Although personal branding has become a clichéd term with over 2 million Instagram posts dedicated to the topic, it remains crucial for entrepreneurs and employees alike. Despite its popularity, many people still struggle with defining their own brand. Personal branding should be adaptable to changing times and trends in order to remain relevant.
Looking ahead to 2023, I predict three major personal branding trends that will emerge. The first trend is PSI or Parasocial interaction which is especially important for those building their brand online. This refers to the psychological relationship between an audience and someone they follow on social media platforms. By being authentic and vulnerable in your content, you can create a personal connection with your followers that will keep you top of your mind when they require your services.
When crafting social media content or speaking publicly, it’s important to incorporate personal anecdotes that candidly detail your journey rather than solely focusing on your successes. However, it’s crucial to be intentional with these stories and ensure they align with your brand while also providing value to your audience. Ultimately, the goal is to be relatable rather than aspirational.
Looking ahead to 2023, I predict a trend towards humanizing company brands by ensuring all organisation members embody its values and messaging. It can be damaging when employees don’t align with the brand image projected by leadership. For instance, one of our clients – a reputable government agency in Malaysia – had an impressive CEO but struggled with senior staff who were often mistaken for junior employees or not recognized as part of the agency at events. After undergoing branding training focused on four key pillars, their brand became more cohesive and positively impacted the organization overall.
The perception of a brand by outsiders is heavily influenced by their interactions with the people within the organization. Therefore, it’s important to invest in branding your employees this year.
In 2023, purposeful branding is becoming increasingly popular. What message are you trying to convey through your brand?
However, having a corporate social responsibility element isn’t necessary for personal branding. While it’s great if you do have one, it’s also perfectly fine not to. Purposeful branding means that there should be a significant reason behind who you are and what you do.
Recently, we’ve noticed that audiences tend to connect more with individuals whose brand strategy has a consistent cause or purpose they advocate for.
Personally, my big why behind my brand is helping professionals align their substance with their image so they can achieve the success they deserve. This stems from my ten-year experience in corporate settings where I saw many talented individuals being overlooked because of poor visibility strategies.
The key takeaway here is: don’t just focus on popularity when building your personal brand as it won’t last long-term. Instead, practice purposeful branding to ensure longevity and authenticity in your brand identity.
I hope these tips provide valuable insights as you discover and develop your own unique brand identity!
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