Dianne with her Haven Prints piece - a client she used #gifted for.
As the owner of a bespoke PR agency that has a hard focus on Personal Brand Management, I’ve worked with some amazing people of influence, from the 2023 Australian of the Year & global body image advocate, Taryn Brumfitt , to Mum-fluencer and grocery queen, Nabula Brdar (Supermarket Swap), ex MasterChef contestants – even business professionals that have carved out a reputation as thought-leaders in their respective industry.
One thing they all have in common was that they nailed their personal brand. They knew exactly who they were, what they stood for, who they spoke to – and built their reputation and credibility around that. They also executed everything to such a degree that it left such a favourable impression with brands and other stakeholders; they easily became the #1 choice for partnerships, collaborations, speaking, appearances and more.
‘Personal branding ’ is quite often a buzz word that is thrown about with many people confusing the term with tangible elements such as their personal style, the clothes they wear or aesthetics they display on their grid, with others focusing on the information they share, and the tone of communication they use when speaking in front of camera.
I’m here to let you know that it’s all of that, and more!
Your personal brand is your unique combination of personality, skills and experiences that you present to the world. Unlike business branding , which focuses on a company's identity, personal branding centres around you as an individual and involves intentionally crafting your image and building reputation to reflect who you are and what you stand for.
‘A focus on personal brand can significantly impact you growth, trust and credibility’
A focus on personal brand can significantly impact your growth, trust and credibility, along with the opportunities presented to you. It can lead to an increase in partnerships and collaborations, to repeat engagement, higher rates for sponsored content - even new revenue streams, or appearances on TV – the list is endless!
If you are an influencer or content creator , a focus on your personal brand is no longer optional - it's essential, and if you aren’t doing anything in that space, you may be lagging behind.
So, you want to know what you can do to build your personal brand? Here’s my advice:
1. Get crystal clear on who you are. So many people are focussed on ‘doing’ things to build their reputation that they overlook the most important step – nailing who you are, who you speak to and how you want to be perceived. Work out exactly how you want to be positioned in the industry before you do anything!
You’ll need to know:
Your point of difference – know it, own it and promote it. What makes you stand out from others? Are you an interior stylist , a professional organiser, a chef ? It’s fantastic if you are, but there are so many others – what makes you different?Really know who you are talking to. Who do you want as ideal followers? Don’t just think about their gender and age - dig deeper. Think about their habits & behaviour, their social platform of choice, what’s important to them, their pain points and how you can help them. This provides guidance on who to focus your efforts on, how to reach them along with what content you can provide that really connects and adds value.Identify your brand values . Think about how you want to be perceived by others? Down to earth? Authentic? Family orientated? Knowledgeable? Note them all. This will help with the tone of communication and the language used.2. Start building your credibility and reputation Now that you are crystal clear on how you are going to position yourself, it’s time to build your reputation and create opportunities for you to be perceived that way. Some ways to do this: Refresh your socials. Ramp up your social content with renewed focus. Be intentional. We now know how you stand out from others, who you are talking to, what content they are seeking, so now it’s time to provide high-quality, high-value content. Remember, brands don’t necessarily look for number of followers, they look at the engagement and influence you have on your audience.
‘Be intentional with your content. Provide high-quality, high-value content that truly connects and adds value to your audience’.
Some tips:
Educate: Want to be seen as the go-to for your thing? Then demonstrate your knowledge. Pass on advice, tips, tricks, hacks and insights that are of value. This will build your reputation as the go-to person for a particular topic. Showcase: Treat your socials as if it were a stage. Share your work, your transformations, testimonials etc. This helps build your credibility. Storytell: Share your personal stories and experience to authentically connect with your audience and make you relatable. Build a sense of community. Actively engage with your followers through comments, messages etc. Be consistent. The use of consistent design elements helps create a recognisable and professional image. Your visual identity should reflect the brand values identified earlier. Ditto for the voice and tone of your communication. Example visual content you can create. Say yes to unpaid collabs and partnerships . This is an excellent way to position yourself as a person of influence, showcase how awesome you are, and you never know, it can lead to a paid partnerships with the brand in the future. #Gifted is a great platform – the key here is to accept unpaid opportunities that aligns with your positioning. Hot tip: you can always ask the brand if they want to add an affiliate code in the arrangement – this is a great way to get some form of remuneration.
@tobie.jean collabs with Libertine Parfumerie via #Gifted. Put yourself out there and join relevant Facebook groups and online communities to expand your network and discover new opportunities
Network and mingle . Put yourself out there and join relevant Facebook groups and online communities . Interested in casting opportunities for reality TV? There is a Facebook group for that, same for those wanting to focus on UGC /CGC.
Dabble in PR. PR is a great way to position yourself as the leading expert or person of influence. The media are always looking for unique ways to get more clicks on their online articles or increase their viewership. If you can provide invaluable content for their audiences they will absolutely love to engage you.
Be direct. Reach out to brands that you would love to partner with and introduce yourself. Think outside the norm of just providing social content. Can you develop a recipe using their product or write a blog that can be featured on their website? Reach out to digital marketing agencies that engage content creators, and PR agencies that manage brands. Develop professional tools such as a media kit to assist with this.
Learn to facilitate opportunities like no other and leave a lasting impression
First impressions count in this space. Be polite in your communication, be grateful of the opportunity, go above and beyond of what is to be expected. I can assure you; this will be noticed. A simple follow-up message/email of thanks, sharing of raw files, or out-of- box thinking of how you could work again together are all ways to impress.
Before I leave you to ponder what you can do to elevate your personal brand, I just want to give you one piece of advice. Be persistent and consistent . You rarely go from zero to hero overnight – keep being consistent with your messaging across everything you do and trust the process.
Want to know more? Be sure to follow Topknot Management on Instagram or read more about the topic on our website blogs here .
Use #Gifted for your Organic Influencer Gifting Take your influencer game to the next level with #gifted. Our app makes influencer gifting a breeze, connecting you with the right influencers and streamlining the entire process. Forget the hassle of building databases—#gifted lets you gift on mass, creating amazing social buzz and user-generated content you can use across all your channels. Ready to make an impact? Sign up to #gifted now and start matching with influencers that reflect your brand’s identity.
