This year presents another chance to have a look at some of the changes, projections, New Year's resolutions and habits that you either want to reconsider or continue working on.
As a freelancer, you will want to continue with positive goals such as building a healthy business with impressive work that can help attract as many clients as possible. Sure, the ability to attract more business is not easy – and that applies to more than just the services you offer. You also need to make it easy for your target audience to notice and recognise your personal brand.
A personal brand helps you distinguish your positioning as a business and a professional. This is a constructive practice that will enable you to promote your business and the services you offer.
I have made a list of seven basic principles of personal branding that you can add to your to-do list in 2018:
1. Make the right information about you available
Remember, your image is what the audience is in contact with first. By making the right information available, you place yourself in a position that allows you to shape how people perceive your brand. Being relatable through your storytelling makes your brand more understandable and opens doors of opportunity for your brand reach to grow.
2. Take your time
Invest in your time. Don't build a personal brand on the basis of becoming an overnight success. Do notable things that will shift and influence the space you are in; doing something remarkable comes with the patience to build gradually.
You can help sustain your brand's growth with a learned mind by ensuring that you gain as much knowledge as you possibly can, learning new tricks of the trade.
3. Look at doing things differently
Get a fresh perspective. Differentiating yourself from other brands can help you contribute to a strong and successful brand. The difference in how opportunities unfold comes with your perspective.
4. Establish authority
You are the one responsible for setting the standards – or the bar – for your brand. Involving yourself in industry conversations about topics connected to what you stand for makes you credible and authoritative. Keep in check and engage in conversations you can own.
5. Curate content with consistency
One piece of content can go further than you might think. With reference to the previous point, an authoritative personality builds with consistency. You become an opinion leader and top-of-mind with consistent content sharing on trends and shared views on topics involving your industry.
6. Keep learning
Without learning it becomes a challenge to create anything new – this includes re-inventing yourself in the process. You can help sustain your brand's growth with a learned mind by ensuring that you gain as much knowledge as you possibly can, learning new tricks of the trade.
7. Be you!
The best thing that could happen to you is to find success and still be yourself. Consequently, connect with your audience on a human level that is authentic for you, to build a valuable network.
