As we enter this new decade, we’re yet to witness a lot more things we’ve never seen before. The unending advancement and growth in the field of technology will keep making life better day by day.

Last year COVID-19 showed us a lot of things. It showed us that if the need be we can switch to alternative modes of living lives. How, you may ask?

Life, before lockdowns were imposed in March, was different. So much more different than it is today as we live in the “new normal”.

Professional lives saw a sharp contrast-

People were attending business conferences, meetings, workshops offline. Businessmen and professionals travelled at the drop of a hat to close deals. Going to the office every day was the norm. But life had something drastic in store for all of us-

The lethal virus pushed everyone to stay inside the bubble. Daily interactions, as normal as chatting over a cup of tea disappeared from our lives.

But I fully believe in the saying- When God closes doors in our lives, he also opens many new ones for us.

Thus came forward the new normal- going online. Be it business processes or education, our lives completely transformed. The result?

Various generations getting glued onto their mobile and laptop screens for various reasons. A report even suggested that an average teen in present times spends approximately nine hours on their phones.

Without a speck of doubt, I would say that online is the place to be! We have come a long way since the first lockdown. But times are still uncertain. As soon as we became hopeful in the new year of the virus getting wiped out by mass vaccination, we got news of its new strains.

Standing at this junction, no one can truly tell what is there in store for us in the near future. But one thing is for sure that the wave of digitalisation will not disappear even when we go back to our normal lives. Companies have realized that they can drastically reduce costs by doing things virtually.

Previously one would fly down to another country to negotiate and sign a deal. Today, all it takes is an online video conferencing to do all that was done face to face before. Looking at it simply, it's all a matter of a few emails and video and audio calls.

The wave of digitalisation was long coming. But nobody saw it coming so soon. And no one knew that it would become an imperative for all careers.

I too realized the importance a little late. Better late than never. I kickstarted my career with corporate jobs and freelancing. But I realized after a few years that I would rather be my own boss and do things myself. So, I became a certified coach and went on to offer webinars and courses.

But there were zero takers for the same.

If nobody knew me, why would they want to learn or buy from me? Soon I realized how important it was for me to have an active presence online as well as offline. Since then I have been fully occupied with building my personal brand online.

Personal branding is the intentional effort to create a positive public perception about yourself online or offline. The craze for personal branding comes with the dynamic shift towards everything digital as people are increasingly going online to pivot their careers in all ways possible.

With popularity comes a lot of benefits with a personal brand. I too realized its benefits not very long ago. Started off with my own brand, today I create brands for CEOs, CFOs, Entrepreneurs, etc. both from India and abroad.

The journey was not a bed of roses- it taught me a lot of things. Even today, I would say that there is a huge scope for my personal brand and I could do wonders with it.

My aim in life at this moment is to make people aware of the importance of having a personal brand for yourself, no matter which industry you belong to or which position you are working in.

I have compiled a few strategies to follow for my readers today so your journey towards a successful personal brand becomes smoother and more enjoyable than it is.

Here are 5 personal branding strategies you can implement today-

Choose a platform and a unique style to get that message across

I was sure of where I wanted my brand to flourish- LinkedIn was my priority. Since I wanted to maintain a professional image of myself and obtain leads from other businesses, Linkedin seemed like the best option.

My style of writing all along had been very industry-specific. My motive stayed the same- to spread knowledge and bust myths about personal branding.

First things first, you too need to do an analysis of your writing style and accordingly choose for yourself the most suitable social media platform. In case your forte is talking in front of the camera, try out Youtube.

If you perform better behind the screen and the camera, try out sites like Quora, Reddit or Linkedin which value textual content.

Decide on your theme

You could either be full of humour, or straight up serious, acting all professional. But neither of the themes are very likable.

It’s best to strike a balance between the two. Some occasional candidness, wit and vulnerability is always appreciated in personal branding because that way people know that you are portraying your authentic self with no filter.

You cannot afford to have “multiple personalities” online. So decide on how you wish to be portrayed and how you want people to think of and remember you.

Be sure that you come out as unique. Having a generic and preachy brand would do you no good. Highlight your Unique Value Proposition; the edge you have over the rest.

Share your origin

If you are starting your personal brand, or you’re already halfway through it, make it a point to share where you come from. Share your struggles, failures, challenges, all of it. Not only the bad but also the good- how far you’ve come and who you dedicate your success too. Don’t shy away from sharing stories about your personal life.

I always tell my followers how I failed miserably when I went out to sell services because no one knew me. That’s when my personal brand took birth. Using storytelling in your content will make them relate to you and see you as just another human like them and not a superhero!

Make sure you don’t exaggerate- just be true to yourself and the rest will fall into place.

Network network network

The purpose of a personal brand to get your name out there in the world. what you are looking for is for people to know and your name to become synonymous with the field you are in.

Networking is when you will interact with your audience which will also contain your target audience. When your targets act upon your CTA and reach out to you, you basically get leads.

Now it's upon you and your ability if you can convert those leads into clients. The more people know you, the bigger your network becomes.

A famous personality once said, ”Your network is your net worth.” I have built my extensive network by providing value consistently and engaging with my audience on a one-to-one basis as well.

Patience is Key

Personal branding is not an overnight process. In fact, there is no end to it. You can never say that you have reached your final destination in personal branding; there’s always more to it.

Plus with advances in technology, you’ll see new opportunities around you everywhere. In order to get close to where you want to be, you need to be patient.

Talking about myself- I too did not see results overnight. I had to be consistent and regular with what I offered and only then could I reach where I am today, writing an article as an expert to inspire and teach those who need help in this field.

Personal branding is a journey in itself. But do you ever impart on a journey without a map if the destination is unknown? That is why you need strategies to go on this journey. It will guide you along the way. The purpose of this article was to show how imperative strategies are when you have a plan to create a personal brand.

Strategies listed above are suggestions from my point of view, being a professional. In my years of experience in this field these are some things that I have learnt, some from my mistakes, some while I was gathering knowledge from wherever I could, books, experts, movies, the list is endless.

There’s an unbelievable opportunity right now to build your personal brand using social media, and it will go away if you don’t act soon.

I hope you take full advantage of all the strategies I suggested!