We’ve all heard about how important branding and PR are for our business, but have we thought about the impact that strategic communication strategies can have on our personal lives? While we’re already doing the work to build our company’s image, why not take some time to enact those same principles in our everyday life? With the need for a unique personal brand on the rise, we should all start focusing a little more on our public image.
Building your personal brand can sometimes fall by the wayside, but if you’re intentional with your focus, it can be accomplished without a lot of extra effort and you’ll be on track with a stellar public image. Here are 5 PR principles you can start working on everyday to help you build your personal brand, and feel confident that your public image is where you want it to be.
Keep your branding cohesive.
Even when using social media to share elements of your personal life, it is important to keep in mind the persona that you’re building for your followers. This doesn’t necessarily mean that you have to change what you post, but being mindful of why you’re posting it and how it fits in with your public image is important. Maintaining strong branding among your website, blog, etc. also helps to tie in your social media content with your larger public appearance.
An excellent example of this is how Quotable Founder Alessandra Pollina uses the @quotablemediaco Instagram account both for her business and to share tidbits of her personal life. Her feed follows a cohesive color scheme with clear branding, but her stories are often full of fun sneak peeks into her personal life. This way she is able to upkeep her brand’s public image while also maintaining a personal touch to her content.
Build your professional network.
Once you have your socials down you can (and should😉) start using the networks you already have there to your advantage. Use your personal accounts to follow or connect with fellow woman business owners, inspiring professionals, colleagues, and more! Be sure to stay engaged with their content and interact when appropriate- there’s nothing like a comment on a recent post or a LinkedIn shoutout to remind someone of their connection to you.
Get involved in your community.
As you bring more people into your professional network, think about what communities you thrive and feel a sense of belonging in. Beyond connecting with professionals in the same field as you on LinkedIn, consider joining LinkedIn Groups that are even more targeted towards your niche. And whenever possible, consider attending in-person or virtual networking events. Who knows, maybe you haven’t met your best professional connection yet.
Engage in thought leadership.
Don’t be afraid to share about life beyond your business! Your followers want to hear and see details about you outside of your professional endeavors. Share tips about how you organize tasks, show how you go about a busy Monday morning, or explain productivity habits you’ve been trying to implement. By giving your followers your own tips and tricks about being a female entrepreneur (or personal pointers) you are also opening yourself up to larger speaking engagements and opportunities to contribute to discussions important to you.
Be open to learning new strategies.
You may think that you have your branding down to a science or have mastered the art of running a business, but you may not realize where you have room for improvement if you’re not open to learning about alternatives. When you are open to inspiration, or even suggestions, from others you have the potential to expand your business or elements of your personal life to a new level of greatness. Afterall, you won’t know if you like something until you try.
It is important to keep in mind that public relations is not just for your business, but also for your own personal benefit. By enacting the 5 principles listed above you are destined to strengthen your public image, relationships with your network, and learn something new that could take your productivity to the next level. Check out Quotable Magazine and the Quotable Podcast for more PR content every week.
