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As you grow your side-gig (hopefully multiple!), I hope you’re paying attention to how you’re building up its brand. A well-developed brand can turn any half-decent marketing campaign into a lead-generating machine.

It doesn’t matter whether you’re a coach, speaker, consultant, or freelancer. The fact is, your skills will be overlooked if your services lack “sexiness.” A good brand maintains an image. It gives you some “mojo.” Simply put, it’s why people like you. 

And while most business owners are familiar with brand-building, few know the part their personal story can play in it. You’re reading this, so I’m going to assume you’re on the right path. You’re at least willing to invest some time and attention into developing a brand you can flaunt. So, let’s get the ball rolling!

Inspire Yourself!

Of course, there are so many steps to building your brand. It’s a multi-faceted process that’ll require a good deal of meticulous planning. 

Your personal story is the foundation upon which you build every other element of your personal brand, though. It’s the ultimate source of inspiration for both you as the brand-builder and for those you put the brand in front of.

No journey is the same and you have a unique tale to tell about how you’ve arrived at starting your side gig. You can distinguish yourself from your competition by looking at your authentic, personal story.

If building a brand was just a matter of jotting down your personal story, however, people would have too many “favorite” companies to count on one hand. 

The key is in crafting a powerful personal story and telling it in a compelling way. Then you must display it so that you use its power to build your personal brand. 

First, Craft a Powerful Personal Story by Identifying What Makes You Unique

First, before you tell your personal story, you need to figure out what is so special about it. Having a personal story that is special and idiosyncratic is what makes it powerful.

What makes you authentic? What has happened in your life journey that has led you to where you are now? What about your past has shaped your present? Why are you doing what you’re doing? 

Everyone has a different reason to be pursuing what they’re pursuing. What are you pursuing and why? What’s your reason? Your reason is what makes you unique.

I, for one, became a dentist because my Mom had really bad teeth in her late 30’s and had to get dentures at an early age. My purpose, what makes me unique, is my drive to help other people so that they don’t end up in the situation my mom found herself in. That’s my reason. That’s what makes me unique. What about your background has contributed to what you are doing now? Identifying what makes you unique will help your personal brand to stand out from other brands. It will make you special in the eyes of any potential client.

Your followers or people who want to do business with you want to know that you are passionate about what you do. They want to know that you are doing what you’re doing for a reason other than looking out for your bottom line. They want to relate to you and connect with you on an emotional plane. They want to be inspired by you. 

Next, Display Your Story

After you’ve identified what makes you unique and why you’re doing what you’re doing—after you’ve identified what your story is—you need to display it to people. It’s one thing to know your story but no one else will know your story unless you tell them about it. 

You’re going to be asked your story a lot more often than you think. You’ll tell it until you’re sick of it and then tell it some more. That’s a good thing. 

It takes a long time for the market to catch up with what you are doing. Your personal story won’t be caught up to until you’ve told it so many times that it makes you sick. 

Not only does telling your personal story over and over help the market to catch up with what you are doing but it also helps you understand and revise your personal story. You become more and more familiar with it, after telling it so many times, and it becomes a more powerful personal story.

You can’t just rely on telling people about it when they ask, though. Help the market catch up to your personal story by telling it through social media posts, blog posts, Facebook lives, etc. The goal is to tell it to people before they even ask.

Use Your Personal Story to Build Your Personal Brand!

Start by identifying what makes you unique. Once you’ve got your purpose figured out and what makes you authentic, display your story so that people can hear your personal story and connect with your brand. Your personal story is the basis for your entire brand. It’s what makes you remarkable. Own it. 

Once you’ve built your personal story, there are more steps to take that will ensure you build your personal brand to its full potential.