How To Fix Building A Personal Brand: A Complete Step By Step Approach

You've tried to build a personal brand before, but it never seems to stick. You get excited about it for a little while, but then life gets busy and it falls to the wayside. Sound familiar? If so, this is the approach you've been missing.

Diagnose Your Specific Situation First

Before you jump into fixing your personal brand, you need to take a step back and get clear on exactly where you're at. What have you tried in the past? What worked, even a little bit? What didn't work at all? How much time and energy are you really able to dedicate to this right now?

Answering these questions will help you create an action plan that's tailored to your unique situation. Building a personal brand is not one-size-fits-all, so don't try to force a solution that isn't a good match.

The Most Important Change: Build Systems, Not Just Content

The biggest mistake people make when trying to build a personal brand is focusing too much on creating content. They think that if they just pump out enough blog posts, videos, and social media updates, the personal brand will magically come together.

But the truth is, a personal brand is about more than just the content you create. It's about the systems and processes you put in place to support that content. Things like:

  • A consistent posting schedule across all your platforms
  • A content creation workflow that makes it easy to generate new material
  • Automated distribution and promotion for every piece of content
  • A system for gathering feedback and insights from your audience

    • Building these kinds of systems might not be as fun as the creative aspects of personal branding, but they're absolutely essential. Think of it like building the infrastructure for your brand — the foundation that everything else will be built on.

    The Supporting Changes: Optimizing Your Visibility and Engagement

    Once you have the right systems in place, it's time to focus on getting your personal brand in front of the right people. This means:

  • Identifying your target audience and the platforms they're most active on
  • Crafting a clear, compelling brand message that resonates with that audience
  • Actively engaging with your audience by responding to comments, sharing their content, and collaborating with them

    • You also need to make sure your personal brand is easy to find online. This could involve things like:

  • Optimizing your social media profiles for SEO
  • Creating a professional-looking website or online portfolio
  • Getting featured on relevant industry blogs and podcasts

    • The key is to think holistically about visibility and engagement. It's not enough to just show up on social media — you need to show up in a way that makes people sit up and take notice.

    How To Track Real Progress

    Building a personal brand is a long-term game, so it's important to have a way to measure your progress along the way. Some key metrics to track include:

  • Growth in your social media following
  • Engagement rates on your content (likes, shares, comments)
  • Traffic to your website or online portfolio
  • Opportunities that come your way as a result of your personal brand (speaking gigs, collaborations, job offers, etc.)

    • But don't just focus on the vanity metrics. Pay attention to qualitative feedback as well — things like comments from your audience about how your content has impacted them, or the quality of the opportunities that are coming your way.

    The goal is to get a well-rounded picture of how your personal brand is evolving over time. This will help you adjust your strategy as needed and stay motivated when the going gets tough.

    What To Do When You Get Stuck

    Building a personal brand is a journey, and there will inevitably be times when you hit a roadblock or feel like you're not making progress. When that happens, here are a few things you can do:

  • Take a step back and re-evaluate your goals and strategy. Are you still on the right track, or do you need to make some adjustments?
  • Reach out to your audience and ask for feedback. What do they want to see more of? What's resonating with them?
  • Lean on your support system, whether that's fellow entrepreneurs, a mastermind group, or a coach or mentor. Fresh perspectives can be invaluable.
  • Remember that consistency and persistence are key. Even when it feels like you're not seeing results, keep showing up and putting in the work.

    • The most important thing is to never give up. Building a personal brand takes time and effort, but it's one of the most powerful things you can do for your career and your life.