Personal Branding For Freelancers: How To Build Your Personal Brand

What Does Personal Branding Mean?

Personal branding is all about you: The aim is to build a brand around you as a freelancer and a person and to present it to the public. However, this does not mean building up a façade and conveying an image to the outside world that does not correspond to you at all. In fact, it's all about authenticity. Branding yourself therefore ideally involves presenting your personal and professional skills in order to position you as a specialist in your field.

Why Is Personal Branding Worthwhile?

Building a personal brand opens up new professional opportunities and helps your business to make sustainable progress. The reasons for this include the following:

• You will find it easier to acquire new orders: This puts you in a better financial position in the long term.
• You will become better known, increase your reach and expand your network.
• You will have the opportunity to position yourself professionally in your chosen niche and develop a specialisation. This will set you apart from your competitors and give you expert status.
• You also present yourself as a person with your own values and character traits. In this way, you become much more tangible for customers and other members of your network.

As you can see: Personal branding has many advantages. However, there are a few things you should bear in mind so that you can realise their full potential.

Personal Branding Step By Step

You should take a systematic approach when building your personal brand. It is best to work through the following points one after the other.

1. ) Define your values and your personality

If you want your personal branding to stand out from the competition, you need to know what values and personality traits you bring to the table - because these things make your work unique. For example, if you have the talent to think your way through complex tasks or simply don't give up until a problem has been solved, then these are personality traits that stand for your brand and set you apart from others. Above all, this also includes experience and specialised knowledge. Do you have specialised knowledge that others don't have? Do your work processes differ from those of your colleagues in the industry?

By clarifying these questions for yourself, you can create an offer that is more likely to appeal to your target group. Your work should reflect you as a person with your own values and characteristics.

2. ) Determine your brand essence

Formulate a central theme that succinctly summarises your personal brand. How would you describe your (service) performance in an "elevator pitch"? Be clear about how you want your business to develop in the long term. Also ask yourself what added value you want to offer your customers or bring to society as a whole. What do you want to stand for and what are your means of achieving this?

3. ) Know your target group

Make it clear to whom you want to offer your service. Sketch a picture of a typical customer (in marketing, this is called a persona). What problems and issues do these people have? By answering this question, you can create a personal brand that not only reflects you well. You will also strike the right chord with your target group. One way to do this is to create a suitable visual identity with a logo and colour scheme and appropriate wording. But communicating your values and expertise also always plays an important role.

4. ) Communicate

Once you have worked out all the points mentioned above, you must of course communicate them to your target group. This communication should be so stringent on all channels that it has a certain recognition value. You should therefore stick to the tonality you have chosen. Your visual appearance should also fit into the overall picture. If you normally express yourself in a more serious manner, you should avoid bright colours or lots of eye-catching graphics.

5. ) Create a suitable offer

Your offer should match the values and competences that you want to convey through your personal branding. So put together appropriate packages and customise your services accordingly. For example, as an SEO professional, you are committed to environmental awareness? Then how about sustainable search engine optimisation for your customers' websites?

Risks In Personal Branding

Establishing a personal brand has many advantages for your business. However, they also come with certain risks, which in the worst case can lead to written warnings and expensive claims for compensation. In some cases, you may also face considerable fines. To minimise these risks, you should take the following measures:

Legal Texts

If you use a website for your business, it needs an imprint and a privacy policy. You should also at least link to these texts in your social media accounts. If you do not adhere to these requirements, you are committing a legal offence that can result in a written warning and can quickly incur costs in the high four-figure range. In addition, you may also be in breach of competition law, which could result in a fine.

Data Protection

In addition to an accurate and complete privacy policy, you must also comply with the requirements of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). This includes the following points, among others:

• Only process data that you really need and adhere to the appropriation.
• Ensure an appropriate level of protection for visitors to your website.
• Your website needs an SSL certificate so that third parties cannot simply read data.
• Think about a cookie consent tool so that visitors to your website can consent to the transfer of data.

This is just a small selection of data protection regulations. You can find a comprehensive overview of the most important judgements and risks here: GDPR Laws on the Internet: The Key Rulings and Risks.

Copyright

Whenever you use content that you have not created yourself, you should always obtain written permission from the author to be on the safe side legally. Insist on clear wording: The authorisation should apply precisely to the type of use you have in mind and not be general. If you do not adhere to this procedure and use third-party content without consent, this is an infringement of rights and the rights holders of the original content can issue a written warning. Alternatively, you can use services such as Unsplash, Pixabay or other portals. There you will find plenty of content that you can use legally.

Also be careful with images or videos featuring people: Even if you create this content yourself, the people depicted must consent to the use of the images, otherwise you are committing a violation of personal rights.

Portfolio and References

If you want to use a project for your references or portfolio, clarify this with the client in question. It is best to ask for written permission when you decide to work together. Clarify exactly which part of the project you want to use and for how long. This is important when using logos, for example, so that you do not inadvertently commit a trade mark infringement.

Also pay attention to how much detail you go into in your references. Make sure you adhere to the confidentiality obligations. Otherwise you'll end up like the freelancers in this damage event: Confidentiality Agreement Violated: Too much Information in a Business Profile.

Liability

Remember: Successful personal branding requires you to create and distribute your own content. You are fully liable for this. However, this only applies to third-party content if you knew from the outset that the content was illegal. Incidentally, a disclaimer offers no general protection in this context. So be aware of your responsibility and check content that you have not created yourself carefully before you use it.

Cybercrime

If you are active online, you are a potential target for cyber criminals. They have long since discovered social media accounts in particular as a lucrative way of accessing sensitive data. We describe here how you can protect yourself against this: Cyber Risk Social Media: Potential Dangers For Your Business.

But your IT infrastructure can also be a gateway for a hacker attempt. There are many different types of attacks. Our article gives you an insight: Viruses, Worms and Trojans: What Are the Differences and How You Can Protect Yourself.

Practical Tips For Successful Personal Branding

Personal branding only works if you adhere to certain principles.

Be authentic

When establishing your personal brand, you should always convey an image to the outside world that matches your skills and characteristics. Even if it seems more favourable to you to "embellish" the truth a little, it is better to refrain from doing so. It's about conveying a personal story that has brought you to your business and to your current position. This also includes the difficult, challenging or sad parts of your career. Have the courage to convey emotions. Potential customers and members of your network will appreciate and honour your honesty.

Show and spread your knowledge

Content with added value strengthens your expert status. Your own website or blog is a good place to publish your content. The knowledge you impart should be related to your areas of expertise and, if possible, always deal with trends and current issues. This will show that you know your way around your industry.

Posts on social media are also suitable for imparting knowledge and engaging in dialogue with others. Be active on platforms that are relevant to your industry. As it is primarily about interacting with others, you should also regularly refer to the content of other accounts. In this way, you can benefit from good contacts, receive new information and constantly expand your network. Make sure you have an attractive, up-to-date profile so that interested parties can get a first impression of you if required. Especially if you use several platforms, you should stick to your branding in order to maintain the recognition value of your personal brand.

Also seek personal contact with your target group and like-minded people. Network meetings, trade fairs and industry events, for example, are ideal for this. These encounters often result in further opportunities for profitable collaborations. Place guest posts on industry-relevant blogs, speak at partner events or take part in podcasts.

Show your references

An informative, up-to-date portfolio is a wonderful way to present your work to potential clients. For this purpose, select your best work to emphasise your working methods and expertise. Make sure that the design is appealing and clear and show that you are capable of supporting your clients.

Create a website

Utilise the potential of a professional website. Visitors should be able to find out everything they need to know about your offer, your personality and the way you work as quickly as possible. The best way to support this is with a carefully compiled portfolio. Offer packages, prices and contact details also belong on your website.

Usability and coherent navigation are a must for your website to realise its full potential. It forms the basis for your visual appearance and should reflect your personal brand in its design.

Engage in networking

Networking is an important element when it comes to building a personal brand. Not only can you position yourself and your business, but you can also make important contacts and acquire new projects. This works just as well online on various platforms as it does at analogue events.

But never forget: networking is a give and take. So don't just cultivate your contacts because you hope to gain something from the other party. Instead, let others benefit from your knowledge or your reach in a completely unselfish way. Your contacts will return the favour and involve you in exciting projects, for example. You will also gain a reputation as a competent, reliable partner.

Stay tuned

Successful personal branding is a marathon, not a sprint. The messages you send out should be the same everywhere or at least complement each other in a meaningful way. After all, your personal brand is not static, but is constantly evolving - just like your personality and your business over the years. These changes should always be incorporated into your personal branding work.

Success Through Consistency and Uniformity

Personal branding can boost your business on many levels. A well-established personal brand ensures more orders, increased sales and new or rewarding contacts. However, this requires comprehensive self-knowledge and a common thread that runs through your entire presence. This effort is worth it! Continue to develop your personal brand, consider the risks and work consistently on your branding. This will give you and your business many advantages that you will benefit from for a long time to come.