How Young Entrepreneurs Are Using Personal Branding Coaches
Whether you're launching a business or searching for a job, personal branding plays an in increasing role in success, especially on the Internet. It's no longer an option on whether or not you have a personal brand; according to AVG Technologies, even toddlers now have a digital footprint.
To be successful online and in networking, you must take control of your personal brand, directing it to convey the messaging you desire. That's where personal branding coaches come in, and young trendsetting entrepreneurs are using them more and more.
Here are some ways that entrepreneurs are using personal branding coaches:
Personal Branding Is a Technical Marketing Skill
Though anyone can create social media profiles, blogs, and websites, personal branding is still a very technical marketing skill. It's easy to get things very wrong, and it can sometimes be impossible to recover from a simple faux pas. A mistimed status, information posted on the wrong account, or a simple hashtag mistake can lead to disastrous backlash on the Internet.
In 2012, the Kmart Twitter account sent out thoughts and prayers regarding the Newton, CT school shooting. Unfortunately, someone with extra thumbs or an inappropriate marketing sense tagged the post with #Fab15Toys, a tag meant to market the retailer's holiday toy sale. The Internet was understandably put off by the message, garnering several weeks of negative press for the retailer.
It's easy to make simple branding mistakes that cause big waves in your network, and the possible mistakes aren't even limited to social media posts. How you dress, what you say, where you go, who you associate with – the list is endless when it comes to opportunities to derail your personal marketing. Although a personal branding coach won't follow you around every minute to ensure you don't make mistakes, he or she will provide training and mentorship in marketing premises that can help you avoid disastrous branding faux pas.
Personal Branding Coaches Help You See Through Misconceptions
Google branding or online marketing, and you'll get millions of results. The amount of information regarding personal marketing is astounding, but much of it is incorrect, outdated, or not relevant to your unique situation. A coach helps you wade through the misconceptions of personal branding and identify information and tactics that are relevant to your goals.
A coach can also explain why personal branding is a necessary part of business. Kay Hunter, an image and etiquette coach, says many people look at personal branding as pretentious. In her role as a coach, she helps individuals move past such conceptions so they can successfully launch and manage their brands.
A Coach Holds You Accountable
Marketing is an ongoing endeavor, but many people lose interest or give up before reaping the rewards of strong personal branding. Building a personal brand takes discipline and an organized approach; maintaining that brand takes even more discipline. Just like a sports coach helps players through scheduled practice and exercise, a personal branding coach helps individuals by working with them to develop a plan and then holding them accountable to a plan. For decades, business pros have supported mentorship structures because people are more likely to succeed when someone is reaching out on a regular basis to discuss progress and listen to problems. The same is true in marketing and branding.
The Value of a Second Opinion
Sometimes, a personal branding coach simply provides an unbiased second opinion. What sounds like a fantastic idea to you may be a terrible idea in practice, but your loved ones and friends may be too close to the situation to see that. Vice versa, what may be a good, but risky, idea could seem frightening to those close to you, who may not want to encourage you in something that isn't a sure thing. A personal branding coach is trained to review the situation without bias, so personal feelings of protection or worry about you don't impact his or her ability to offer advice about an idea.
A personal branding coach imparts important marketing skills, provides a sounding board for ideas, listens to your struggles, and holds you accountable for your goals.
Though newbies to personal branding can definitely benefit from an experienced coach, no one is too knowledgeable for a mentor.
When it comes to marketing, anyone can make a serious mistake; after all, in 2006, someone at Sony thought it would be a good idea to create a billboard marketing campaign that pitted black PSPs against white PSPs.
No one is immune to branding risks, but a personal coach can help you avoid trouble in many instances.
