Tips for building a strong personal brand

Jeff Bezos, the founder of Amazon, is famously quoted as saying: “Your brand is what people say about you when you’re not in the room.” 

But more than that, your personal brand is your unique blend of experiences, skills and personality traits. It’s how you present yourself to colleagues, clients and suppliers. It helps you differentiate yourself from your competition and stand out online. It helps you build your reputation and position yourself as an expert in your industry. Quite simply, a great personal brand will help you grow your business.

But how?

I'm Lauren Psyk, a Brighton headshot photographer. I’m often asked for advice on personal branding, so I thought I’d share the love! Visuals are a crucial element of a successful personal brand, but the words you use are also very important. In this post, I’m going to show you how to use words and pictures together to build yourself a strong personal brand and rock your marketing in 2022.

Here are my 5 top tips.

1. Be visible 

A successful personal brand is about visibility. In order to connect with your audience, you need to let them see you and get to know your personality. You can’t do that if you’re hiding behind a logo or stock photography. If you include photographs of yourself in your social media posts, (even if they're selfies), you’ll notice an uplift in engagement. 

Be consistent. Show up regularly across different social channels and keep repeating your message. Don’t worry about sounding like a broken record. As Tony Blair’s spin doctor Alistair Campbell used to point out, just when a politician is completely sick of parroting a political slogan is the moment the general public have only just started to notice them using it. 

2. Tell a story 

Storytelling is a really important marketing tool and a crucial part of effective personal branding. 

Remember, your story is completely unique to you and can’t be copied by your competitors. One of the simplest and most effective ways to tell a story is with a varied set of headshots. Everything in your headshots - from the outfits you wear, to the locations you choose and the props you have in the shot with you - is telling a story and giving clues to the viewer.

When people look at your headshots, they’re instantly (and often subconsciously), making judgements about you, what sort of person you are and whether they’d like to do business with you. So think about what clues you want to give and the messages you want to get across to your audience.  

3. Use colour 

Your headshots are a great opportunity to use your brand colours, so you can tell a consistent brand story in all your marketing. You can do this both with the clothes you wear and with the backdrops you choose.

For example, if your business is all about outdoors and adventure, shoot your headshots in a park or rural setting with plenty of greenery. If you want to build a personal brand that’s all about trust and stability, blue would be a great choice. If you want to evoke feelings of optimism and positivity in your audience, then get some yellow into your headshots and brand visuals.  

4. Know your audience

A great personal brand uses words and pictures which complement each other and help to reinforce the same message. Be sure to speak in the language your customers use. If you’re not sure, listen for the phrases your customers use when you talk to them. 

When you’re networking, ask people what problems or ‘pain points’ they have in their business, and then use language that addresses these problems. Make sure the tone of voice in your copy is appropriate for your audience. For example, perhaps a friendly, irreverent tone is suitable if you’re in a creative industry. For mentors and coaches, a more sincere, compassionate tone might be more suitable.  

5. Show your personality

Ultimately, your personal brand is about what makes you ‘you’. Don’t be afraid to show your personality and tell your audience what makes you tick! For example, use props in your headshots to tell a story and build engagement. Some great props include a notebook or some of your favourite books. Or why don’t you think outside the box and choose something a bit more unusual that will be a great talking point on social media?

I’ve had clients bring all sorts of weird and wacky props to their headshot photo shoot, such as musical instruments, bicycles, juggling balls, hats, their dog, and a pair of boxing gloves! In social posts, you can elaborate on the story in the photographs and tell your audience some things they might not have known about you. I hope that gets your creative juices flowing! 

Lauren Psyk is a Brighton photographer specialising in natural, colourful outdoor headshots for people who want to become more visible online and build a vibrant personal brand. She’s also a copywriter with a marketing background. 

When you choose Lauren to shoot your headshots or write your website copy, you get all of her photography and marketing experience in one place. 

Check out her website here.  

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