Create a Personal Brand to Build a Business and Gain Trust
- 6 days ago
- 3 min read
By Jen Rigley
Every journey begins with taking the first step. In most businesses, and especially in coaching, if you want to create a strong foundation that will last for years, it is important that your first step begins with building your personal brand.
If you are like me (and most others) when starting out, you may find yourself focused on specific tactics. These are activities like creating social media posts, launching a course, maybe even running ads. But that is like the proverbial putting the horse before the cart.
Your first, and the most important step, is building a personal brand. Having a simple, clear and unique personal brand is what positions you over time as the go-to authority in your field.
Your personal brand lends credibility and leverage to everything you do, everywhere you show up, every program you create, and every product you sell. If you have a coaching business, your personal brand is the foundation of that business. It is how you quickly build the know, like, trust ladder with potential clients.
For those just starting out, or who are having trouble gaining traction, you may be thinking of personal branding as your logo, fonts and color palette. But a personal brand is so much more. Think about it this way - your personal brand isn’t about what people see - it is how you make them feel.
Why is this important? In a jam-packed coaching world, your personal brand becomes the product. It is your reputation and how people feel about you that drives the decision-making process (have you ever heard the expression ‘people buy people’?).
Having a personal brand helps you create trust before a purchase so you’re not trying to build trust during the sales process - it’s already there. A strong personal brand can lead to a higher perceived value of your offerings. Clients will feel confident that you are an expert and you can deliver what they need. It also allows you to stand out from the crowd. Did you know there are over 35,000 life coaches in the US and over 100,000 globally? That’s a pretty good reason to build your personal brand.
Another advantage of having a personal brand is that business is constantly evolving. There are new trends daily, platforms that go out of business, and algorithms that change over time. But a strong personal brand will transcend trends, platforms and algorithms.
To start creating your personal brand, here are three questions to consider. Take your time with these - they will be the foundational components of your personal brand.
Who do you want to serve?
What is the problem you solve?
What makes you (and your product/services) unique?
Once you have clarity around these questions, you can begin to build your personal brand, integrate your personal story and then (and only then!) you can start to bring in your visual components such as logo, fonts, and color palette.
A business isn’t built overnight. The businesses and coaches that succeed and have long-term success view personal branding as a core strategic pillar in their business. Before you invest in your next app, funnel, ad campaign, or post… invest in you. Build a brand that makes you proud, unique and trustworthy.
Jen Rigley is a speaker, author and Founder of Flourishing Over Fifty®. See Jen’s personal brand come to life at jenrigley.com and scan the QR code or follow the link to join the Flourishing Over Fifty® community, receive a free gift, and take your first step towards the life you truly deserve.
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