As you continue your personal branding journey, you’ll notice that the competition has never been tougher. Everyone’s trying to get noticed.
We’re all fighting for a piece of that attention pie.
Whether you’re a freelancer, entrepreneur, or looking to impress recruiters and land that new job, personal branding is the key to standing out. The importance of a powerful personal brand is clear, and you need to make it a focus.
It’s a powerful force to drive growth and success, but here’s the catch.
People are doing it the wrong way, focusing on one thing and getting nowhere. As the saying goes, if you keep doing the same thing over and over, you’ll keep getting the same results.
Sometimes, it’s not about working harder; it’s about working smarter, and that often means making a shift.
So, how do you stand out in the sea of content online? By showing up as you.
Table of Contents
Stop the Cycle of Mediocrity: Experiment, Adjust, and Evolve
You’ve likely seen it before. People posting the same thing, day in and day out, hoping for different results. They shake their head in frustration, but they never do anything to fix the situation.
We’ve all been guilty of this at some point. Throw a post up, maybe it gets a few likes, but it doesn’t get the traction you expected. You wonder what’s going on and why it isn’t working, consider giving up, and decide to post it again the next day.
Here’s a harsh truth: If you aren’t willing to take the time to put thought and effort into building your personal brand, you’re doomed to keep making the same mistakes, and you’re destined to throw up your hands and walk away at some point.
Making a change doesn’t have to be drastic. You don’t have to reinvent the wheel, just make some changes and test. If your first attempt doesn’t work, tweak the language, add a new image, and consider changing the formatting to see if the new direction sticks.
Test this for a week. Give it enough time to show results so you can assess what might be going on. If it still doesn’t take off, at least you didn’t waste a lot of time, and you can take what you learned and apply it to your new direction.
Consistency is important for personal branding, but that doesn’t always come from doing the same thing over and over until it finally clicks. It often comes from daring to pivot.
Make changes, experiment, and try new directions. Think of your personal brand like a garden. If something isn’t growing, maybe the soil isn’t right. Get some new soil and try a different kind of seed.
Don’t Just Follow Trends, Set Them
It’s easy to get caught up in viral trends. One minute, everyone’s talking about the latest trend on X (formerly Twitter), LinkedIn, or TikTok, and it’s tempting to join the wave. After all, trends can help you gain quick visibility. But here’s the thing: trends are fleeting. And while riding the wave of a trend might get you some attention today, if you don’t have something unique to say, you’ll quickly fade into the background.
Let’s look at a recent example: On social media, a trend emerged where people used tools like Grok and ChatGPT to create images in the style of Studio Ghibli. Open AI (Chat GPT as most know it) launched image creation, and the internet went crazy.
At first, it was fresh and fun, but soon, it felt like everyone was jumping on the same bandwagon, flooding the platform with the same concept. That’s when you’ve gone from setting a trend to simply following one. It got to the point that people started calling for a stop to the madness.
So how do you avoid the lack of growth that comes along with this approach?
Instead of blindly jumping on trends, ask yourself, “What makes me unique?”
“What message can I share that no one else is talking about?”
This is where authentic personal branding thrives. When you create something that aligns with your unique voice and values, you’re not just riding a trend, you’re creating one.
Authenticity is Everything
The internet is overflowing with people trying to fit in. People trying to be what they think others want to see. But you know what happens when you try to blend in? You get lost in the noise.
Authenticity is what truly sets you apart. No one wants to connect with a faceless brand. They want to connect with a person. A real, flawed, imperfect human being. We all know perfection doesn’t exist, so if you try to present yourself as perfect, that’s a red flag.
Being authentic in your personal brand doesn’t mean exposing your entire life. But it does mean being real. Share the parts of yourself that matter to your audience. Show up as the person you are, not the person you think people expect you to be.
For example, I write like I speak. If you talk to me in person, you’ll hear the exact same words in your head that you’d read in my posts. I post like I talk, and I post about things I actually experience. Authentic experiences, if you will.
It’s my authentic voice coupled with real stories, and that’s the key to making a real connection with people.
It doesn’t matter if it’s on X, LinkedIn, Instagram, or any other channel, being yourself is the quickest way to turn strangers into followers, and followers into fans.
Transparency Builds Trust
Trust is at the core of any personal brand. But you can’t build trust by pretending to be something you’re not. If your content is misleading, or worse, if it’s a bait-and-switch, people will catch on, and they’ll catch on fast.
Take this as a cautionary tale.
Marketing can sell anything, even a terrible product or an imperfect situation, but only for a little while. Eventually, people will catch on to the fact that your “perfect” product (in this case your personal brand) doesn’t quite live up to expectations.
Take a look at the example of the “Stairway to Heaven” monument in Fuxi Mountain, China. The monument was designed to look like a thrilling experience, where tourists climbed stairs hanging over a steep cliff.
But in reality, the stairs didn’t extend over the cliff at all. They were safely supported by a pad below. While this stunt might have garnered some attention, when the truth came out about the reality behind these social media posts, it shattered the illusion and harmed the trust of those who had been misled.
Your personal brand shouldn’t be built on deception. It should be built on transparency, honesty, and an unwavering commitment to delivering what you promise. If you consistently show up, keep your promises, and be transparent, your audience will respect you, and they will trust you.
Lead, Don’t Follow
If you want your personal brand to have lasting power, stop trying to keep up with the Joneses. You don’t need to mimic others to be successful.
Instead, focus on leading. It’s a simple concept, but it’s a powerful one.
The most successful individuals in any industry didn’t get there by blending in. They got there by being bold, taking risks, and carving out their own paths.
Don’t be afraid to try new strategies. Even if they don’t work, you’ll gain respect for stepping out of the box and taking risks. Every major success story began with someone who wasn’t afraid to break away from the norm.
Consistency is the Key to Personal Branding Success
Personal branding isn’t about a one-time effort.
It’s about consistency.
No matter what platform or medium you intend to place your content on, your brand should be a constant presence.
Show up. Engage. Be consistent in your messaging and the value you offer to your audience.
Over time, people will get to know and trust you for what you consistently deliver.
Anthony is CEO and Founder of Gaenzle Marketing. He is a two-time published author and digital marketing influencer. He has helped brands both large and small grow and thrive across multiple industries through strategic marketing campaigns and leveraging a powerful network of influencers.
