As an MSP, you will probably come across the term ‘Personal Brand’ a lot. You may be starting a business or growing one, but the one thing that is most vital for the sustainability of any business is branding. This blog introduces you to the concept of personal branding and provides tips on how you can make your personal brand stand out.

Your personal brand is the image you portray of yourself. It is the way others perceive you. This includes prospects, customers and even competitors. As a small business person you need to be very conscious of the way you portray your personal brand because in the case of a proprietorship, your personal brand is virtually the same as your ‘corporate’ brand.

Personal brand, whether you build it yourself, or let people build an image of your brand themselves, is unavoidable. In the interest of your business and reputation, it is best to build you brand image yourself.

Here are a few items to look into when building your personal brand –

Consistency: Be consistent while using your business name, logo and color when marketing.

USP: Identify your business’s unique selling point and make the best use of it while marketing. For example, if you excel at Cloud services, use that information to push your brand. Tell your customers why you are the best cloud service provider!

Message: Have a strong and concise marketing message for your prospects. Be clear on your mission statement.

Exposure: Internet is the place to be found today. So be generous while using the web for a strong online presence. Social media is the magic wand here.

Go viral: There are multiple ways for your brand to reach its target. Use social media and content syndication tools to grow and expand your brand.

Video: Create a video of your bio or business and publish it online.

E-mail: Add personal touch to your email marketing and reach out to your prospects without investing too much time and money.

Search engine optimization: If you’re not to be found on the web, you’re nowhere. Optimize your marketing content for better search engine rankings.

Website: The first thing people want to know is whether you have a website they can refer to. Website builds trust. So make sure you have a personal or company website and expose it online.

Creating a personal brand is not difficult. It’s all about the efforts that go into creating one. So if you have not started, it’s time you did!!