3 REASONS WHY PERSONAL BRANDING IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN EVER IN 2021

Personal branding is one of the most important things you can do to move your business forward in 2021 and increase revenue. If you’re a very private person, the idea of personal branding can seem like a nightmare, but it doesn’t have to be. By sharing small snippets of your life, and letting your values shine through, you can create meaningful, high-yielding relationships with customers.

1. Social platform algorithms require authentic posts

In 2021, social media platforms like Instagram are changing the way audiences interact with brands, forcing social posts to be more heavily geared towards authenticity. When brands post without letting audiences know the person behind them, there’s a lack of interaction and decreased community discussion. This leads to a poorer social media presence and dwindling numbers. 

Tip: Instead, add personality to brand posts with a few posts about your founding story, or what your employees are up to behind the scenes.

2. Audiences support people and their stories, not their products

Richard Branson and Oprah Winfrey both have impressive personal brands as well as businesses. You know their story, and you know how they came to become the people they are today. People don’t read Oprah’s book club books because they want a general book recommendation, it’s because they know Oprah’s personal brand, and know they want to read books that align with her values and interests. 

Imagine this: You own a restaurant. There are people walking along the street and they have countless choices for dinner. They see your Italian restaurant and another one down the road. From the outside, the only difference they can see is the name. They choose one over the other, based on nothing but a general approval of your brand name and outdoor aesthetic.

Instead, imagine this: You were born in Italy, and your parents had to work overseas, leaving you alone with your grandmother. She taught you to cook special southern Italian dishes, and you grew up refining them. When guests walk past your restaurant, they see a sign mentioning your food is created with your grandma’s recipes you learned when living in southern Italy as a child. Your story piques customer interest in an authentic way, and suddenly you have more people walking through the door.

3. Your staff learn your brand’s values by knowing your personal brand

Do you think Virgin employees are scared their bosses won’t like new ideas? No! Virgin is based on creative thinking. Employees know this because they know Richard Branson’s own personal brand of ingenuity and thinking outside the box. His story of ‘starting from the bottom with great ideas’ is the very essence of Virgin. Employees know the brand values good ideas and are more likely to propose them.

By creating a strong personal brand, your employees learn the core values of your business without you even needing to teach them.

Personal branding has never been more important than today. In the modern world, there are so many brands floating around social media, making the creation of meaningful relationships with customers even more difficult. That’s where personal branding comes in. 

Your own personal brand needs to shine through, to help people relate and communicate with you directly. You don’t necessarily need to link your personal Instagram account to your brand, but let your own personality shine through your brand page. A few updates on what you’re doing, what you believe in, and what’s important to you can make the world of difference, helping you get more long-term customers.