Tag: personal branding

YETUNDE TAIWO-SHORTERS: 7 POWERFUL WAYS TO LEVEL UP YOUR PERSONAL BRAND IN 2019

by Yetunde Taiwo-Shorters

It’s Yetunde Shorters here, chiming in sharing with you, as we plan for the New Year, seven powerful ways to level up your personal brand in 2019.

This year flew by so quickly that we couldn’t even catch a breath, but it’s never too late. You can start now and start today, and let’s plan for manifestations in 2019.

Below are my suggestions of 7 powerful ways to level up your purposeful personal brand in 2019.   

PLAN AHEAD

Planning means take the time one of these days before the year is over and sit down and plan for the things you want for your brand or your business.

Plan what your social media would look like, what each quarter would look like, and what products you’re going to launch.

Write it out. You have plenty of time to do that this year so that you can be prepared and schedule things for next year. That way, you save yourself some time.

You can start now and start today, and let's plan for manifestations in 2019 - @Yetunde . Click To Tweet

MANAGE YOUR TIME

Manage your time like a boss. We all have 24 hours in the day. If you’re a solopreneur or you have a small team, you have 24 hours a day. You have a lot to do.

What that means is you need to be conscientious of how you spend your time.

What are you doing with your mornings? Do you find yourself on Facebook or Instagram immediately? STOP IT!!!

The first 90 minutes set the tone. Be intentional about those 90 minutes.

CONNECT, BETTER

That means online and offline. Sometimes we get caught up in posting, and we forget that we have to engage other people, so dedicate 20 to 30 minutes of your time per week and go back to the people that follow and engage on their pages.

Like the comments, like their pictures, read stuff, and leave your thoughtful feedback. Also, do this in live events. That means go out more, look for networking or marketing events that you can be a part of.

MAP OUT YOUR SYSTEMS

If you are going to be doing events, a photo shoot or consulting with clients, write out what that looks like. For example, when a client inboxes you, what is your response? Or when a client responds to you.

What do you reply to that? Write it out step-by-step.

Having automated content helps in a way that when anything happens, you’re literally just cutting and pasting again saving you time. Or you can use e-services to create an auto send out.

DOCUMENT IT

This is one of the things that were actually in the recent book I had with the Better Business book. I shared the 10 things I’ve learned from my 10 years in business.

If I knew then, I would have documented any good thing that happened in my business. When you’re going to do a review of the year or an analysis to a client, you can go back and have documentation.

Documenting things is a great way to track your progress - @yetunde Click To Tweet

So, at the end of the year, if you have to do a year in review, you have all your ducks in a row. You have content for your portfolio. You have content for testimonials. It’s a great way to track your progress. 

TRACK AND ANALYZE

This often depends on how engaged you are on social media or your newsletter or in person, to see what’s working.

Test it out and then come back and take off the things that are not working. Tracking and analyzing helps you see that your efforts are being put to good use.

That way, you will get into the quality of what works for your brand, and so you just rinse and repeat and use the things that work over and over again.

AUTOMATE YOUR PROCESSES

Create your automation systems. What does it look like when someone signs up for your newsletter or signs up for talking to you, what is that process?

If there’s anything you can automate, which means use a mailing service where something is automatically sent to them without you, your business can function without you; you automatically automate all the stuff that you want your customers or potential clients to know.

Again, you have a plan ahead, manage your time like a boss, map out your systems, connect better and more, document the milestones, track and analyze often, automate, engage, and convert.

These 7 steps are what you need to level up for your brand in 2019.

 Interested in contributing for She Leads Africa? Click here.

Ooooota Adepo: Africa needs to connect with the world and itself

by Hilda Awomolo

Ooooota Adepo is the Founder of Cross Culture Creative, a consultancy which addresses business challenges in Real Estate, Energy and Technology between Africa and the Western World.

Motivated by her drive to simultaneously tackle social issues and capture business opportunities in the global marketplace, Ooooota seeks to build a world in which all cultures are uplifted, and borders do not impede growth.

As director of In-Decks, Ooooota feeds her passion for food and travel through culinary insights and from some of the world’s most interesting food personalities.

She holds a B.A. in Economics from the University of Pennsylvania and a Master’s degree from Cambridge University in Urban Planning. She is fluent in English, Yoruba, French, Spanish and Italian.

Ooooota recently gave a Ted Talk in Berlin, where she highlighted the need for a more connected Africa, culturally and in business.

As an African, have you experienced travel restrictions within and outside Africa? Watch this Ted Talk by @ooooota1 Click To Tweet

Watch the Ted Talk here:

Here are 5 takeaways from this TED Talk about Africa’s connection with the world and with itself:

1. If Africa is to be culturally or diplomatically engaged with the world, it needs to be
viewed as an equal, not as an object of charity, nor as a fad.

 
2. Our history and our cultures (languages included) must be reinforced internally if they are to stand against the veracity of Western civilizations. With time, histories fade and languages die. We are responsible for ensuring this does not happen if we are to remain relevant as a people in centuries to come.

 
3. Africans need to be fiercely curious about the world but more importantly about Africa. There is so much to discover.

 

Unfortunately, African's still face restrictions in traveling their own continents. How did we get here? - @ooooota1 Click To Tweet
4. When we present ourselves to the world, either in conversations with non-Africans or through our businesses, we must keep in mind our global brand. We must always be ambassadors of our continent. We must also always treat fellow Africans with respect.

 
5. The solutions I outline in my talk towards building a prosperous Africa through infrastructure, trade, industry, and education need urgent attention. I see African women spearheading this.

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WEBINAR WITH YETUNDE SHORTERS: THE P.O.W.E.R OF PURPOSEFUL PERSONAL BRANDING (JULY 19)

by Nomsa Kanyama

What comes to mind when you hear the term ‘personal branding’? A perception of oneself? A unique identity?

No matter the thought, your personal brand reflects your reputation, your legacy, the people you surround yourself with, your authenticity…the list is endless!

Having a well-defined personal brand requires you to be proactive about how you manage it. This starts with thinking about what you want to be known for and then taking purposeful action to ensure that’s the image you’re creating.

So, what does it mean to have a ‘purposeful personal brand’? How can it earn you top dollar without blowing lots of schmoney on stuff that won’t even do justice to your brand?

Join Yetunde Shorters, on Thursday, 19th July, as she shares secrets that will earn you multi-six figures without spending a dime on advertising or marketing through purposeful personal branding.

Yetunde Shorters helps the inspired go-getter create an authentic, purposeful and fun personal brand that helps you do what you love while helping others, in a way that creates financial freedom for you and your family. 

Discover the #power of purposeful personal branding with @Yetunde on July 19th at 12PM EST! Register here: bit.ly/yetundes Click To Tweet

Some of the topics we’ll cover

  • Identifying where your purpose comes from and get clear on it
  • Ways to elevate your personal brand
  • How to develop a brand statement that represents you best
  • Secrets that will earn you multi-six figures without spending a dime on advertising or marketing

Register below to get access to this opportunity and submit questions you would like Yetunde to answer.

Webinar details:

Date: Thursday, July 19th, 2018

Time: 12PM Miami // 5PM Lagos // 6PM Johannesburg

Watch Part 1 below:

Watch Part 2 below:

 

About Yetunde

Yetunde Shorters is an international publicist and an industry leader in helping women entrepreneurs discover their purpose and provide value to the right people to make profits. She is also the creator of ICY PR, the Afropolitan Chef and Founder of ICY ACADEMY and a 4-time Amazon best-selling author. 

With over 15 years of experience working and securing publicity for multiple Grammy Award Winning Artists, International Celebrities and Entrepreneurs, Yetunde has been featured in Elle, CBS, Zen Magazine, Tropics and more.

She is masterful at connecting her client’s sense of purpose to prosperity. She also uses her skills to help emerging entrepreneurs create value, save time and increase productivity.

In partnership with She Leads Africa, Yetunde is launching A Purpose Breakthrough 101 session, a 90 minutes intensive brand clarity session, where she delves deep into your purpose to connect it to profits.

She also runs the ICY ACADEMY PERSONAL BRANDING MASTERCLASS, where you learn strategies that get results, techniques that save you time and access to a powerful network of go-getters who provide the support you need to thrive in your purpose.

SAMANTHA MOGWE: I collaborate with other brands that share the same values as me

by Nonofo Nkwe

Samantha Mogwe is a Motswana singer/songwriter who brings a fused element of neo-soul/RnB. Raised to appreciate poetry and performing arts, she was exposed to music at an early age.

She has had the opportunity to perform not only in Botswana but in South Africa, Namibia, Ethiopia, and Sweden. Sharing the stage with well-known artists such as Zahara, The Soil, Zonke, Joe Thomas, Kenny Latimore, Lira, Micasa, Hugh Masikela among others.

Samantha is a 2014 YAMA award winner for Best Female Artist for the year and a BOMU Award winner for Best packaged Album, in 2015.

She is a multifaceted individual who places great value on edification and re-inventive qualities. She holds a degree in Theology and has studied music with the Trinity College of London.

Samantha is a wife and a mother, radio personality on local radio station Gabz Fm, a voice coach, fitness enthusiast and businesswoman who maintains her work-life balance by scheduling everything and prioritizing what is important.

In this interview, she chats to us about personal and business branding qualities, new radio show venture and social entrepreneurship.

 Have you always wanted to be a musician?

I come from a family that loves music and arts in general. I knew I loved music but I did not grow up thinking I would choose music as a career.

It’s something that crept up on me when my best friend forced me to join My African Dream when we were 15. We came second in our category and then I would always find myself gravitating towards performing on stage despite fear and being shy.

 

How have you steered clear of the ideology that doing music in Botswana is not a sustainable career?

Like any career, the arts are unpredictable, and I say this because we now live in a time where a staggering number of our graduates are unemployed even though they are in fields that our parents assume would be safer when it comes to making an income.

I personally have never been the type of person who was caught up in following the ideas and norms of what society expected of me.

I think it’s because I remind myself that I came into this world alone, and one day I will SOLELY stand before God to give an account of what I did with the gifts and opportunities that He has given me.

My faith and hope for being a successful musician are what also fuelled me to keep at it even when there were so many reasons to just simply give up and try something that seemed to have more certainty.

My purpose is clear in the lyrical content of my music, my radio show & in the conversations I have - @samanthamogwe Click To Tweet

Why was it important for you to transition into the radio realm and how did you prepare for it?

How I got into radio was a bit of a strange one. Some people think it’s because I “knew someone” who gave me the opportunity but that is not how it happened.

At the beginning of 2017, I had a deep inclination to invest in myself and learn the art of public speaking. I joined Gaborone Toast Masters and spent the entire year with the Club, learning how to speak in public without being afraid and how to articulate myself.

Gabz Fm then put out an advert where they were looking for new radio presenters and I tried to ignore it. My husband and sister then convinced me to drop off my applications and demo.

Three months later after they had gone through the applicants, I was shortlisted to join a group of ten who had potential. We began training in December of 2017 into January of 2018 and that’s how I got in.

I have always known that I would love to be able to speak on a public platform because writing music can be limiting as you are working on sharing an idea on an instrumental that is less than 4 minutes. That’s quite limiting.

I wanted to diversify my brand in a way that still maintained my purpose and vision and also challenged me so that I would keep growing as a person.

Not only that, I found that it was important that I should try and reach people who might only see me as a performing artist, but often wouldn’t think that I have opinions on issues that we as Batswana are dealing with on a day to day basis.

 

The “Sams Purple Lounge” among other things addresses interesting business and social issues. What encouraged you to address these? 

 

I want us to fix ourselves and in turn fix our immediate community in our own little way. This is what Sams Purple Lounge is out to do.

To be honest, I have gotten tired of having us constantly complaining as a people. We have many problems in our society so why not show solutions.

This is why I try to bring guests who are addressing various social concerns. Our conversations are geared toward fixing social issues, and also at times educating and challenging the mindset that often needs challenging and encouragement to look at life beyond ‘ME, MYSELF AND I’!

I am overwhelmed by the response. So far people love it, and I couldn’t be happier because that encourages me to keep going and keep growing as a radio presenter.

Can you tell us more about your social enterprises?

I have aligned myself with two specific social causes:

LOVE IS ART: The whole point is to use theatre and performing arts during the 16 days of Activism Against Women and Child Abuse. Here we tell stories aimed at creating dialogue and in the process, we raise funds for safe houses for battered women and children.

This seems to be a big trouble area for Batswana as most times, we do not talk about the abuse that goes on in our homes. We see that women are daily encouraged to stay with spouses who abuse them and/or their children.

We have also gone as far having a sanitary pad drive for incarcerated women.

SKY GIRLS BW: I have been working with them since 2014, and the relationship stems from their focus on the young Motswana girl.

Teaching the young girl how to be assertive, how to be grounded and how to be okay with being themselves and not succumbing to peer pressure that comes in different forms. I think this especially is close to my heart because our peers can often derail us from following a dream.

This is because they do not understand what it is that we want to achieve in life,  and I know this as someone who decided to follow the arts as a chosen career path instead of the conventional 8-5 office job. 

Authenticity cannot be faked - @samanthamogwe Click To Tweet

Name three factors you used in building and sustaining your personal/business brand.

Looking back at my own personal brand, I would say what has helped me achieve a sustainable brand over the past few years include the following things

AUTHENTICITY

A lot of the time, people assume that you have to be a certain way in order to amass a following of a specific magnitude. I have never tried to be anything that is not Samantha Mogwe. You will see this is not only what I post on social media, but how I write my music as well as the content I bring on my radio show.

I try to be transparent and real when it comes to what I portray. I also ensure that I am credible and trustworthy.  In being authentic, I make it known that I am finding my way, learning and growing just like everyone else. I am never afraid to admit when I don’t know something.

Another thing that people will realize is authenticity cannot be faked as people watch and observe to see if you maintain consistency in the things that you value and how I communicate issues that are close to your heart.

PURPOSE

From the beginning, I have always told myself that I wanted to live a life that made a difference in the lives of people. This might include simply educating, bringing awareness, teaching, challenging.

My purpose is clear in the lyrical content of my music, in my radio show, in the conversations I have, in the projects that I affiliate my brand with, in the things I post about on social media.

VISIBILITY

How prominent is your brand? I have always made sure that I continued and still continue to build my brand internally and externally. This means that I attend networking sessions and find ways to grow myself.

I collaborate with other brands that share the same values as me. Even when I was expecting my son and took a break from music, I maintained visibility. This kept me visible yet allowed me to share something that I was passionate about.

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5 things you can learn from Talaya Waller’s Ted Talk on personal branding

by Hilda Awomolo

Dr. Talaya Waller is an internationally known, award-winning personal branding consultant, speaker, and marketing scholar who works with thought leaders from a variety of industries.

She combines professional experiences with years of marketing research to build awareness, influence, and credibility for personal and organizational brands. Her mission is to help leaders share their stories and leverage their expertise to make a positive impact on society.

Dr. Talaya earned a Doctorate of Business Administration in 2015 and is currently conducting independent research on personal branding. In 2011, she completed an Executive Education at Harvard. She also holds a BSc and an MBA in Managerial Sciences focused on Entrepreneurship.

With an online presence of over 35,000 followers and haven being published in Forbes, Fast Company, and The Chronicle of Higher Education, Dr.Talaya gave a TEDx Talk where she shares her insight on personal branding.

The future of branding is personal - Talaya Waller Click To Tweet

Watch the Ted Talk here:

Here are 5 things you can learn from this TED Talk

 

1. Technology has caused a major shift in influence. Today, one employee can have more influence, and also consumer trust than their entire organization.

2. People are tired of being sold. In business marketing, we have moved away from humanizing objects to influencing people with other people who they know, like, and trust. Individuals who want to build an influential personal brand can use the know-like-trust formula.

3. Everyone has a brand, but most people don’t manage it strategically, effectively, or consistently. Individuals who have a well-defined personal brand usually generate increased value for their company, whether they work for themselves or someone else.

4. Your personal brand is the most powerful tool you have to accomplish your goals. A branding strategy is essential to success in fundraising, growing a business, or changing careers.

5. Branding is no longer about companies trying to manage our perception. Today, it’s about people creating and sharing human experiences.

The future of branding is personal.

 If you’d like to be featured on the SLA Facebook page? Click here to share your story.

Chidindu Mmadu-Okoli: Storytelling can Change your Business

by Ugochi Obidiegwu

Chidindu Mmadu-Okoli is a healthcare provider, content creator, and editor. She is the founder and chief storyteller of Story4Strategy.

Story4Strategy is a small business borne out of the passion to help individuals and small businesses create the most compelling brand narratives that connect them with their target clients or ideal audiences.

How did Story4Strategy originate?

Story4Strategy did not come to me by chance. I was inspired by my various experiences from the 13 years where I worked as a secretary, writer, editor, PR officer, and as an inbound healthcare marketing executive.

Currently, the business offers content creation, content editing and content marketing strategy services for individuals, startups and small businesses.

Until the lion learns to tell its stories, history will always glorify the hunter - African Proverb Click To Tweet

Why is storytelling a key component of business in today’s world?

Any business currently operating without a storytelling strategy is like the lamp hidden under the table. The question is, how can any voiceless business make the desired impact?

Any modern day business seeking to build visibility or awareness, influence, and profits must first connect to the minds of their ideal audiences. The only way to achieve this connection and
to build customer-centered relationships is through genuine and persuasive brand narratives.


How can our Motherland Moguls incorporate storytelling into their businesses to give them an edge?

Africa’s history or backstory has propelled a lot of young women to fearlessly pursue lofty dreams that they are neither afraid of nor ashamed of. But, how do we validate these efforts

Young women building great businesses on this continent should see business storytelling as
the tool for showcasing Africa. They can use written, visual or spoken content with calls-to-action, to tell persuasive brand stories. Though, they have to ensure they develop a unique content strategy that aligns with their business goals.

Secondly, through effective use of internet, social and traditional media, women can constantly connect, engage, convert and nurture potentials who will become loyal followers of their brands. Through all this, we inspire, educate and drive positive change.

Attention is the new currency. You have to tell it, to sell it - @iamchidindu Click To Tweet

Can storytelling be applied to young ladies building their careers? 

Of course, it can! In this day and age, where Thought Leadership is ever-thriving, young career women ought to see storytelling as a means to stand out.

Also, young women growing in their careers have a lot of stories to tell based on their gifts, skill sets, knowledge, and experience. Therefore, storytelling becomes a wonderful tool for grooming other young women who want to follow their paths.

As long as someone is telling stories that are connecting and helping people, they will always remain relevant.

 

What careers can young women find in storytelling? 

Storytelling is broad. Business Storytelling and Content Marketing are just the tip of the iceberg. Most of these career paths are wrapped around (brand) journalism, mass communications, theatre and filmmaking, arts and literary studies, information and communication technology.

Young women can then take up specific roles such as content creator, editor, speechwriter, graphic designer, film and even research writer among many others. These different roles allow them to solve problems and create value.

What excites you about using storytelling as a strategy? 

The first thing that excites me is that storytelling is human. I do not need to go develop complex machines as well as specific instructions to give them. It’s a way to connect effortlessly with people and travels faster than formulas or data.

Wrapping data in a story makes it easier for people to understand a difficult concept. After all, people think in stories and not figures.

The great thing about storytelling it that it’s transgenerational. It’s a strategy that worked for our forefathers and still works in the business world. Businesses can use storytelling to change people’s attitudes about a product and even the culture.


What advice would you give young women trying to carve a niche for themselves? 

Every dream is valid! You are the one who validates the dream. When you are persistent enough to begin producing results, others will then start to validate you. So, start small, aim limitlessly. Nothing good comes cheap.

If you show up to your life’s path, life will show up for you - @iamchidindu Click To Tweet

 

Does the intersection of helping women live their best lives, and telling their stories through the media, events, technology, and data-driven thinking sound A++ to you? If so, think about joining us at the SLA HQ. See Job openings here.

Personal branding takeaways from Adenike Oyetunde

by Ekemini Akpakpan
We share lessons from Adenike Oyetunde's successful personal brand story, which is inspiring audiences. Click To Tweet

Personal branding expert, and Forbes contributor Glenn Llopis says; “A personal brand is the total experience of someone having a relationship with who you are and what you represent as an individual”. The boom of social media has also come in handy for personal branding. This is seen by individuals taking over the social media space (thankfully social media can afford us all our mini reality show) for self-promotion. Individuals may be as inauthentic, but their pages are curated to take on a persona.

This goes by the Dramaturgy Theory by Goffman, where personal branding is regarded as a self-presentation. It is an act or drama in itself classified into the ‘front stage’; a premeditated image for everybody, and a backstage; the authentic self (not for everybody). Goffman’s theory seemed to have paid off a lot more at the onset of social media, when social media tended to be only for solidifying public image.

Now social media content that get the most engagement are those of pages that have the ability to be vulnerable. Rather than centered on a premeditated image, they have a human face, add value, and connect genuinely with the audience.

The social media content that get the most engagement have a human face and add value Click To Tweet

Let’s talk about a successful personal brand story, Adenike Oyetunde, who has been up and about her authentic self and is inspiring audiences.

Introducing Adenike Oyetunde

Adenike Oyetunde is a spirited lawyer and on-air-personality. She was diagnosed with Osteogenic Sarcoma (cancer of the bone) at age 20 when she was in her second year in University. Adenike eventually had to accept the Doctor’s diagnosis and go for a limb amputation, after refusing to admit that she would live without one of her limbs for the rest of her life.


Adenike’s personal brand message: Inspiration

It’s rather a sad one to have your limb amputated but Adenike is such an energetic, happy, and inspiring soul. I like this statement she once made: “I, my name is Adenike Oyetunde, and I am living my life like it’s golden.”

Adenike admits to the news of amputating her limb dropping like a bombshell, as the Doctor was as direct as possible. She had to even be the rock for her family because her parents didn’t take this so well. “I actually saw my dad crying… I would have to not cry before my mum because she was going psychotic.”

Adenike’s is a case of courage and radiating so much positive energy. Yes, this was her source of strength, to pull through those times. Adenike survived it and now uplifts the world. Her message is such an inspiring, and uplifting one. She takes to social media every day to radiate light. Here is what I love about her -she’s a fun, free-spirited, warm and a good-natured soul.

Brand authencity: Her social media is such a fun and relatable place

The soul of Adenike’s social media page is in its spontaneity. It is not curated and comes with a ‘random’ vibe. Every Wednesday on her page, she shares funny witty randomly curated words from social media on ‘Wordy Wednesday’. Adenike sounds so relatable on social media, you would think that you have met her in person (and yes you have).

Adenike also shares stories of upliftment. ‘Miracle Mondays’ are Mondays where she shares stories of people who have had miraculous interventions on social media. The warmth of her personality shines through all the time. And therein lies the authenticity of her brand.

The authenticity of Adenike's brand lies in the warmth of her social media personality Click To Tweet

Impact

This is Adenike’s watchword, I think. She is like somebody who lives for everybody else; selfless. One of my initial encounters of Ms. Adenike was during one of her social impact causes, when she was raising funds for a cancer patient on world cancer day.

Adenike is so passionate about spreading the word on cancer and other social causes. She recently launched Amputees United for amputee-activism, and January this year she began the gratitude jar challenge for people to tell their gratitude stories on social media for the 365 days of the year.

5 proven ways to improve your personal brand

by Patricia Egessa
lolafola

What exactly is a personal brand? There is no official definition but it’s artful combination of your expertise, talents and skills as well as the platforms that you use to present these. Many people focus only on their personal brand when they’re looking for a job, but the work doesn’t stop there. As a young professional, you can continue to find new opportunities and establish yourself in the job market by keeping your personal brand updated, fresh and in front of the right people.

Whether you are in your first job after youth service or a brand new entrepreneur looking to establish credibility in the market, below are 5 things you can do today to build and sustain your personal brand.

1. Define your brand

lovefolaWhat do you want to be known for? Are there certain attributes that you want to be linked to? What is your area of expertise? What are you passionate about? Once you establish this, you will be able to clearly define your brand. Be specific.

Choosing a general subject matter like “lifestyle” will not make you stand out of the crowd. According to Inc. Magazine, with a niche focus, you’ll have more opportunities to prove you know what you’re talking about. While your potential audience might be slightly smaller, it will also be that much more relevant.

2. Social media presence

lovefola

Social media platforms are great tools for promoting your personal brand. Make sure that the content on your profiles is consistent across the board and aligns with your brand. Flesh out your LinkedIn profile. Contribute to conversations on Twitter. Delete or untag yourself from questionable pictures on Facebook. Post regular updates about issues you care about on all three. Be careful about the images and videos you upload to Instagram. Remember that all the content you post online contributes to your personal brand.

3. Write

lovefola

Take advantage of writing opportunities. This allows you to not only share your knowledge but also establish yourself as an expert in your field. You can start by guest blogging for blogs that you admire. If you want to write more frequently, you can start your own blog or create a personal website. An added advantage of having your own website is that it increases the rank for your name on search engines. You can also reach out to newspapers and magazines, and write opinion articles to be published in them.

4. Network

lovefolaNetworking is important in building and growing your personal brand. Engage with other people in your industry both online and offline. Participate in online professional discussions and forums. Attend networking events and be ready to make connections with, share and learn from the people you meet. According to Forbes, your personal brand is strengthened or weakened by your connection to other brands. Find and leverage strong brands that can elevate your own personal brand.

5. Speaking engagements

lovefolaSpeaking at different events gives you an opportunity to demonstrate your expertise and meet new people. It also builds a rapport and trust with your audience. This will allow you to not only communicate effectively with them but also to grow your network. Interacting with people this way differentiates you from your competition and increases your credibility.

Cultivating your personal brand is not an overnight task. Like everything else, it takes patience, perseverance, proactivity and a lot of time. Don’t just limit your personal branding to online tools like LinkedIn and your website. Get out into the world and find opportunities to keep growing and connecting via media interviews, networking events and conferences.

Happy branding!

Images of and from Folashade Adeoso. Follow her here and here.