There are humans behind the screens: Online Personal Branding for Business Success

Key take-aways from AFA Ales & Tales

I recently had the pleasure of presenting at the Association of Financial Advisers’ Ales and Tales networking event, where the audience was good enough to listen a whole hour’s presentation on personal branding principles, despite it being the end of a very hot day!

The theme was building trust online, and the key take-away that came from the discussion was that despite the challenges of a breakdown in trust for the financial industry this year, the basics of integrity, quality service and building meaningful human relationships remain paramount.

This was certainly my message for how to develop a strategy online! As I mentioned in the talk, you wouldn’t go up to a random person on the street, stick a business card in their face and yell, ‘Buy my stuff!’ – so why do people do this online? Yes, you need to confidently let people know how you can help, but remembering there are real humans behind the screen and treating them the way you’d like to be treated is still essential.

You wouldn’t go up to a random person on the street, stick a business card in their face and yell, “Buy my stuff!”

Building a standout, trustworthy personal brand comes down to being great, caring about people, and then communicating that clearly and consistently to become a highly visible ‘go to’ in your field. It’s about building meaningful business relationships using both in-person and online tools. This is all true no matter what your industry.

The steps I covered to develop personal brand confidence & trust by creating a standout professional image online were:

1. Know your goals for developing your personal brand – be focused
2. Know your purpose (why you do what you do) – because people connect with meaning
3. Know your values (how you do what you do) – clarity on this builds trust
4. Know when you are in flow: what you are really good at and how you love to make change – you will be most effective here
5. Know what others value in the work you do
6. Determine your Point of Difference & the value you bring as an individual – 3 key messages
7. Gather proof e.g. case studies, testimonials, list credentials / experience
8. Work on your ‘look’ – in person & online e.g. profile photos
9. Write out your positioning – title, bio, elevator pitch
10. Build your thought leadership with great content

I regularly address these 10 points in keynotes, workshops and articles, and they are looked at in depth in my book on personal brand strategy.

Thanks to the AFA Perth committee for their invitation to present and their warm welcome. It was also a great pleasure to present in such a creative space as Paper Mountain in Northbridge – this made for a business networking event with a difference!