Personal Brand Audit: Improve What's Not Working

Personal branding is a powerful tool. It empowers you to express your authentic self, pursue your passions, and connect with your audience on a deeper level. In today's fast-paced world, where attention is scarce and competition is fierce, establishing a strong personal brand is more important than ever.

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Many experiences in my life have led me to specialize in brand strategy, particularly in helping individuals develop and refine their personal brands. I've come to understand the profound impact that personal branding can have on one's business or career. It's not just about creating a polished image; it's about authentically showcasing who you are and what you stand for.

I'm on a mission to help individuals gain clarity about their identity and brand, whether they're starting from scratch or looking to enhance what they already have. While some improvements may be straightforward, identifying the subtle nuances that can make a significant difference can be challenging.

That's why I've developed a comprehensive 7-step blueprint to help you assess and improve your personal brands.

 1. What do you stand for?

Personal branding is not about bragging or making a good impression (although the latter is a consequence of deep work on yourself and strategic yet authentic branding). Personal branding is about taking strategic actions to show the best in you. Not something created, invented or borrowed, but what you already have within you; what you were born with, learned or experienced.

In fact, personal branding is all about service. It’s sharing your talents and skills with those who need them the most. It’s working in a flow and in alignment with your organic predispositions so you can give the best of yourself while not feeling drained, unheard and unappreciated. 

Two things should become your compass when building your brand: your purpose and your values. Your purpose and values keep you on track when you choose the clients you want to work with or the company you want to be employed by. They are also your guide when making key career decisions. 

I know, it’s not easy to discover your purpose. It’s probably the hardest of all exercises I do with my clients during my Brand Clarity Workshop. It takes time and courage to look deep and connect the dots. 

Your purpose is your “WHY”. It’s what you do and why you do it, beyond the money. It's what makes you jump off the bed and pushes you towards your goals. It’s the pattern behind every action you take.

On the other hand, your values are what you stand for and what you believe in. They are how you do business and how you find people who share your values. Your values let you connect with your audience on a deeper level.

Now take your time and answer these questions:

What is the pattern behind all the difficulties you have experienced or all your achievements? 

What is your purpose?

What are your values? What are your “non-negotiables”?

2. What are your strengths? 

Do you know what are you good at? Do you remember what you enjoyed doing when you were a kid? These might be your clues to answering this question.

If you are not a newbie in personal branding and you’ve been doing your thing for a while now but something feels off, maybe this is the piece of the puzzle which is missing.

If you pursue a goal or career driven by money and the latest trends, it might not be working out for you as you have not considered your strengths; the gifts you received when you were born. Don’t follow the crowd, follow your nature. If this sentence sounds too lofty to you, then simply do your SWOT analysis. It definitely sounds like the more rational thing to do. 

To discover your strengths, passions and gifts answer these questions:

Am I working to the best of my talents?

What is it that excites me about my daily tasks?

When do I feel in flow?

3. What is your ONE thing?

Niching down or, in other words, being known for one thing is essential for both, entrepreneurs and experts. It helps your audience notice and remember you because of that one thing and for you, it helps to become a true expert in your area of interest. 

One more advantage of niching down is that it helps with your content strategy and the other marketing activities you plan to do in the future. Just imagine the freedom and clarity when you know your thing is also the one you believe in and love doing the most. It’s truly liberating. 

Choosing one thing is not restricted to a service you provide or your corporate status. It equally can be the way you work, your approach to certain things, your unshakable opinion or a revolutionary vision. 

These questions might be helpful to find your one thing:

What do you love doing? What's your passion?

What are your talents What are you good/best at? 

What is important to you? What is your purpose?

What do others struggle with? What does the world currently need?

4. Who are you talking to?

Personal branding is about attracting opportunities while acting authentically and in alignment with your true self. And while it’s crucial to know who you are in order to build a strong brand, knowing your audience is not less important. 

To make your message clear, and your actions strategic and thoughtful, you have to know to whom are you talking and to whom you can be of service.

Doing the "ONE thing" exercise can lead you to clearly see the people you could help the most with what you have. Your values and those of your audience should align, and your message should reflect your purpose.

In order to feel yourself in the shoes of your people, an empathy map could be helpful. Try to go deep and imagine:

What do your people struggle with? What do they need and what do they want?

What do they think? 

How do they feel about their struggle? 

What do they say about it? What words do they use to describe it?

What do they do? Where do they hang out? What do they watch, read or listen to? Who are they inside?

5. Are you authentically unique?

You probably never stop looking over your shoulder and checking how the competition or your colleagues are doing. That's good because you need to have a point of reference. However, if your only positioning strategy is to be better, or at least not worse, then you have some homework to do.

You see, the point is not to be better, but to see how you are different and make it your biggest leverage.

Instead of constantly comparing your brand to others, try to figure out what makes your brand unique and true to who you truly are. 

What skills, expertise, experience or a very unique point of view do you have that others don’t which might be very beneficial for your audience/clients?

What weird (in your opinion) stuff comes to your mind when you think of yourself? What are you known for among your friends? 

Again, remember all your strengths and talents or the unique combination thereof - what do you have that others don’t?

Now distil all your answers. What stands out the most? What feels right and authentic that you are willing to turn into your superpower?

 6. What’s your style?

It’s important to figure out your visual and verbal style. This might not be easy in the beginning, but I assure you that clarity comes with time and experience, with letting yourself be you, not copying anybody else, and staying true to your values. It is also okay if your style changes with time; it is normal for us to learn and evolve. Be ready for that too. 

The perfect way to show your style and unique point of view is through visual identity. When you are about to create your personal website, adjust your social media profiles or create business cards or other collateral, it’s good to make it cohesive. Visual appearance is how you make your first impression, especially online. Furthermore, it makes you recognisable and remembered. 

Good photography is also important. Personal brand photography it’s an opportunity to communicate your brand through your personality and environment. A good photo makes it so much easier for someone to connect with you on an emotional level. 

While you are probably still figuring out your style for yourself, here are some other questions which might be helpful on this journey:

Do the colours you choose for your brand resonate with you and your audience, or was the choice accidental?

Do you have brand guidelines which you stick to when creating content? Is your style consistent throughout your social accounts, websites, and other touchpoints?

How would others describe you in terms of your personal brand? Do you see yourself the same way?

7. What’s your message?

Messaging. You might think we have already talked about it throughout this article and wonder why I repeat myself. 

You see, your message is probably the most important part of your whole personal brand. Its role is to cut through the noise. You might have the best business idea, skillset, experience or education in the world but without a clear message, you will become the industry’s best-kept secret, hidden in a drawer. 

To have a clear message you have to look at everything that we have talked about and make a powerful brand statement out of it. Say who you are, what your purpose is, whom you serve, what you do, why are you different, and how what you do can change the lives of those you serve. 

To make it sound unique and authentic, answer these questions:

What is your story? What is behind all your achievements or failures?

What impact do you want to make on those you serve? How do you want to make them feel after they have been in touch with you?

How are you different and why anyone should care?

Afterword

I'm glad you read through this article, and I sincerely hope you find it useful. I also hope you take real action to make your personal brand better.

You see, when you get clarity about yourself, do some deep dive into your personality, mindset and strengths, your needs and desires, this is when you get this huge clarity about your future. And clarity brings confidence, confidence brings action, and action brings opportunities.