Personal branding strategies for women in business

How a Personal Branding Plan Benefits Your Business Brand

You don’t have a second chance to make a first impression.

Truer words have never been said and they apply to both you and your business.

If you are a store owner, for example, you know that if someone has a negative interaction the first time they visit, they will leave immediately and will probably never return. They might even tell some friends.

But if they have the time of their life on their first visit to your store, you have a loyal customer for life. And again, they might even tell some friends.

But what if you are someone who works with clients? Someone who hopes to be a leader, a speaker, an author, an entertainer, a consultant?

Maybe you’ve done the hard work of building your business brand, with a matching professional website and logo.

But branding your company is only half the battle. Because if you want to stand out and reach your ideal clients, then you must put the same effort into understanding, developing and maintaining your personal brand.

While personal branding is essential for all entrepreneurs of all genders, the reality is that women are often conditioned to be meek and gentle. So while anyone can benefit from the advice I’m about to share, I highly recommend that women, in particular, listen (so they can have the confidence to speak up and stand out!).

Why You Need a Personal Branding Strategy

Women often ask me, ‘How does a personal brand contribute to my business?’

Branding takes work and effort, and business leaders are in tune with ROI. Because of this, they often want to know how a personal brand can benefit their business, before putting in all the effort.

In short, your personal brand is a representation of your business and people will judge you accordingly.

The reality is that people judge a book by its cover.

So creating a brand is like the cover of your business. You want that cover to not only stand out, but also to be a true reflection of who you are and what your business is about.

And whether intuitively or directly, most people believe that how one thing is done is how everything is done. If your personal brand is haphazard, lazy, or non-existent, that will reflect on your business whether you like it or not.

On the other hand, when you align your personal brand with your company brand, you are much more likely to not only connect with the right people, but also turn them into enthusiastic fans.

So that’s the ‘why’ of developing a personal branding strategy. For more information on how personal branding fits with professional branding on our website.

Now let’s get into the ‘how’.

Creating a personal brand

If every journey begins with just one step, then the first step on this journey is embracing your personal brand.

That means having confidence in who you are. This demands authenticity. Honesty is important above all else in branding: being genuine builds trust and trust builds customers.

This can be difficult for women who are often raised to please people and all for all people.

This is why you need to keep your target audience in mind.

When building your brand, you need to define your ideal customer.

And then realize that only your ideal customer matters.

Not everyone has to like him, and that’s okay. Remember that the people who don’t embrace your brand are likely never customers anyway.

So trust who you are. It belongs to me! Own your personality and don’t be afraid to share it with the world. Accept what makes you unique and share it with the world.

READ: 8 Personal Branding Mistakes That Are Hurting Your Business

Personal branding mistakes can repel customers. But how can you avoid them so as not to harm your business?

These are the biggest personal branding mistakes to avoid.

Read more online.

Examples of how to develop your brand and your business

In my role, I wear a lot of hats. Our Canada-based agency offers almost every service you could need for digital marketing: logo and graphic design, custom website design and development, SEO and SEM marketing, social media marketing, content writing, copywriting. , newsletters and strategic consulting.

And while I love all of my hats, I think what I love the most is working one-on-one with small business owners and entrepreneurs to help them define their personal and professional brands and use them effectively.

It is very powerful to help women have their ‘aha’ moment of being very clear about who they are and what they have to offer.

For example, our good friend and client (now retired) Dana Smithers is a woman who lives, eats, and breathes her personal brand. Always the ‘lady in red’, Dana is a shining example of integrating her personal brand with her business brand and her entire life.

Our client Katherine Hartvickson of Quantum Ascendance is another shining example of building strong and consistent personal and professional brands.

Katherine is a high-performing leadership and human resources consultant, as well as a bestselling author and speaker.

It is also a powerful personal brand, instilling professionalism and grace in all that it does. This includes insightful blog posts and a long-standing social media presence that establishes her as a go-to expert.

And as we’ve covered, it’s important to fully accept who you are.

For example, our client Yvonne Douma is not afraid to show her playful side! While her company Douma Leadership offers serious services to entrepreneurs looking to improve their communication skills, Yvonne brings an infectious joy to her work that her clients love.

So instead of forcing herself into the role of ‘shady businesswoman’, Yvonne embraces who she is, with a social media presence that reflects the fun, family-oriented person that she is.

Don’t get us wrong: Yvonne is a very serious entrepreneur and consummate professional who also shares incredibly insightful tips and strategies to establish herself as an expert in her field (for example, see our talk on communication skills on our website).

But that doesn’t mean you should turn your personal brand into something that just isn’t her.

Branding tips for women in business

So once you have a little clarity on your personal brand, what’s next?

Here are some proven ways to build your personal brand:

Optimize social media

The best way to effectively use social media in your marketing is to be consistent and create genuine engagement.

Social media is not a tool to sell your business. Instead, it offers a wonderful opportunity to share your personal brand. Keep your social media presence constant to build and improve your personal brand awareness and develop a “know, like and trust” factor with your followers.

Get more tips on how to create an effective social media strategy with us online.

Develop an appropriate content strategy

A good content strategy is important for many reasons, one of which is establishing your personal and professional brands. We are all familiar with the phrase ‘content is king’, so it should come as no surprise that well-written content is one of the most important elements of your website and marketing materials.

Now the correct content strategy will look different for different companies. It may include:

• Website content

• Webinar / Teleseminar Registration Pages

• Product and service sales pages

• Blogs and newsletter articles

• Email Marketing / Newsletters

• Social media posts

• Press releases

• Print marketing materials

Ultimately, the goal of all content should be to showcase your brand, attract more customers, drive conversions, and ultimately increase business.

If you are new to content marketing, we have great resources to help you get started:

• How to Create Blog Content to Engage Your Target Audience

• How to Convert Newsletter Subscriptions Into Customers Without Feeling Drowsy

• How to engage and be inspired by interactive content marketing

Accept praise gracefully

This is a personal fault of mine, and I suspect it is something that many women struggle with. Sometimes it is difficult to respond to a compliment, but I recommend that you take a moment and accept it. Part of recognizing who you are is being grateful when people recognize you.

So instead of backing down and deflecting compliments, accept compliments gracefully.

And don’t shy away from your achievements either! It is not bragging if you simply list their accomplishments and let them fend for themselves.

Find your community

Surround yourself with your target market. That way, you are more likely to spend time with people who are more likely to respond to your personal brand.

Not everyone attracts everyone, so put yourself in places where your ideal customers will be present. Mixing water with oil will only cause you unnecessary trouble.

By putting yourself in the right setting and letting yourself shine with a strong personal brand, you will reach your ideal customers. Otherwise, trying to be everything to everyone only leads to obstacles that are best avoided.

You can connect with your community at networking and community events, and never underestimate the importance of a great Facebook group!

Work with a branding expert

If you are an entrepreneur, I have no doubt that you are good at what you do. But it is possible that what you do is not branding and marketing.

Remember, personal and professional branding takes a lot of time and effort. It can also be a bit intimidating.

You would outsource your accounting if the numbers make you squint, and you’d outsource your building management if you were burdened by time. Likewise, it’s often a great idea to outsource your branding and marketing if you feel like it’s over your head, or if you just don’t have the time to dedicate to this important work.

That’s where our team can help, with consulting and branding strategies to help you get to the next level. I can’t wait to learn more about your business goals!

For the success of your business,

Susan