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Personal Branding Examples

Personal branding is a hot topic these days. On this episode of the NerdBrand podcast, we’re talking about the value of personal branding.

But first, Marvel movies are getting pushed to 2021, streaming wars are heating up, and the CW’s shows are winding down it seems. We also talk about Wandavision!

What Is Personal Branding?

Personal branding is the intentional effort of positioning an individual as authoritative or influential in a particular industry. The purpose is to build credibility in order to further the person’s career.

The improved personal brand can also be used to enhance a corporate brand’s standing. Think Elon Musk and Tesla — Elon’s presence as an individual has elevated the Tesla brand and helped grow awareness of Tesla’s technology.

Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson’s Personal Brand

Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson is a prime example of personal branding done well. From professional football and wrestling to acting and producing, the strength of his personal brand has been a deciding factor in his long career.

One key to the growth of The Rock’s professional brand is his choice of partnerships, like VOSS water and Under Armour. As an athlete, these are natural bridges — they’re authentic and true to his passions.

Another major contributor to Johnson’s success is the consistency of producing great content. He rivals even the best brands in how frequently he pumps out compelling Instagram content.

Johnson is now producing a DC movie spin-off from Shazam, as well as playing the role of Black Adam. He also recently announced his role as the co-owner of the XFL.

Everything the man touches turns to gold, and it’s all due to the strength of his personal brand.

What’s The Value of Branding Yourself?

People don’t do business with companies. They do business with people they like.

Your personal brand exists whether you intentionally build it or not. If you don’t actively take control of that brand, others will build a perception of you regardless, and that perception may not be as beneficial as you might prefer.

Having a strong personal brand can drastically further your career or put you on the map as a highly-influential person.

Think about someone like Bill Nye, who uses his personal brand to accomplish his goal of encouraging an appreciation for science.

Or Gary Vaynerchuk, who’s used his powerful personal brand to grow awareness of Vayner Media and Wine Library.

Or Tony Robbins, who built an empire around self-empowerment and then transitioned into financial self-help.

Aside from the individual gain, you can find countless examples of businesses being built on the backs of their founders’ personal brands.

You can see the returns at the box office simply based on the cast of certain films.

Strong individual brands yield strong corporate brands, prominent films, best-selling books, the highest-selling music albums…

The importance of personal branding can’t be overstated.

How Do You Personally Brand Yourself?

Even though you might not necessarily run ads about yourself, personal branding is much like branding a business.

Like we frequently talk about at NerdBrand, effective branding starts with defining your WHY.

  • What gets you out of bed in the morning?
  • What keeps you going when that afternoon lull sets in?
  • What’s your passion and can you influence or educate others about this passion?

Defining your why boils down to the authentic story you can tell. That’s your strategic message.

Once defined, choosing your method of distributing that message is key.

This could be podcasting, a YouTube channel, LinkedIn, TikTok, or any combination of online and offline channels.

Speaking engagements are a key opportunity to build your personal brand. By putting yourself in front of crowds at conferences, seminars, and trade shows, you’ll build a reputation with peers in your industry.

All in all, being consistently visible with your audience and staying true to your message are the two foundations of building your brand.