When it comes to our personal brand, not all branding is created equal.
We are all at different phases of our career. With different education and experiences.
With different goals and aspirations.
As such, there is no “one size fits all” approach to our personal brand strategy.
Working with individuals, I have developed five different levels.
Some may move through them like a journey.
Some are content staying at levels 1 or 2.
While others will skip stages and leapfrog a process.
5 Levels of Personal Branding
Level 0 – The Organic
This first level is the one that most professionals occupy. They don’t do anything intentionally to craft or expand their personal brand. They have a brand that is created through their work and approach within their current company. They may or may not be aware of their unique skills and what others say about them when they aren’t in the room.
Level 1 – The Networking Professional
The next level is the professional who gets out an about to networking events, conferences, and engaging in online communities such as LinkedIn and professional groups. By the nature of networking, they tend to have a better articulation of who they are and the value they bring. Yet often they lean heavily on their title or the company they work for to have that corporate brand rub off on their personal brand.
Level 2 – The Thought Leader
This professional is aware of their unique difference – inside their current organization and beyond. They want to start to intentionally grow an audience, provide insight, and become known for their thought leadership. They may begin their process on LinkedIn. However, these individuals are likely starting to create content – writing, creating videos, presentations, speeches, and more. This is often driving them to think about other platforms and likely building a personal, simple website.
Level 3 – The Income Portfolio / Side Hustle
Once the thought leader has figured out their “space” and understands the audience they want to attract, they start to think about monetizing their thought leadership. This can take many forms including products and services that are sold as live programs and/or evergreen that are available anytime. This level often requires more formal branding and more tools and capabilities for ecommerce on their website. They also start to expand to other platforms to grow their audience. Marketing plans are starting to grow.
Level 4 – The “All-In” – Solo or Entrepreneur
Moving to this phase, the individual has decided to turn their thought leadership into their full-time income stream. With this move, the individual expands further beyond their owned platforms and media. They are doing things like attending events, taking on more speaking engagements, and creating proactive marketing plans. They are likely to start moving from organic marketing strategies into paid strategies.
This is a very high-level overview of the steps.
Understanding which level you are currently on and where you want to be, your personal brand strategy can emerge.
Your Turn
Which level do you believe you are currently at?
Which level is your goal?
Do you have a timeline and strategic plan on how you will move from one level to another?