How to create a personal brand and online reputation

by Moises Hamui July 13, 2023

The personal brand is the set of traits, values, skills and experiences that differentiate you and position you as a unique and valuable professional in the market.

Online reputation is the image that you project on the internet through your digital presence, that is, your website, your blog, your social networks and any other medium where you share content or interact with your audience.

Building a strong and consistent personal brand and online reputation has many benefits, such as:

Increase your visibility and recognition as an expert in your sector or niche.
Build trust and credibility among your potential clients, collaborators or employers.
Attract business opportunities, projects, alliances or employment according to your objectives and values.
Differentiate yourself from the competition and stand out for your unique value proposition.
Create a community of loyal followers committed to your message and your mission.

But how do you create a personal brand and online reputation? Next, we explain the steps you must follow to achieve it.

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How to define your value proposition and your target audience

The first step to creating a personal brand and online reputation is to define your value proposition and your target audience. The value proposition is the benefit or solution that you offer your audience with your personal brand.

The target audience is the segment of people you address with your personal brand, that is, those who have a problem or need that you can solve or satisfy.

To define your value proposition and your target audience, you must answer the following questions:

What are you passionate about? What motivates you? What makes you happy?
What do you know how to do? What skills or knowledge do you have? What experience or training do you have?
What sets you apart? What makes you unique? What added value do you bring?
What problem or need do you solve? What benefit or solution do you offer?
Who are you helping? Who is your ideal client? What features does it have? What are you looking for? What hurts?

By answering these questions, you will be able to define your value proposition and your target audience clearly and concisely. For example:

My value proposition is to help digital entrepreneurs create and launch their online courses successfully. My target audience is professionals who want to share their knowledge and generate passive income with their passion.

How to create your visual and verbal identity

The second step to creating a personal brand and online reputation is to create your visual and verbal identity. The visual identity is the set of graphic elements that represent your personal brand, such as the logo, colors, fonts, images, etc.

Verbal identity is the set of linguistic elements that express your personal brand, such as name, slogan, tone of voice, writing style, etc.

To create your visual and verbal identity, you should follow these tips:

Choose a name that is easy to remember, pronounce, and write. It can be your own name or a fictitious name that reflects your value proposition or your personality.
Create a logo that is simple, original and memorable. It can be a symbol, a word, or a combination of both. The logo must convey the essence of your personal brand and be consistent with your value proposition.
Define a color palette that is harmonious, attractive and appropriate to your sector or niche. Colors have an emotional and psychological meaning that influences the perception of your audience. Choose the colors that best represent your values and emotions.
Select some fonts that are legible, elegant and consistent with your image. Fonts also communicate feelings and personality. Choose the fonts that best suit your tone of voice and your message.
Use images that are professional, relevant, and consistent with your personal brand. Images are the most powerful and persuasive visual element. Choose images that show your face, your work, your lifestyle, etc.
Create a slogan that is short, clear and powerful. The slogan is a phrase that summarizes your value proposition and captures the attention of your audience. The slogan must be original, creative and memorable.
Define a tone of voice that is authentic, close and consistent. Your tone of voice is the way you communicate with your audience, both orally and in writing. Your tone of voice should reflect your personality, your values, and your emotions.
Develop a writing style that is fluid, engaging, and persuasive. The writing style is the way in which you structure and write your content, both on your website and on your social networks. The writing style must be clear, concise and convincing.

By creating your visual and verbal identity, you will be able to project a professional, attractive and differentiating image with your personal brand.

How to design your website or personal blog

The third step to building a personal brand and online reputation is to design your personal website or blog. The personal website or blog is the digital space where you present your personal brand, show your work, share your content and build trust with your audience.

To design your website or personal blog, you must follow these steps:

Choose a domain that is easy to remember, pronounce, and write. The domain is the web address of your site. It can be your own name or a name related to your value proposition or your niche.
Hire a hosting that is safe, fast and reliable. Hosting is the service that hosts your website on the internet. You should choose a hosting that offers good technical support, good loading speed and good security.
Install a content manager that is easy to use, flexible and scalable. The content manager is the software that allows you to create and manage your website without the need to know how to program. The most popular and recommended is WordPress, which offers thousands of templates and plugins to customize your website.
Design a structure that is simple, intuitive and functional. The structure is the way you organize the sections and pages of your website. You must design a structure that facilitates navigation and the user experience. The basic sections that your website should have are:

Home: It is the main page where you present your personal brand, capture the attention of your audience and generate interest in your services or products.
About me: It is the page where you tell who you are, what you do, how you can help your audience and why you are different.
Services or products: It is the page where you show what you offer with your personal brand, be it professional services, online courses, digital books, etc.
Blog: It is the page where you share valuable content for your audience, be it articles, videos, podcasts, etc.
Contact: It is the page where you provide the means for your audience to communicate with you, either by email, telephone, social networks, etc.

Create a design that is attractive, consistent and responsive. Design is the way you combine the visual and verbal elements of your website. You must create a design that reflects your visual and verbal identity, that is consistent with your value proposition and that adapts to all devices.

By designing your website or personal blog, you will be able to have a professional, attractive and differentiating digital presence with your personal brand.

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How to generate valuable content for your audience

The fourth step to create a personal brand and an online reputation is to generate valuable content for your audience. Valuable content is content that provides useful, relevant and original information to your audience, that answers their questions or problems, that teaches them something new or inspires them to take action.

To generate valuable content for your audience, you should follow these tips:

Define a content strategy that is clear, coherent and goal-oriented. The content strategy is the plan that allows you to define what type of content you are going to create, for whom you are going to create it, how you are going to create it, when you are going to publish it and where you are going to broadcast it. The content strategy allows you to have a global and coherent vision of your content, align it with your objectives and measure its effectiveness.

Choose a content format that is appropriate, engaging, and varied. The content format is the way you present your content, be it text, audio, video, image, etc. You must choose the content format that best suits your message, your audience and your broadcast channel. You should also vary the content format to maintain the interest and attention of your audience.
Create a headline that is clear, eye-catching, and streamlined. The headline is the most important element of your content, as it is the first thing your audience sees and what determines whether or not they will read, listen to, or view your content. You should create a title that summarizes the theme or main idea of your content, that captures the attention of your audience, and that contains the keywords for which you want to rank in search engines.
Write an introduction that is short, interesting and persuasive. The introduction is the first paragraph of your content, where you present the theme or main idea of your content, generate expectation and interest in what you are going to tell, and motivate your audience to continue reading, listening, or viewing your content.
Develop a body that is structured, informative, and original . The body is the central part of your content, where you develop the theme or main idea of your content, provide useful, relevant and original information to your audience, answer their questions or problems, teach them something new or inspire them to take action. . You must structure the body of your content in sections or sections with clear and descriptive subheadings, use examples, data, quotes, images or other resources to support your arguments and give your content credibility and use clear, concise and convincing language.
Write a conclusion that is concise, memorable and actionable. The conclusion is the last paragraph of your content, where you summarize the theme or main idea of your content, recall key points or lessons learned, reaffirm the benefit or solution you offer with your content, and encourage your audience to take action. or to leave a comment.
Review and edit your content before publishing it. Proofreading and editing is the final process of your content creation, where you correct potential spelling, grammatical, or stylistic errors in your content, improve the clarity, consistency, and flow of your writing, and optimize your content for search engines and social networks.

By generating valuable content for your audience, you will be able to demonstrate your knowledge and experience in your sector or niche, educate and inform your audience on topics of interest to them, and retain and engage your audience with your personal brand.

How to spread your personal brand on social media

The fifth step to creating a personal brand and online reputation is to spread your personal brand on social media . Social networks are the digital channels where you can interact with your audience, expand your reach and visibility, generate traffic to your personal website or blog, and build relationships with other professionals in your industry or niche.

To spread your personal brand on social networks, you should follow these tips:

Choose the most appropriate social networks for your personal brand. You do not have to be on all social networks, but on those where your target audience is and where you can offer value with your content. The most popular social networks are Facebook, Twitter, Instagram , LinkedIn, YouTube, TikTok, etc.

Create a professional profile consistent with your personal brand. Your profile is the cover letter of your personal brand on social networks. You should create a profile that reflects your visual and verbal identity, containing a professional and up-to-date photo, a short and clear biography presenting who you are and what you do, and a link to your personal website or blog.

Generate content adapted to each social network. You should not post the same content on all social networks, but rather on those that fit the format, tone, and objective of each social network. For example, on Facebook you can share long articles and educational videos, on Twitter you can share short phrases and links to your content, on Instagram you can share inspiring images and videos, on LinkedIn you can share professional and valuable content, on YouTube you can share educational videos or entertaining, on TikTok you can share short and funny videos, etc.

Post content regularly and consistently. It is not enough to create valuable content, you must also publish it regularly and consistently to maintain the interest and attention of your audience, generate engagement and loyalty, and improve your positioning and visibility. You must establish a publication frequency that is realistic and sustainable for you and that adapts to the characteristics and expectations of each social network.

Interact with your audience and other professionals. Social networks are spaces for two-way communication, where you should not only publish content, but also interact with your audience and other professionals in your sector or niche. You must respond to the comments, questions or messages you receive from your audience, thank them for their likes, shares or mentions, participate in conversations or debates related to your topic, follow other professionals who inspire you or add value, comment or share their content. , etc.

Measure and analyze the results of your activity on social networks. Social networks offer you tools and indicators to measure and analyze the results of your activity on social networks, such as the number of followers, reach, impressions, interactions, traffic, etc. You must use these tools and indicators to evaluate the performance and effectiveness of your content, identify the strengths and weaknesses of your strategy, better understand your audience and their preferences, and make decisions to improve your personal brand on social networks.

By spreading your personal brand on social media, you can increase your visibility and recognition as a professional, drive traffic to your personal website or blog, and build relationships with your audience and other professionals.

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How to manage your online reputation and avoid crises

The sixth and final step to create a personal brand and online reputation is to manage your online reputation and avoid crises. Online reputation is the image you project on the internet through your digital presence. Online reputation can be positive or negative, depending on your audience's perception of you and your personal brand.

To manage your online reputation and avoid crises, you should follow these tips:

Monitor what is being said about you and your personal brand on the internet. You must be attentive to what is said about you and your personal brand on the internet, both in search engines and on social networks. You can use tools like Google Alerts or Mention to receive alerts when your name or your personal brand name is mentioned online.
Respond to the positive and negative comments you receive. You must respond to the positive and negative comments you receive about yourself or about your personal brand on the internet, both on your website and on your social networks. You should welcome positive comments and show your appreciation for the feedback received. You must respond to negative comments with respect, politeness and professionalism, trying to resolve the user's problem or complaint or explaining your point of view without getting into arguments or confrontations.
Create a community of loyal followers committed to your personal brand. You must create a community of loyal followers committed to your personal brand, who support you, recommend you and defend you against possible attacks or criticism. To create a community of loyal followers committed to your personal brand, you must offer value with your content, build trust with your transparency and authenticity, create a connection with your closeness and interaction, and generate engagement with your audience.

Anticipate and manage potential online reputation crises. An online reputation crisis is a situation in which your image or that of your personal brand is negatively affected by a fact, an opinion or an action that is disseminated on the Internet and that generates an adverse reaction from your audience or opinion. public. To prevent and manage possible online reputation crises you must:

Establish a protocol for action in the event of possible crises, where you define the roles, responsibilities, channels, messages and actions to be taken in the event of an online reputation crisis.
Constantly monitor what is said about you or about your personal brand on the internet, to detect any warning signs or threats to your online reputation in time.
Act quickly, transparently and professionally in the face of any crisis, acknowledging the problem, assuming responsibility, offering apologies or explanations, proposing solutions and communicating the measures taken to avoid a repetition of the situation.
Evaluate the impact and consequences of the crisis, analyzing the data and opinions generated during and after the crisis, identifying the lessons learned and points for improvement and drawing up an action plan to recover your online reputation.

By managing your online reputation and avoiding crises, you will be able to protect your image and that of your personal brand on the internet, build trust and credibility with your audience, and strengthen your positioning and visibility as a professional.

Written by Moises Hamui Abadi: I am an entrepreneur, founding partner of Viceversa and SoyMacho. After being in charge of several digital businesses and advising several other businesses; I decided to form MHA Consulting, a digital marketing consultancy dedicated to growing and empowering digital businesses in more than 7 countries and generating more than 1,500 million pesos.

If you want more information on this topic or you are looking for other options to profile your ideal client, at MHA you will find the solution you need. Schedule a call.