Section A
Question 3: Personal branding as a form of identity work calls on individuals to continuously work on themselves to improve and transform their brand. Critically discuss if having a personal brand generates a sense of empowerment or anxiety for individuals
Personal branding is distinguishing individuals and their professions as brands, and it differs from notoriety and impression management in terms of motive (Pawar, 2016). It is intended to provide a benefit and brand value associated with a specific individual or person. Typically, branding initiatives necessitate a large sum of money for development to raise brand awareness and, eventually, brand reliability. With its ideological and innovative structure, online networking allows the general public to progress as a moderately sloppy and productive brand. Online personal branding refers to a strategy for expressing positive characteristics about oneself on the internet to set oneself apart from others and achieve professional goals and social desires (Pawar, 2016). To be a great professional, one must possess a comprehensive set of hard talents. They must have the ability to support their brand and assist them in achieving it entirely when practicing personal branding. Their brand will suffer without it. Other people’s tastes, views, and reactions impact such abilities. While client preferences and opinions are necessary, personal branding is primarily concerned with improving an individual developing their brand.
In the business sector, personal branding promises increased success. To help people find out how to self-brand, several self-improvement books, workshops, personal mentors, and articles are available. These systems emphasize validity while also implying that you are “more of who you are” and “more of who you were meant to be.” Personal Brand is a perception or feeling about you maintained by someone other than you and influences that person’s relationship with you.
Personal Branding as an empowerment
Individuals are in charge of maintaining and implementing an organization’s brand and social media and digital platforms presence (Jacobson, 2020). As heavy social media users, social media managers can shed light on emerging social media personal branding strategies. The term “future audience” explains how individuals predict a curated brand for the future and unforeseen audiences by focusing on professional identity. Due to job insecurity, social media managers adopt the mindset of being “always-on-the-job-market,” which drives personal branding to get or keep work.
Many people are unaware of the importance of personal branding, much less gravitas until it is too late (Michail, 2021). Your brand is more than simply a tool for self-promotion; it defines who you are, what you stand for, and persuades others to pay attention to you. An authentic personal brand allows you to understand yourself, distinguishes you from others, and allows you to stand out. It’s what gives you authority and causes others to trust you. An honest and authoritative personal brand improves your career prospects and helps your personal life to thrive. Even if things are going well in your life, once you know who you are and what you want to stand for, you’ll be shocked at how quickly a new burst of positivity and success motivates you.
Personal branding is the act of creating a positive image or impression in the minds of those that surround an individual or group. Applying one’s name to various objects is a common practice in personal branding. For instance, in the VIP land big shot, Donald Trump’s name is prominently displayed on his constructions and the things he backs.
Due to the sheer rise of the Internet, branding has reached a new level of fundamental importance. The growth of the virtual world necessitated the creation of an online character management system. Despite being virtual, social networking and online personality can impact the current world. People may attempt to maintain a specific image on their online networking sites because they need to portray themselves in a particular light to their circle of acquaintances. As a result, online networking facilitates the creation of an online persona that may or may not be entirely consistent with one’s true nature.
Personal branding is the process of creating a strategy and plan that focuses on your most important product: yourself. You must first decide who you are and what you want to be known for when creating a personal or professional brand. It’s almost as if you’re examining your own strengths and faults under a microscope. And your flaws can be utilized to strengthen your self-improvement foundation. This will enable you to highlight your abilities, values, personality, and who you want your target audience to be.
It’s not just about being able to explain your brand in person; it’s also about being able to communicate it online. “Personal branding is just a technique of selling oneself, and it’s never been more vital, owing to social media” (Joseph, 2014). Individuals may now use social media to disseminate our personal messages and achieve our objectives. Every post you make influences how people see your brand” (Joseph, 2014). It’s critical to keep an eye on any mention of your brand or name on the internet, as it could harm your reputation.
Your network members can help you expand your brand by endorsing you to their brand community. Building and sustaining relationships should become second nature to you, which involves looking for ways to add value to others in your brand community” (Arruda, 2014). When it comes to developing a personal brand, having a mentor may be beneficial. You can study how they become successful and what they learned from their experiences. You won’t be immune to making mistakes, but having someone who has been through them before to guide you will help you avoid them.
Maintaining a personal brand is just as important as creating one. It’s critical to ensure that your brand is consistent throughout your personality components. It accurately portrays who you are if you want to build a strong brand that people will remember and recognize. Because online networking is such an essential part of today’s way of life, it’s also crucial to keep your brand consistent and evident throughout social media platforms, particularly those used professionally.
In summary, a personal brand is about empowering since it allows you to expand your personal and expert network. Because systems administration is one of the most important components of job searching right now, maintaining and promoting your brand will assist organizations in remembering who you are. In general, establishing a personal brand is to separate yourself from your peers and create an imaginative name for yourself. By understanding what a personal brand is and how to develop and maintain one, one may realize how this brand, known as you, can benefit them in the expert world. As a result, personal branding empowers individuals.
Bibliography
Arruda, W., 2014. Personal Branding Basics: 3 Easy Steps To Advancing Your Career. [Online] Forbes. Available at: <https://www.forbes.com/sites/williamarruda/2014/09/16/personal-branding-basics-3-easy-steps-to-advancing-your-career/?sh=28864c0222ba> [Accessed 19 May 2022].
Jacobson, J. 2020. “You are a brand: social media managers’ personal branding and “the future audience,” Journal of Product & Brand Management; 29 (6), pp. 715-727.
Joseph, J., 2014. Build Your Personal Brand on Social Media, Moment by Moment. [Online] Entrepreneur. Available at: <https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/235073> [Accessed 19 May 2022].
Michail, J., 2021. Council Post: Why Authoritative Personal Branding Is More Important Than Ever. [Online] Forbes. Available at: <https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbescoachescouncil/2021/01/13/why-authoritative-personal-branding-is-more-important-than-ever/?sh=20bec1ae1340> [Accessed 19 May 2022].
Pawar, A., 2016. The Power of Personal Branding. International Journal of Engineering and Management Research, 6(2).
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