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Building your side gig’s brand enables you to grow its audience, establish authority in your industry, and land more clients. 

Without a brand, your side gig won’t become distinguished from other businesses in its industry. A brand is how you ensure your side gig stands out from other competitors.

I’m writing blogs like this because I want to help folks like you build profitable and sustainable side gigs. In my journey to becoming the Dr. Glenn Vo you know today, I learned mostly through trial and error. It wasn’t easy to build up my brand and become an Industry Influencer.

Along the way, I realized there are eight stepping stones every entrepreneur will need to navigate if they want to build up their side gig’s brand. As always, I’m here to save you time and energy. 

So, keep reading to learn how to hurdle these eight steps and build up your side gig’s brand.

1. Craft Your Story

What differentiates one entrepreneur from another is that they have a story. Your story is what makes you unique. It’s what makes you authentic. 

If you have trouble crafting your story, think about how your background has contributed to what you are doing now. 

Why are you doing what you do? 

It would be easy to say you want to make a living, except nobody is going to remember you for that. They’ll remember you for having deeper motivations that go beyond looking out for a bottom line—they’ll remember you for your story. 

2. Become a Resource

No one will have any use for you or your brand if you don’t provide value. People will choose you and they’ll choose your brand because you are a resource that is valuable to them. 

The word can’t spread until people realize the value you offer. And they can’t realize the value until they give you a chance. Unfortunately, getting them to fork over their hard-earned cash for a product or service that’s new to them isn’t easy. That’s why it’s important to showcase your value at first by giving freely. 

People will invest their interest in you at first, but it’ll be hard to get them to invest money. Once you earn their trust and they recognize that what your brand offers is valuable, they’ll be much more willing to invest money and pay for your services. Get them to realize this by providing value with free offerings, so that they will recognize it’s worth moving forward with you. 

When you offer out valuable content for free and prove to be an awesome resource, people will become raving fans of your brand.  They’ll serve as salespeople for your brand as they promote it with positive reviews and refer you to others. 

3. Create Quality Content

Even if you give everything away, you won’t make anyone a raving fan and they won’t become your client if what you offer isn’t quality content. 

You can create quality content with Facebook live videos, quality blog posts, lists, documents, or any tool that helps solve the problems of potential clients or helps them grow their business.

4. Choose a Niche

Build your brand with a focus on one industry. Rather than try and focus on the whole gamut of business, focus on one topic in business that you are passionate about. 

What do you want to be known for? 

Pick a niche and stay in your lane. Focusing on one niche allows you to position yourself as an expert in a specific field.

5. Engage with Your Audience

What does your audience want? What type of content are they looking for? 

Create content that your followers ask for. Maybe they want documents to help guide them when running their business. Perhaps they’d enjoy blog posts full of tips and tricks. Engaging with what your audience wants will position your brand as helpful and full of relevant content.

Also, respond to social media posts or messages promptly to show your followers that they are important to you. You don’t want them to feel ignored or as if they don’t matter.

6. Collaborate with Others

Work alongside other influencers to build your brand. If you have a podcast, blog, or group, then invite other influencers to build their brand on your platforms and they’ll invite you to do the same. You’ll expand your reach. 

You can create a referral network, too, by referring clients to other professionals or influencers. They’ll do the same when they come across a person who they think would benefit from getting to know you. As you help to grow their business, they’ll reciprocate by helping you to grow yours. 

7. Get Visible

If you only post every once in a blue moon, no one is going to remember you nor your brand. It’s imperative to be constantly visible and active. That might entail social media posts, blogs, or videos. 

It’s so important to be active if you want to be visible. Your post won’t show up in a Facebook group if you posted months ago. Your blog won’t show up in Google searches if you don’t have recent blog posts.

8. Practice Proper Social Media Etiquette

When you’re posting on social media and building your brand that way, don’t be a negative drain on others—positive content is a much better alternative. If you’re posting in a Facebook group, follow the rules. 

If you don’t become an ally of the admins and creators of the Facebook group you’re posting on, you might get kicked out. That’s not going to help you build your brand. 

Start Building Your Personal Brand!

As you build your side gig’s brand and differentiate your brand from your competition, you’ll notice that you’re getting more clients. You’ll realize you’re making a name for yourself. 

One day, you’ll be a side gig multiplier. Just follow these eight steps and you’ll be well on your way.