The New You: Tips On Rebranding Yourself
Image Source: Veronica Benavides | Unsplash
People send out messages into the world every minute but are you aware of the message you are sending? Ask yourself: are your personal and professional personas reflecting the person you want to be? Do your visual aesthetics, actions, and presence support it?
Initially, rebranding one’s self may sound pretentious. However, reinventing a part of your story is a normal element of human development. It is considered as growth, and growth happens with exploration. So whenever you find something you want to change, you have to rebrand it.
Governments, NGOs, corporations, and the like all embellish themselves in corporate branding to stand out from an ever-growing pool of competition. After every couple of years, they rebrand to tweak minor and major aspects of their organization to stay at the top of their game. So why should personal branding be any different?
Just like corporate branding, personal branding is the living avatar that you create with values, beliefs, visual appeal, and ambition. The only differentiator is that you are marketing yourself.
Branding or reinventing your brand is defined as a skill that you can master at any age with the right tips and tricks, often within a given amount of time, energy, or both. People opt to redesign their avatars when they want to follow a different path in life, rebut perceptions, or take on a more significant and challenging job.No matter the reason behind your drive, here are some tips to rebrand and market yourself accordingly.
- Be aware of your objective
Before jumping on the bandwagon, it is crucial to know the aim and the psychology behind the change. This behavior is inward-looking rather than outward-looking. You have to address the why’s and what’s before you get to the how’s which entails conducting extensive research, understanding precisely how you might alter the public’s opinion of you, and anticipating the outcomes of this transformation. Once you’ve determined your major challenge and goal, you can begin learning the skills you will need to enable your personal reinvention.
- Embrace a new mindset
People who embrace change experience growth. To do that, you must sincerely believe that you are open to change to begin the transformation of your mindset; saying it out loud can also help as you embark on rebranding yourself. You can also start taking baby steps outside your comfort zone, decrease self-judgment, try something new and scary, and make it a habit to see things from another’s eyes. Make a firm commitment to your new change, and while you are establishing a new vision for life, stay aware, and continue to create and nourish any small ideas that can improve your new mindset.
- Discover your unique value proposition
In marketing, this is called a unique selling proposition; consider it the same for personal branding with the emphasis on your value. Define your strongest points; it could be one or two, or even a combination of aspects. Consider analyzing your competition and the people you look up to. At this point, you need to pinpoint what makes you stand out in the community, workplace, or family. That is what people will remember you for, and you can capitalize on it.
- Match your visual aesthetics and communication style
People tend to think that the way they look has nothing to do with their real selves or that they should never judge a book by its cover, but in reality, humans continue to pass judgment on others. A person can infer a lot about you based on the physical look you portray, from your principles to whether you are introverted or not. Clothes, for instance, have evolved from a functional asset to a social symbol, influencing our perceptions of ourselves; it is even considered a symbol of personal affluence and style in many countries. These aspects and more enable people to be viewed the way they want to and help project their personality and social status.
Be mindful that your personal brand voice represents your unique brand’s perspective and the principles you stand for. In fact, your voice is your brand’s overall personality. It is also beneficial to pay attention to your tone as well as your usage of language and how you express things since this sets the standard of how you choose to communicate with your community.
- Market yourself accordingly
Now that a thorough personal brand positioning is in place, it is time for you to sing your own praises. Social media is a perfect place to reintroduce your new identity. You can use this space to reinstate your new attitude and beliefs. Do not shy away; these platforms are molded for personal branding. Use it strategically and blow your own trumpet.
- Prove your abilities
Prove yourself to yourself first and then release it for others to see it. How can you expect others to believe in you if you do not believe in yourself? You can start by showcasing your new accomplishments, constantly post content that represents you on social media, find a way to be part of a similar tribe, and constantly keep representing your new you. The secret to proving yourself rests on consistency. Keep doing what you are doing, believe in your new self, and keep pushing the boundaries.
Mahatma Gandhi, Steve Jobs, and even Winston Churchill are just a few examples of leaders that embraced the power of personal branding. Churchill despised the idea that he was not supported by the British public and his own political party that he then decided to reinvent himself, make a drastic change, and join the military. It was after this shift that he shaped his desired avatar and started demonstrating outstanding leadership. Mahatma Gandhi’s brand image portrays truth and this image of truth was the result of thought and action seeds that were planted early on in his childhood which became the brand that he is remembered for today. Just as importantly, Steve Jobs once said, “Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.” In the same way, you can achieve the personal brand you desire with the right skills, effort, and consistency.
