7 Steps to Making Your Personal Brand One-Of-A-Kind

Clients nowadays have an endless number of options to choose from when seeking out freelance creatives for their next project. In order to become a dominant force in the freelance world and get noticed by these potential clients, you must establish a personal brand that vividly communicates your creative expertise.

Figuring out the best way to express that expertise is a creative process all its own. While there is no one true path to success when it comes to personal branding, there are some tried and true approaches that can help you get started.

1. Brand on a personal level

When you’re initially planning how to present your services to potential clients, finding the proper equilibrium between professionalism and personality can be tough. Branding on a business-level is common, but today branding is becoming just as important on a personal level.

As a freelancer, you already have a personality built in and this puts you at a distinct advantage over companies who must formulate a sense of identity from a collection of research and differing opinions. All you need to do now is to try to establish your personality in your brand. If your audience recognises and can relate to your personality, then they will, in turn, relate and understand your brand.

A unique personal brand that speaks directly to your desired clientele can be far more powerful than the familiar branding tactics of a major corporation.

Offering up your personality to your personal brand will make people more at ease, giving you a distinct advantage over larger businesses, when it comes to fostering client comfort.

Personal branding allows you to establish a reputation and an identity, while still maintaining a personal level of trust and interaction, usually through social media.

2. Emphasise your unique strengths

Branding is how your audience identifies your expertise among others. Personal branding shows how your unique capabilities and positive traits make you the best freelancer to deliver a client’s needs. Your mantra should be “understand and be your authentic self”.

What makes you authentic? Try asking yourself these questions: How does your lived experience make you stand out among the crowd? How can you connect your passions and your profession?

If you want to actively add a social activist component to your freelance brand, think about how you can incorporate that into your branding in a way that will help you stand out.

If your potential clients are passionate about the same things as you, this offers up a common ground, which is the fastest way to create a connection.

3. Create a unique visual identity

Now that you’ve established your personal branding approach, we get to the exciting part of designing visuals that reinforce your brand. That means designing your logo, your website, your business card and other visual media that communicates your unique strengths and personality  – something that would remind others of you.

Human beings have always been drawn to attractive design, but these days the world is so saturated with visual distractions that it is no longer enough to leave a lasting impression. Creatively infusing your personality into your design will set it apart from the rest. Be fearless, take risks, as weird does work.

4. Publish content that reinforce your credibility

Trust is crucial in every relationship, especially one that involves you and potential clients. What better way to earn that trust than to elaborate on your personal passion and expertise with content?

Establishing a branded presence on freelancer-for-hire websites is a start. But the real key to securing the confidence of your client base comes from creating compelling content on influencer websites. This means establishing yourself as an expert in something you love (and having something important to say about it!) on websites your target clientele recognises.

If writing isn’t your strong suit, consider having a writer in your network put together something to accent your visuals and pitch it out. This is a win-win for everyone involved, as they get a clip for their portfolio and you get the attention of potential clients.

If you’ve done something particularly noteworthy, reach out to local media with a quick homemade press release and see if they are interested in covering your story.

For creative freelancers interested in making a difference in the world, getting some local press from a newspaper, TV station or alt weekly publication can boost your profile especially well, while drawing attention to your pet cause.

5. Give away branded freebies that convey your personality

One old school branding method that often gets overlooked by a lot of creative solopreneurs in our age is offering freebies. It shouldn’t though! People love free things and they are often more likely to pay money for something when they’ve got something they like for free already.

While this requires a bit of overhead to start, creating some cool-branded knick knack helps get the word out to places you may not have planned on reaching. Whether you’re printing branded notepads, drink coasters, tote bags, propeller hats, dog sweaters or clever key chains, make sure they all possess a coherent visual identity – YOUR personal identity. Give them out to friends, clients, customers and anyone who will help spread the word.

6. Have a personal voice in social media

Thought leadership is the fastest way to establish your personal brand in social media. Make sure that your messages and shared content all consistently align with your personal brand’s values, identity and freelancing expertise.

7. Be positive and confident in yourself

Above all, it’s most important to believe in yourself and believe in your brand. Your confidence in your abilities is always ultimately conveyed in how you deliver your work, what you say and how you interact with your clients.

The ability to stay confident and positive and move with purpose during stressful or sticky situations, can make all the difference. By cultivating a sense of rational optimism about your work, responding positively in stressful situations and providing support to others, you can build a personal brand that accounts for 75 per cent of job success.

Instilling genuine positivity and confidence in yourself in your daily life sets a solid foundation for a well-established personal brand.

SOURCE: Freelancers Union