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How to Brand Yourself

Writer's picture: MelissaMelissa

Updated: Jul 1, 2024

If you follow me on social media, you probably know by now that I'm launching a Personal Branding package and I couldn't be more excited! If you didn't know, now you know. Working with business professionals and entrepreneurs has been a passion of mine so it was only a matter of time when I was going to launch something special just for them.


Since I can remember, I've always been an independent contractor or a freelancer so I've been building my own personal brand since the beginning of time. Now, being an official LLC business, I've gone even deeper into personal branding. So to say I know a thing or 2, is an understatement.


I do believe there's a misconception on personal branding though; when you hear the word "branding" I think a lot of people automatically think that it's for entrepreneurs. NOT TRUE! I mentioned this in an Instagram post of mine a few weeks ago and I'll say it again:


Whether you're an executive at a big corporation, a manager at a smaller company, an employee at a non-profit, real estate agent or even a teacher, YOU ARE A BRAND!


⁠What is Personal Branding?


Your personal brand is how you want people to see you and everything you represent professionally, and personally.


Personal stylists posing for a personal branding photo session

A good personal brand can make an everlasting impression. This can lead to job opportunities including promotions, the guru or the go-to person within your industry, side hustles = extra income, sales, you name it! Not to mention, it can be a confidence booster, mental health booster, part of your self-care, and it can even help you grow as a person.


How to Create Your Personal Brand

In addition to my beliefs on the misconceptions of personal branding, I also believe that people automatically think of branding as a logo, website, brand colors, basically everything digital. I'm here to tell you, branding goes beyond just digital.


Step 1:

First, don't get me wrong, I like to consider their digital aesthetic. Again, this could be their logo, the colors being used within their logo and website, the font within their logo and on their website, the style of photography used on their website, and so on. When I sit down and look at all of this, I have a notepad and pen next to me and I jot down all the adjectives that come to mind. I've been in the fashion industry for over 20 years so I automatically know what kind of style goes with what adjectives. However, if you're a DIYer, go on Pinterest and research. Pinterest is a great way to get to know yourself in a visual way.


Side note: I'm in the process of redoing my Pinterest for my clients so if you want to take a look to get ideas, feel free. Notice the adjectives I use in the titles too!


Girl organizing a color palette for a client's digital branding strategy

Step 2 part 1:

The next thing I like to do is make sure that the digital part of their brand is actually them before we dive in deep and start spending money on clothes. If it's not, then maybe they need to work on that part first then their wardrobe. Or vice versa! Now when I say "actually them", this means that their look should represent who they are as a person and showcase their personality. Example: If they're a fun, bubbly person we probably want color within their wardrobe or a funky pattern. If they don't have color on their website or have images on their website that visually tells the potential client that they're fun (think of a person laughing in a photo or smiling), then we have a bit of a situation that we need to fix. As a reminder, your personal brand is how you want people to see you.


Jeff Bezos once said, "Branding is what people say about you when you're not in the room".

Step 2 part 2:

If I have a client that needs to rework step 2 part 1, I'll take them shopping at a secondhand store. Why? Because you have a store that 1) has a variety of different styles under 1 roof, and 2) it's inexpensive. If they try something new but it ends up not being them and their brand, they didn't spend a lot! Then it's back to square 1 until we nail it.


Personal stylist helping client find their personal brand in front of a rack full of clothes

Step 3:

One big thing I've always brought and will continue to bring to the table in the new Personal Branding package is finding someone's, what I like to call, visual signature.


A visual signature in my company and line of work means that 1-3 things that sets you apart from other people, especially people that do the same thing as you. Fun fast fact: I was in the events industry for 20+ years in which some of my events consisted of me working with emcee's. They have to have a stage presence and how they look, speak, and so on IS their job and their brand Long story short, I would help them figure out what was "their thing". True example: I had one male emcee and his thing was fun bowties. So at every event, he wore a wild and crazy bowtie to stand out and get the audiences attention.


Someone that's not an emcee could have their visual signature be fun shoes, a bright lip, crazy blazers, the color red, etc. If you don't know what your thing is or maybe you don't have one, the easy thing to do is just wear your brand colors somewhere in your outfit and call it a day 😉


Red JLo heels as a personal branding clients visual signature

Personal Branding Stylist

So I've been talking about this Personal Branding package for awhile now and throughout this blog post so I'm here to tell you IT'S HERE!!!



I can't wait to work with all of you fellow entrepreneurs, business professionals and everyone in-between! This has been a long time coming and it's finally here ❤️ Let's do this!


If you would like to book a Personal Branding experience, you can reach me directly via the contact box on my website: MHstyleconsultants.com




Until then,

-Melissa


As always,

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And of course, don't forget to visit the rest of my blog posts!

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