A reality of business is that whether choosing laundry detergent, hiring an accountant or deciding which speaker to hear at a conference, we do business with people we KNOW, LIKE and TRUST.
Personal branding should aim to build and deliver on these 3 elements. In our training program Launch Yourself: Define, Design and Deliver Your Personal Brand Online this falls into the Deliver stage.
How do you deliver a brand that people Know, Like and Trust?
Some people think that branding is all about the trust stage. They ramble endlessly about the professional details and show their thought leadership without injecting any real personality.
Do you know why sales people go for lunch or take prospects golfing?
Because we do business with people we like. Seriously. A successful personal brand is likable.
This is why it is important to build all 3 elements into your personal branding execution. Only focusing on one element doesn’t build a brand that connects. A brand that connects focuses on all 3.
Know
Know is the first stage. Do people know you? Are you presenting yourself in a consistent way? Do they connect with you often enough to remember you? Are you memorable? Are you top of mind? Do they know who you are and what you do at a basic level?
Like
Creating a brand that people like is also important, and this involves sharing a little but about yourself on a more personal level. We like people the more we see them (this is a proven fact). We also like people that we have things in common with. We like people based on similarities. We like people who are intriguing and interesting.
Trust
Do people trust that you are actually knowledgeable about what you do? Do you have the expertise that they claim? Do you consistently build trust as an expert who is experienced and professional?
Build All 3
It is important that as you bring your brand to life online (this is true for any brand) that you build all 3 of these powerful elements – KNOW, LIKE and TRUST. Create a mix of content that hits all 3 of these to build a brand that people really connect with.
