Nov 13, 2020
Updated: Nov 23, 2020
Sure, #FeedGoals is cool but here’s some food for thought: think of Instagram as a reflection of who you are as a person or brand — if someone were to look at your profile right now, would they understand the values and visions you uphold?
It’s easier said than done but luckily for us, we have just the person to give you that solid foundation to start building your online presence: Nadzirah Hashim, CEO and Marketing Strategist of Wavemakers.
Why is it important now more than ever? When you’re starting out your career, putting yourself out there is something that is new and a challenge, because if we rewind 20 years ago, it’s just a resume. Today, employers are looking at LinkedIn and social media. Whatever you brand yourself digitally will be discovered.You need to know where to draw the line to make sure you’re okay that it’s part of your personal brand.
During our free online workshop, Nadzirah spoke about a "Personal Brand Orbit" with 8 facets that you need to think about to have a clarity for what you stand for, knowing who you want to engage with, and craft your personal brand.
The Method: Your Personal Brand Orbit
Why are we talking about this personal brand orbit? To create a personal branding strategy online, you need to define personal brand orbit, knowing your audience’s needs and wants, and to know your ideal digital channel. These are fused together to have the strategy.
This personal orbit can be applied to a business too, and how you can create a most authentic and relatable brand to target audience.
You don’t have to sound the same, that’s the beauty of social media. You have the right to change your tone or voice or visual direction, and this applies to your personal brand.
Essence is essentially the vibe you’re giving out to the people. Your essence represents the trail of what you give a person when you meet them, and it also has to be clear of what you represent online.
Think about yourself and how you represent yourself as a brand at first glance. Think about your other social media platforms for a job or your personal business, what matters is that you understand your essence and what you would like to represent yourself as the first time someone meets you.
What’s your story? The identity element will cover that. This makes you unique. Everyone has a story and your identity helps shape it.
Ask yourself: "Is my story aligned with what I am as an essence and am I storytelling that?" "What identity do I want to share on my digital channel?" If it hasn't been done, take time to define or shape your identity.
Your values are super important in defining personal brand orbit because it’s the core of your foundation. In fact, it defines what you say to others. It shapes your ideas as to what you eventually say. It means to really make people understand the kind of human being that you are. The essence and identity are important, but values strengthens that.
Think of the times key decisions made were based on your values. For example, my value is to be entirely honest. You decide how you want to tell your story and what values you come with.
You don’t have to air all your dirty laundry but what you need to understand that if you want to think about your personal brand, you have to speak up and say some things in your life that you believe in. Depends on what you feel comfortable sharing.
Vision matter because it leads you to your goals. Now you have to envision, where do I aim to go? That would be the future version of yourself and the main outcome you want to live. How?
A good place to start is to journal. Think about where you could be three months from now or even one year from now. These are the little steps that you envision (through goals). The vision is what you aspire to in the future. The main outcome you want to live.
Ask yourself: "Do the people I associate with resonate with my core values?"
The people you spend the most time with shape who you are. People who met you first time will figure out that you surround yourself with people who do X or Y.
You need to understand that whatever you share with the people you share with need to serve you for the better wellbeing of yourself. If you surround yourself with toxic people, do you want to brand myself in this way?
There’s no right or wrong, it’s how you choose to position yourself.
What do you want to achieve in terms of long term goals? The goals you set for yourself dictates this decision-making process. It applies to your personal brand because it drives you towards consistency. Your vision is the parent to the goals -- if you have a vision in mind of what you want to envision in the future, then you need to set the goals. You need to go through the steps to arrive at Z.
You can start by sharing your wins. For example, if you are an entrepreneur then share your journey of attending a workshop -- a win. It can be anything that resonates with your core beliefs and your vision.
What goals do you want to share online? Share it to inspire.
Presence is about aligning yourself in the moment be it physically or digitally. If you cannot connect with people in person, is that something you want to resonate with? It’s how you choose to be as a person.
Where would you express yourself better? How does it apply to your personal brand? Being present in the right time and place will grow your network. This is important because if you want to grow your personal brand you need to know which digital platform to use. Ask yourself, “Am I in the right space?”
Growth is the momentum that keeps your brand active, engaging and relevant through time. How are you communicating with your audience?
Guess what -- you don’t have to sound the same, that’s the beauty of social media. You have the right to change your tone or voice or visual direction, and this applies to your personal brand. Your communication style will shape how you’re represented in your industry.
Think about what you’re doing to showcase your growth throughout your vision and goals and the essence of what you create.
It starts with reflection and it starts from you.
Watch the workshop below.