First of all, it is necessary to set a goal. It is important to clearly answer the question, “Why do we need a personal brand? This will determine the course of further work and make it easier to set goals. However, remember, working on a personal brand is a continuous, routine process that requires almost daily investment of effort and time. So before you dive headfirst into developing a strategy, assess all the challenges you’ll face: actively maintaining social media, answering audience questions, recording videos, writing articles, and so on. Think about whether you’re ready to handle this work today, and if not, make a list of what’s worth doing or researching.

Next, answer the second question, “Who am I?” Imagine stepping into an elevator with Jeff Bezos, the founder of Amazon, the world’s largest retail platform. You only have a couple of minutes to get to know him and perhaps arrange a meeting that will change the future. What can you say about yourself to interest and not seem pushy? Yes, this is a difficult task that can take more than an hour of your time, but preparing such a brief self-presentation (in English elevator pitch) will clearly articulate the essence of your activities and your competitive advantages.

Now, it’s time to determine the target audience, because it is the audience that you will address through your photos, articles, publications in social networks, videos.
Moreover, you need to analyze the market and evaluate your competitors to understand where you are now, what your strengths and weaknesses are, and where you want to go. This will help you better understand what your uniqueness is and how best to communicate it to others. At this point, it’s a good idea to go back to the elevator pitch to analyze any mistakes and correct them. When the preparatory stage is over, move on to building your personal brand strategy. Follow the recommendations below.

Formulate your positioning. Think thoroughly about the image you want to form in the minds of your target audience. It should be unique and memorable. The main thing in describing yourself avoid phrases like “specialist №1”, “a professional with years of experience,” “qualified master. Such words do not carry any meaning and will not help you stand out from your competitors.
Prepare a reputation management strategy. Think about how to win the attention and location of the target audience, to emphasize the merits and convey their philosophy. Perhaps to promote your personal brand you will need to participate in some events, hold socially significant actions, highlight serious problems in your field of activity. It is also important to consider risk factors for reputation management. These might include other experts’ opinions, compromising photos or videos, participation in events, etc.
Consider your communication style. This will depend on who your target audience is and your positioning. To make your style recognizable, you need to make it the same in all communication channels. Think about what it will be: formal, informal, neutral.
Choose your communication channels. Do your research and find out where your target audience spends more time. Also analyze and assess your capabilities, because if you decide to run five channels at the same time, you will most likely need an assistant. Moreover, there are different conditions for promotion on each of the platforms. It is better to start with one or two communication channels and connect the others gradually, especially if you will do all the work yourself now.
Think about the design and format of the content. Prepare texts and visual materials according to the requirements of the selected communication channels. Prepare an SMM strategy for each of them. Visual design plays a huge role in building recognition. Think about what you will show and in what light. Remember, meet the clothes and seeing off the mind only in the case of a personal meeting. Those who get to know you in absentia will evaluate and criticize everything they see and read, including the design of posts, editing video and sound, clothing.
It’s best to prepare yourself for criticism in advance. Don’t react instantly with negativity to negativity. Think carefully about your decisions and weigh every word. Always put your reputation and credibility in the first place.