I started my career in corporate branding and shifted to personal branding when I realized how a company’s brand grew when you focused on the founder. I’m so glad I made this shift. I love personal branding because we have the freedom and natural inclination to do what corporate brands try so very hard to do— be more human.

However, there are a few things that corporate brands ace that you should take note of when building your personal brand, and this week, we’re going to steal some of those strategies so you can scale your personal brand (read: build a full-time business and offer fulfilling services and products to your audience) without feeling like you’re in a full-blown identity crisis as you shift and grow.

🎯 Strategy #1: Define your brand purpose

There is a magical moment in branding where the tide shifts in your favor. You are publishing content, connecting, and putting your messages out there, and suddenly larger and more significant opportunities come your way. However, the climb to that tipping point sometimes feels like a slog. There will be days when you feel like you’re shouting into the void, or a piece of content or product offering didn’t quite land how you wanted it to.

The antidote to frustration during these times is having a clear purpose. WHY are you building your personal brand? What will the world and your life look like when your brand reaches the level you want it to? What will change?

It’s important to get clear on this and then hang it in front of your computer or in your office to remind yourself why you’re putting in the work every single day.

🔎 Strategy #2: Get clear on your brand values

Having values is a pretty innate part of being human. Working on corporate brands, I can tell you defining values is a struggle. Many times companies will “manufacture” values that aren’t in alignment with how they behave and act, then post them on a board as aspirational dribble. (Bleak? Sure. True? Yes) As an individual, you don’t need to bother creating values. You just need to identify the ones that guide how you behave every single day.

For example, my core values are ambition, connection, creativity, empathy, freedom, kindness, growth, learning, sense of belonging, and pleasure. (I took this free core values quiz to determine them).

So, as I share content and build my brand, these values help me stay authentic. It would be inauthentic for me to “call people out” on social media even when I know it will spark engagement. It just feels so foreign to my core values of kindness and empathy. I always seek to understand where someone is coming from. It would, however, be authentic to me to share a ton about failing forward since growth and learning are high up on my values chart (Naturally, these areas always elicit the highest engagement levels for me).

👥 Strategy #3: Define your target audience

I cannot, cannot, cannot overstate how incredibly important defining your target audience is. So many personal brands start from an “I’m just me being me” online standpoint. However, if you aren’t consistently asking, “What’s in it for my audience?” and “Who am I trying to help here?” you’ll find that even if you’re popular, you’re likely not profitable in your branding initiatives.

Get clear on who you want to serve. Create content that connects you to those individuals and then build services and products accordingly.

😍 Strategy #4: Create a strong visual identity

Many corporate brands have a “Brand Book.” This is an overview of design elements that define their brand. Typically, these books outline color palettes, font selections, patterns and icons, and logos.

While you may not need all these elements in your personal brand, you should strive for consistency. Having a signature color you wear and use in design can help people form stronger associations with your brand. Keeping your font choices consistent will create credibility.

This is invaluable as you scale your personal brand and bring on team members and designers to help you.

💰Strategy #5: Know your core messaging and value proposition

Every profitable brand is clear about the unique value they deliver. Consider the following ones, courtesy of Wordstream:

Uber— The Smartest Way to Get Around

Unbounce Landing Pages— A/B testing without the headaches

Slack – Be More Productive at Work with Less Effort

Digit – Save Money Without Thinking About It

LessAccounting – Bookkeeping, Without the Hassle

💡Each of these brief sentiments tells you precisely what the brand is delivering and how it’s different than others. What about you? What are you helping your audience achieve? How?

Pro tip: Notice how many of these sentiments include the word “without.” What frustration are you helping your audience members lose? For example, if you’re a lawyer, you may say, “Sound and secure guidance, without legal speak or billable increments of 30 seconds.” Or maybe you’re an HR consultant whose value proposition is, “Outsource “people” headaches to us.” Stating what your audience doesn’t want is equally as powerful as saying what they do want.

The Recap:

As you grow your personal brand, it’s important to have guidance and guardrails to keep it in check. You may think you’re small potatoes, and this isn’t necessary. Trust me, my friend, it is. Clarity is critical to keeping your brand healthy and effective as you create content and scale. Steal these 5 corporate strategies and make them your own to ace your efforts:

🎯 Strategy #1: Define your brand purpose

🔎 Strategy #2: Get clear on your brand values

👥 Strategy #3: Define your target audience

😍Strategy #4: Create a strong visual identity

💰Strategy #5: Know your core messaging and value proposition

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