What is a Personal Brand and Why You Need One?

What is a personal brand and why you need one?

As a freelancer in any industry but certainly the live events industry it’s common knowledge that reputation is everything. So why is it that us as live event professionals so often don’t think of ourselves in the same terms we do business? Words like personal brand, and marketing seem to not be considerations for us as individuals. 

For starters what is a personal brand anyway? Your personal brand is how you are perceived by the people around you. It is the lasting impressions you make with personal interactions. It’s how you handle email communications, it’s your social media presence. It’s even how you show up on Google. Creating a consistent version of yourself professionally can build recognition that may help jump start experience. Sure there’s no replacement for spending a decade learning and actively working in your field. However, building a personal brand can help you leverage the experience you have and open up networking opportunities by building your credibility. 

I’d start by saying treat yourself like a business. Create a logo, have business cards made. Have a dedicated work email. Make sure your profile picture is consistent across all of your social media platforms, and your work email. Keep up to date a website or some form of digital footprint, and keep a list of your certifications and work experience. 

Try updating your resume every 6 months and sending it out to remind companies and people you work for that you are actively looking for work and available. Out of sight is out of mind. 

Additionally one of the best ways to begin to establish credibility is to gain exposure. In the music industry just like musicians use social media to grow their platforms engineers can apply similar principles to their own careers. For example many companies that have gear can have partnerships with engineers and those who use their products on a regular basis. This not only helps with product development but also begins to allow you to have great relationships with people who manufacture the products you may use regularly. A number of manufacturers also offer training or certifications you can take for their products. Taking specialized training courses and obtaining certifications for skills and products you use regularly is another great way to establish professional credibility.

In short, your personal brand is you. It’s the collection of your work, your experience, and it’s your point of view. A brand is what sets you apart from other people in your position. It helps you establish credibility, become more easily recognizable, and it helps you summarize and leverage your experience consistently across both online platforms and your resume.