7 Steps to Build a Personal Brand for Your Online Business

Have you ever wondered about the best way to present your services to the world?

For many service providers, the answer is: build a personal brand.

You know—a brand based on the one and only—YOU!

This might sound intimidating (especially to my fellow introverts!), but it’s a super effective way to stand out in your industry.

And in today’s online world, that’s a MUST.

Because when it comes down to it, people can get your services anywhere…

And people aren’t really interested in buying services. They’re interested in who’s behind the service.

So if you’re an online entrepreneur who’s ready to stand out as THE expert in your field, building a personal brand is KEY.

In this video, I’m sharing the 7 steps to building a personal brand—so you can start making more money doing what you love.

Let’s dive in!

What is a personal brand?

For starters, you may be wondering what a personal brand is. And I really like Forbes’ definition: “The unique combination of skills and experiences that make you who you are. It is how you present yourself to the world.” 

In other words, building a personal brand helps you differentiate yourself from others in your industry who are offering the same service. It’s a way to build trust on a more personal level with your audience—and that trust is crucial because it turns your leads into paying clients. 

And if you’re on a mission to establish your expertise and command authority in your niche, you’ll need to develop a high-quality personal brand to make that happen. Hit that like button down below if you’re on board!

But before I share the steps to do that, I want to highlight an important distinction… 

A personal brand is NOT the same thing as a luxury brand. A brand could be one or the other, or it could be both at the same time! In fact, my agency specializes in building luxury personal brands—so our clients can stand out as the go-to leader they were meant to be.

With that in mind, here are the steps we take with our clients to transform their businesses into high-end personal brands:

Personal Brand Building Step #1: Find your WHY.

The foundation of your brand rests on your WHY. It’s essential to take the time to understand the WHY behind your business—it’s the reason your ideal client will connect with you! 

In fact, finding your WHY is so important that we built it into our signature process for our branding clients. We help them define their WHY before we ever even think about the design.

So dig deep down and figure out the reason driving you to do what you do. Not only will this help you stick to your goals, but it will help to build a stronger, more compelling brand when your WHY is woven throughout your online presence.

And if you’re doing this work on your own, I recommend reading Simon Sinek’s book, Start With Why. Sinek breaks down this process in a way that makes it easy for you to pinpoint your own WHY.

Step #2: Choose your brand’s name.

For personal brands, I recommend using your own name as your brand name. After all, YOU’RE the expert! And just like people connect with the WHY of your business, they really connect with the person behind the business, too.

If the goal is to build trust and massive credibility for yourself (which it definitely should be)—I suggest naming your business after YOU.

Personal Brand Building Step #3: Design your powerful website.

When building a personal brand, YOU should be front and center throughout your website. Everything on your website—from the design to the copy to the photography—should work together to position you as the go-to niche leader in your industry. 

As an online entrepreneur, your website is, hands down, your MOST important marketing tool. And the more high-end your website feels, the higher your brand’s perceived value will be—which is a fancy way of saying you’ll be able to raise your rates and charge what you’re worth!

This is exactly what we’ve done when building websites for our clients—like acne care specialist, Nicole LaCroix. Nicole is front and center, and her website feels polished and luxurious. Wouldn’t you feel more compelled to trust her with your skincare over someone with a thrown-together website?

Step #4: Create content.

To set yourself up as THE expert in your space, you’ll need to be really consistent about creating long-form, high-value content—like blogs, videos, or podcasts. This kind of content allows you to showcase your expertise while providing tons of value to your ideal clients. After all, these are the people looking for your exact solution. 

For more on creating valuable content, I share a ton of tips in my video, Quit Social Media for Business | Here’s What You NEED to Do Instead.

Personal Brand Building Step #5: Build trust with video.

Video is a powerful tool for connecting with your audience more deeply, and I recommend implementing it into your marketing strategy in some way. You could launch a YouTube channel and post regular videos that are packed with value, or you could simply record an intro video and include it on your website. 

The goal here is to cultivate a more personal connection. No matter how you use video for your personal brand, one thing’s for sure: it will help significantly boost your know, like, and trust factor.

Step #6: Hire a professional photographer.

As you build your personal brand, your face should be featured across your website and social media platforms as much as possible. 

That may feel uncomfortable for you, but remember—as the go-to expert, you want to be recognizable to your audience. And the quality of the photography on your website should convey that your brand is high-end. So it pays off to hire a professional photographer who can capture stunning images for you. This is one area where DIY just won’t cut it.

So let me hear it in the comments… type “no more DIY” if you’re ready to start showing up as a high-end luxury leader in your space!

Personal Brand Building Step #7: Position yourself as THE expert.

Through a combination of elaborate brand discovery, exceptional brand visuals, your website, and your content marketing strategy—you become a leader to be reckoned with in your industry. 

And this is exactly what we help you achieve in our signature brand design program, Luxury Brand Leader. Over the course of 4 months, we’ll re-imagine your brand, design your website, and solidify your marketing strategy—so you can magnetize high-paying clients and become an indisputable industry leader.

Luxury Brand Leader Portfolio: Personal Brand Examples

We’re so proud to have achieved this for so many of our past clients. There’s interior designer and life coach, Mandy Straight, whose online presence elevates her brand to the top of her dream clients’ wish lists. See how you can feel her personality just from the visuals? THAT’S the power of a personal brand.

And then there’s luxury real estate coach, Nichole McHugh, whose personal brand screams luxury from the moment you enter her website. And we set her up with a blog and content marketing strategy to solidify her status as the go-to expert in her niche.

Now you know exactly how to build YOUR personal brand and establish authority in your niche!

Equipped with these personal brand tips, you’re ready to start attracting your dream clients. But how do you retain those clients and earn those raving testimonials? If you’d like to learn how to elevate your service-based business and deliver a truly luxury experience, enroll in my FREE course: 5 Figure Clients.

If you liked this video, I have a feeling you’re going to LOVE this one! I’ll teach you exactly what to avoid in your website design—so your brand doesn’t come across as cheap.

And be sure to subscribe to my channel—I post a new value-packed video every week. So hit that red subscribe button (and click the bell!), and I’ll see you in the next one!

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