Ayishat Olanrewaju: Not Working on Your Personal Brand is Costing You More than You Imagine

You think working on your personal brand is expensive, but have you calculated the cost of not working on it? As an online marketing strategist, I get the opportunity to work on different marketing campaigns with clients, some of which include influencer marketing campaigns. This gives me the opportunity to research and assess different personal brands online, in order to find out if they are fit for the brand in question or not. I must say, doing this has taught me a lot about branding, and how to make it easy for your target audience to find and pay you for your services.

Here are some of the things I have learnt in relation to influencer marketing:

Brands take you seriously when you take your personal brand seriously
Brands can spot it when an individual takes his or her personal brand seriously; it is so obvious. This starts with the type of images you use, the content you create, how you position yourself, and so on. You just have to put in the work.

Make it easy for brands to find you
One of the ways to make it easy for brands to find you is by using a consistent name across all your social media channels. This would not only help brands find you, but it would also tell them you are intentional, and you put a lot of thought into building your brand online. If this isn’t possible, maybe the name is taken on some platforms, then at least make sure you make use of similar names. This also helps with your SEO. Likewise, you need to add your contact information where it can be easily accessed in your profile, so that brands don’t have to sweat before reaching you.

Be intentional about the channels you build your personal brand on
Don’t build your personal brand on any channel just because you feel like it. Make sure the channels you build your personal brand on will help you effectively communicate your message, and is one that your target audience can relate with. For instance, if you are a food blogger, then YouTube and Instagram are some of the channels you definitely need to build your personal brand on.

Numbers are not the only thing important; engagement is key
It is not about the number of followers you have, but the amount of engagement you receive on your content. When looking out for influencers to work with online, brands are also looking at your engagement rate to ensure you not only have a number of followers, but you have a loyal following. And so, you need to engage more with your audience.

Create content that matches what your personal brand is about
Finally, it is not enough to say your personal brand is about food or lifestyle. You need to actually create content in these areas for potential brands to see that you are good at what you say you do, and you can create your own original content.

If you want to monetise your digital platforms, then it is important to take your platforms seriously and set them in a way that brands will easily find you. Don’t just post, be intentional.