Why it's Personal Branding GOLD when people say "I've heard of you."
You’re on a speed networking zoom call, you get put into a breakout room with someone you’ve never met before and they say…. “I’ve heard of you.” Well guest what? That means your personal brand has VALUE! Of course we’re hoping this is a positive thing, not that you’re known for the wrong reasons.
Word-of-mouth marketing has real capital in personal branding. It means your brand is working for you in the background on your behalf. It also the difference from cold-calling to having a personal referral from a trusted contact.
So what do you need to do for people to “hear about you” and recognize your personal brand?
Here are some tips:
1. Build your online profile on LinkedIn - Set up a profile that engages others, has a great professional headshot and make sure that you have a robust summary section with keywords related to your target audience. Engage your audience by writing frequent posts on your area of expertise.
2. Keep networking - Even during our new norm of Zoom Networking, try and connect with as many people as possible. Stay active on LinkedIn and other social media platforms where your clients hang out. Follow up afterwards with a phone call or even handwritten note.
3. Engage - Be sure to be active on social media with your contacts. Like, share and comment on the content they are posting. This will help raise your profile among your target audience, but it needs to be done on a daily basis. If you do it too randomly, people are more likely to forget about you.
4. Connect through your affiliations - Tap into your networks, even if it’s just the alumni association of your college or other schools you’ve attended. Share your news with their monthly or annual newsletters.
As you start applying these tips, you will probably find other ways to become more well known for what you do. Clients will be willing to pay a premium for your services and they will be more likely to know, like and trust you. By having personal brand familiarity is priceless.
