Admit it or not, if you want to do business, you’d want to do it with other people- not companies. Putting up a strong personal branding allows you to reach out to your clients more which, in effect, can dramatically boost conversion rates and sales.

But, how exactly do you build a personal brand?

Honestly, there’s no single formula that can make you successful overnight. It will take a lot of hard work and commitment before you can make it big in this kind of business. But, to help you out, below are 10 easy yet proven ways on how to build your personal branding.

Ready?

Get a logo

If you want to build a personal brand people can easily identify, you’ll need a logo. It’ll be the visual representation of your brand so you have to pay close attention to how you’re going to make it. You can go simple or complicated, depending on your style and the people you want to connect with.

Logotypes are highly effective, despite being simple and plain at times. You can create your brand name and print it on your preferred typeface. This choice can save you time and money, especially if you don’t have enough moolah to spend on hiring a good designer.

While designing a logo used to be a costly and time-dependent process, logo makers have come a long way in recent years, and are rapidly overtaking humans as the go-to tools for creating affordable and eye-catching logos.

Be you

In creating a personal brand, it’s understandable why a lot of people work so hard to impress their target audience. After all, the more you impress them, the more they are likely to patronize your brand, right?

Well, that isn’t always the case.

You see, consumers prefer to see the real personality behind a brand. And if you come across as NOT authentic, they are likely to leave you. So, show your true personality. Use social media to bring forth an honest profile your consumers will be able to relate with.

Make friends online

When it comes to personal brands, having influencers around can be one of your greatest assets. These people can share your brand, stories and posts to their respective target audience and this can greatly extend your reach.

Apart from that, you should also be more active online. Join forums that are related to your niche and engage in online conversations that are relevant to your business. Create a personality that people trust. Take advantage of social media in making your presence felt online.

Meet friends offline

Although online influence is essential, you can’t just limit your connections within the boundaries of the Internet. Go out and actually meet people offline. Attend local events within your industry and start building friendships with everyone you meet. Expanding your circle and networking means expanding your influence.

Start a website

If you want to make a name online, there should be a place people can go to if they want to know more about you and your brand. This is where a website plays a major role, particularly the About Me page.

There are tons of tools you can use to create a decent website. You can get them for free or for a fee but make sure to get only what you’ll need. Purchasing complicated tools and not using them will only be a waste of resources.

Provide your consumers with value

Your personal brand should reflect the true you, but it shouldn’t be all about you. Instead, focus on your audience and what they really want. Create content not just to satisfy their needs but to keep them coming back for more.

Make sure to provide them with something unique so you can set yourself apart from your competitors. Research about what your readers are interested in and what products and services they are talking about more. Finding areas of unique perspective will put you one step ahead of the competition.

And don’t forget to be relevant. Be your consumers’ source of information and you’ll easily grow your authority in the industry.

Work consistently

Being consistent can take a lot of work and commitment but it’s one good way to ensure the growth of your personal brand. If you are inconsistent, you’re just likely to confuse and bore your audience to the point that they’ll look for something better.

Be focused

The initial stage of building a personal brand can be discouraging, especially if you only have a few followers. If you want to make it big, don’t focus on the number and pay more attention to your purpose.

Talk as if you are speaking to hundreds of people. Write as if the whole world is reading your content. You’ll be surprised with how this kind of dedication and focus can change your business.

See Also: Finding Out the Best Time for Posting on Social Media Sites

Learn how to say no

In your quest to establish authority, it’s likely that you’ll meet other people and businesses that’ll want to work with you. Before you actually agree, think first. Make sure those people and businesses are in line with your brand, vision, and personality.

Your work, as well as your actions, will reflect your brand so be careful in what you do and what decisions you make.

Just give it a go!

Although preparation is key, too much planning can get in the way of you actually starting. In fact, if you wait too long to get started, you may end up not starting at all.

So, don’t wait for everything to be perfect before you start. With your limited resources, start building authority, reach out to people and be consistent with your job. After all these things, success will surely follow.

In Summary

Building a personal branding isn’t that easy, particularly with so many people aspiring to create their own. If you want to be successful, you have to know exactly what you want to achieve.

Be you in creating your personal brand but remain relevant and focused on your consumers. Take advantage of technology and use tools that can make the process a lot easier. Be consistent and don’t wait too long before getting started.

 

The post 10 Proven Ways To Build Your Personal Branding in 2018 appeared first on Dumb Little Man.

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Imagine yourself on top of a mountain. As you look around, you see the world around you. You know that this is a particularly special moment and that this will not last forever because you’ll have to go down eventually.

Is this the kind of experience you’ll want to relive over and over again in your living room?

If yes, then you’re not alone. A lot of people bring out their cameras or phones to take home with them an experience that they’ll never forget. Some of these people even make a living out of taking pictures of special moments.

They are called photographers.

Being a photographer is a demanding job. Photographers are not always present in elite fashion shows and high-class photo shoots. Sometimes, photographers have to make their way into several fields within in the industry. With this, how exactly can they make money from photography?

We all know that there are a lot of photographers who make a lot of money in the field of fashion and stock photography. Famous fashion photographers include Annie Leibovitz, Todd Anthony Tyler and Mark Getty. These people easily make six-figure incomes or even possibly seven figures.

Now, before you even pick up your camera, know that the field of photography is highly competitive.

It’s extremely difficult for entry-level aspirants who want to make it big in the photography scene or just simply earn an earnest living. However, fashion isn’t the only field in photography. The area is amazingly broad and you can find your niche in one of those specializations.

To get started, here’s how to make money from photography.

The Basics

First off, take photos of people and events.

For example, photographers are always a must when it comes to weddings. If this is your chosen niche, remember that “people” should be your priority if you want to make a living.

Why? Because people will hire you to photograph them and not mountains or landscapes. They want photos of actual living individuals and the events they want to be a part of.

Of course, another thing to take note of is your happiness. Photography is capturing special moments on film. Making money out of something you love is a commodity for most people and that is the reason why a lot of photographers enjoy what they do.

Being more passionate about your “art” can make all the difference between moving on and giving up on your dream.

See Also: 7 Steps On How to Figure Out Your Career

Fine Tuning your Craft

Now that you’ve decided to go more realistic and practical by photographing people, you can try practicing on your portraiture. Most individuals want a photographer to capture the best images of themselves.

With more experience and practice, you’ll be soon mastering your craft which means increasing your reputation. More recognition means more projects and this can mean more income.

Continuing Professional Growth

As mentioned earlier, you have to be happy in what you’re doing to be successful. Unfortunately, sooner or later, you’ll get tired of doing it and it’s perfectly normal to feel that way.

However, those who have a genuine passion for what they’re doing will find any means necessary to keep on perfecting their art. Don’t be afraid to branch out into your chosen field.

There are lots of fields within photography. The important thing in choosing one is that it goes with your heart and happiness.

New Breed of Photographer

Although mainstream and traditional photographers frown on these “new breed” of photographers, there’s no denying that they make a lot of money. These photographers don’t come armed with professional cameras, tripods, lightings or anything like that. Instead, they come with iPhones and selfie sticks.

These people are social media photographers. A relatively new field of photography, a lot of people are engaging in this lucrative practice. These people are being paid to create images and share them with their followers.

Top companies such as Nike, Sony and other corporate giants shell out vast sums of money to encourage more people to choose their products. These companies often provide fare, allowance and time to these people just to do their jobs. They get to travel all over the world and make a buzz on the social media platform they’re in, more preferably, Instagram.

You could say that this job is easy and that they’re living the dream. However, the work that comes with this is also difficult. Gathering a lot of followers in a few months time is extremely difficult and requires superb dedication.

Takeaway

Photographers are unique individuals that get to share and experience the rarest moments in the world. They get to capture it on film and share it with everyone else to see. In a way, photographers are like painters who also rely on skill to deliver their masterpiece.

However, no matter how beautiful your masterpiece is, without any income, you won’t be able to survive. Although there are several ways for people to earn money from photography, it will only get tricky if they’re not happy with what they’re doing.

The post Pictures and Pennies: How To Make Money From Photography? appeared first on Dumb Little Man.

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