Ayishat Olanrewaju: Let’s Debunk these 8 Myths About Personal Branding

It is no longer news that personal branding is an important aspect of one’s business or professional career. We however can’t neglect the fact that there are so many myths surrounding the concept. So let’s debunk some of these myths below:

Personal branding is for those who are looking for a job
This isn’t always the case. You can already have a successful career, but want to document your stories, or be more visible in your organisation. As a career person, personal branding can give you more leverage, and create more opportunities for you in your organisation.

Building your personal brand will affect your corporate brand
This isn’t true. Research shows that your personal brand can have a positive effect on your company brand. People relate better with people than with businesses.
Establishing a good relationship with your audience through your personal brand goes a long way in fostering business relationships with your audience.

Personal branding is noise-making
This isn’t true if you are truly engaging in personal branding. You don’t make noise when you’re truly communicating your values. To build an effective personal brand, you must be able to communicate your unique selling point in a way that is appealing to your ideal audience.

Personal branding is expensive
Personal branding is only expensive if you want it to be so. When you are just starting out, you don’t have to build the most expensive website or even create the most expensive logo for your personal brand. You can start small, and you can even DIY it, if you can’t afford to pay someone to do it for you.

Personal branding is not for shy people
Shyness doesn’t pay the bills, so you need to do away with it if you want to grow your brand. No matter your personality type, you can build a personal brand that will resonate with your ideal audience.

Personal branding is fake
This isn’t true. The crux of personal branding is authenticity. If you aren’t authentic, then you are not building a personal brand. Therefore, true personal branding is not faking it, but accentuating who you are.

Personal branding is short-term
This is false. Personal branding isn’t just seasonal, it is a long-term journey. Therefore, you need to keep working at it and keep getting better at it.

Personal branding is not important
Now more than ever in this digital age, it is important to build your personal brand. Your personal brand helps to stand you out from other people and makes it very easy for your target audience to connect with you. Likewise, whether you are a business owner or a career person, personal branding is for you.

What are some of the myths about personal branding you have come across? Do share some of them below!