blogging, or are reading this because you would like to start, her course has great content, and should help to set you on the right course if you follow her recommendations. Here is Part 1 of what I have learned to date.

Introduction

Krost explains that often you are your own best marketing tool, and that if used correctly, your own personal brand can be more effective than using public relations departments, email marketing, influence marketing or Google ads. If you are an entrepreneur, you are often the best person to promote your own:

• business

• skillset

• service

On the other hand, if you are just starting your career as an employee, investing in your personal brand can help your career by creating opportunities that you didn't think were possible.

The power of personal branding

Photo (cropped) by Miguel Bruna on Unsplash

Personal branding can become your most powerful marketing tool. In an increasingly digital world, individuals often look for a personal connection, according to Krost. Customers are looking for companies with a face behind the brand. The social media shift can be observed by the increase in the prevalence and the impact of influencer marketing. She explains what makes it more effective in today's society.

(influencers) make an advertisement more personal through personal through storytelling from a real person, experiencing real life. These influencers have developed strong personal brands, with loyal followers, - Chelsea Krost

She also points out that smart business owners are encouraging their employees to invest in their own personal brands. The reason for this is because a company's employees are in the best position to discuss and share its product, and consumers are more likely to trust their recommendation than a big corporation. She says that it's about peer approval.

Brand messages are reshared 24 times more frequenly when posted by employees versus the brand.

Leads developed through employee social marketing convert 7 times more frequently than other leads, - Chelsea Krost

What's interesting is that she suggests that better results are possible when personal brands are used in tandem with business brands.

Creating a good foundation for your personal brand

Creating a personal brand will take time, so don't expect immediate results. Remember that your personal brand is the complete extension of who you are, and what you stand for. It should also be used to differentiate you from your competition. To assist with the process of how to further develop your personal brand, she suggested that you look within yourself, and think about how to answer the following 4 questions:

1. What am I passionate about?

Photo by bruce mars on Unsplash

This will include things about you both personally, and professionally passionate about.

Krost recommends that a personal brand should be a blend of your current expertise, with personal stories and lessons learned from real-life experiences.

Being passionate will help you stay motivated, since it will be a long journey.

2. What am I good at?

Photo by Chris Curry on Unsplash

Define the areas that you are strong at, but it's very important that you don't try to be something that you're not.

Authenticity is key in personal branding. This leads perfectly into the next question.

3. What gives me credibility?

Photo by Conner Ching on Unsplash

Krost shares a quote with the audience. Brand yourself before others do. What skills or knowledge have you acquired throughout your life experiences?

• training/certifications/credentials

• specialty skills

• proven success stories

• awards

You may not have documented credibility when you first start. This means that if there's something you want to be known for, you will need to do some work to obtain credibility. You will need to do the following on a topic to become a recognized authority:

• be actively engaged

• write

• trend in discussions

• attend conferences or summits on that topic

Clear credibility will create trust, an online following, more leads, and opportunities with more clients.

4. What are my personal brand goals?

Photo by Markus Winkler on Unsplash

Knowing this will help your personal brand mission and strategy be formed.

Krost lists the following as the most popular goals when creating a personal brand:

• increase business brand awareness

• generate leads

• grow your professional network

• leverage more media, press, or industry collaborations

• find more opportunities, like public speaking or publishing deals

• monetize your digital presence (isn't that what everyone is doing here on Publish0x?) 😂

Be patient, and take the needed time to study and answer these 4 questions to help craft your personal brand.

Please stay tuned for Part 2 in a future post!

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