Have what it takes to build a personal brand? 8 questions to ask

I do not think that every business has got what it takes to build a corporate brand and I do not think every person has what it takes to build a personal brand. A polarizing opinion, no doubt, but I do not propose it disparagingly.

In the previous article, I unpacked the reasons I believe that not everyone needs a personal brand. Today I want to talk about what it takes to build one. I will offer you a list of questions to answer, a self-assessment of sorts. If you conclude that a personal brand is not your cup of tea, then all you must do is clarify your goals and find one of many other paths to achieve them.

We often see people post poorly shot selfie style videos and get incredible engagement. So, we conclude that all we need to do is film selfie videos just like that and we too will build an audience. We discount that these thought leaders get away with subpar production quality simply because their content quality is in the top percentile in the world. Is yours?

We also see people post platitudes and get mind-blowing engagement. And then we misguidedly do the same thing hoping to have the same results. We discount that these influencers get away with subpar content quality because of their magnetic charisma that draws people to them.

A personal brand is a set of unique characteristics packaged into a differentiated narrative. To be magnetic, a brand must be memorable, meaningful, and relatable.

Let’s see if this resonates.

1. Do you have a unique or compelling life story?
2. Do you consider yourself to be highly charismatic?
3. Are you a true expert or thought leader in your field?
4. Do you have a message, the reach of which must be scaled?
5. Do you have a meaningful mission / reason behind your personal brand building?
6. Are you unique in your personality or how you present yourself?
7. Do you tend to stand out in large rooms?
8. Are you an excellent communicator, master of both the written and the spoken word?

The higher the number of affirmative answers, the stronger your personal brand will be, or already is.

#8 can be partially outsourced (at Brand of a Leader, we ghost write or ghost edit content for our clients) and can certainly be a skillset you work on and perfect. But the rest?

You either have it or you do not. And yes, a personal branding expert can tease out and package your differentiated narrative. A personal branding expert can help you define your message. But it cannot be engineered for you. A compelling brand is predicated on authenticity and you have to be authentically worth people’s attention.

Want to see whether you have what it takes to build a strong personal brand? We offer a free discovery call to go through this list of questions together - click here to speak with us!

Marina Byezhanova is the co-founder of Brand of a Leader. She has given talks across the globe & has been featured in media outlets including Forbes, Inc., Success Magazine, Yahoo!, the Financial Post & more.