3 Proven Ways To Build Your Personal Brand Online

3 Proven Ways To Build Your Personal Brand Online

If you are looking to boost your personal brand power, there is no better way than doing it online.

I hope you are just as excited as the audience from James Cook University (JCU) who came to learn more about how they could harness the power of their personal brand online in today’s personal branding workshop held on campus.

Let me share 3 proven ways which I personally use and which have reaped handsome dividends for me through the years.

Method #1: Give Away Your Best Content

We are all experts in our chosen field – having honed our skills and expertise over the years, from our course of study in school to our accumulated work experience.

Have you ever thought how you could package some of this content into easy-to-read, digestible bite-sized write-ups; and give them away for free?

Are you crazy? You may ask.

Well…

I’ve been doing this for years. And very often, I give away some of my best content for free. I believe in giving as it is like paying it forward. Honestly, I do not know who reads my blog posts, but I know once a certain blog post is published, it will attract a healthy number of eyeballs.

If blogging is not what you are comfortable with, then try forums as they too are a good alternative to build your credibility.

When you give away your best content, you are letting your voice be heard by the masses. More importantly, when you publish content online, you instantly become an authority in that field.

Method #2: Be Active On Social Media

There is no running away from social media. Social media is huge and it is here to stay. So it’s either you learn to embrace it and work it to your advantage, or continue to stay oblivious in your own little world.

There are numerous social media platforms available. The question I’m normally asked is this – which one should I use?

My answer: the one you are most comfortable with and gives you the greatest mileage.

It’s like applying for a credit card. You apply for the one you can associate intimately with and gives you the best perks in town (in terms of rewards or cash rebates or upfront benefits).

It is pointless to open too many social media accounts (I know all of them are free!) and not have the time and energy to manage them.

A classical case I always share is this – some people open a social media account because it’s trendy to do so. But they don’t even bother to add their profile picture. It’s still the default avatar or headless image. So what’s the point really? Do you think people will want to connect or network with an avatar or headless image?

Opening social media accounts is easy. The tough part is maintaining them constantly.

Method #3: Have Your Own Website

It’s becoming increasingly important to have your own web presence so that the Google search spiders can crawl, search and index you online. And the best way to create your online brand presence is through a website.

Do not worry if you do not know HTML or JavaScript. There is no need to know any form of coding.

You just need a plug-and-play content management system like WordPress where almost everything is done for you. All you need to do it to follow a few simple steps (yes, the JCU audience were amazed by how simple it was to get their first website up and running).

Or try out other free web resources such as Google Sites (check out my digital portfolio https://sites.google.com/view/lionellim), Wix and Strikingly.

Biggest secret – I completed my Google Sites online portfolio in just 2 hours! And it looks as professional as all my other websites.

The journey of creating a powerful personal brand online is an ongoing one. But the tangible results will always be something you will look back and relish for years to come =)

personal-branding-workshop-jcu