You never get a second chance to make a first impression. And you’ve got about three to six seconds to do that. The adage holds especially true in a digital age where selling just about anything – including your personal brand – is a fast and fierce grab for eyeballs.

With most of the world at home and our attention fixated on screens, it’s more important than ever to showcase yourself and your expertise in a way that attracts your target audience. What does your online presence look like and what does it say about you? 

Personal brand producer and coach Monique Bryan shared her insights and tips on creating a powerful personal brand in our talent ecosystem. 

Why focus on your brand (and not just your accomplishments)? A polished personal brand delivered consistently and reliably, across all your channels builds trust and credibility; helps you stand out from your competition; and positions you as a go-to in your field or industry.

Monique offered up three strategies to get you started.

1)     Clean up your digital house

“One billion names are Googled every day, and only 50% of people own their first search result,” says Monique.

Google yourself and audit the results. What do you see? Do the links lead to positive and relevant content about you? Do your photos online actually look like you? Would you want to hire yourself?

If not, Monique says it’s time to R.U.N. (not walk!) to clean up your digital house with these steps:

R – Revisit Google search results and evaluate what’s out there about you. Can you be found? And is what you see aligned with the messages you want to convey about yourself?

U – Update content on all your social platforms that no longer represents who you are now. Delete links with outdated info and photos, and repair or remove broken links.  

N – Create new content that supports your brand messaging (and pushes all those outdated links that you can’t delete further back into Google search results pages). 

 2)     Juice up your brand

What does your brand personality say about you? With every interaction on your channels, your audience needs to feel what you represent. Monique says that “the key to creating a customer for life, is by tapping into your customers’ deepest desires and emotions.”

To get clear on what feelings you want to “sell,” Monique suggests doing a “juicy word play” to connect with the emotions you want to evoke. Are you confident? Daring? Abundant? Passionate? Limitless? Grounded? Optimistic? What best describes you? Brainstorm all the words you want to associate with your brand, then see which five words really jump out at you.

The five words that resonate with you the most, can represent your brand personality. They’ll serve as your driver, guiding your business decisions and keeping you in alignment with your purpose.

3)     Create a clear and compelling Instagram bio

Like an off-brand message a Google search digs up on you, an Instagram bio that doesn’t properly communicate who you are means you’re likely to get passed over, or worse, Monique says, “people will make a decision about you that isn’t true.” She uses a quick formula for developing strong, clear and professional Instagram bios:

1.  I help X (target audience)

2.  So they can X (the result they desire)

3.  Insert: one to two words that speak to your expertise and credibility

4.  Include a call to action: where do you want to take your visitors? What are you promoting?

Check out Monique’s bio for inspiration.

Monique calls the work of cleaning up your digital “houzz” — as she calls it — her heart’s joy. We hope her tips get you juiced up about creating a compelling personal band that truly speaks to what’s amazing about you.

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