How I Built a Strong Personal Brand: Insights and Lessons Learned

As a tenured professor of educational psychology, I've come to realize the importance of personal branding. Being knowledgeable in your field is no longer sufficient in today's society; you also need to stand out and set yourself apart from the competition. Personal branding can help in this situation. Your success both inside and outside of the classroom can be greatly influenced by how you present yourself to the outside world.

Personal branding by the book

What is personal branding?

So, what exactly is personal branding? It's how you portray yourself to other people, including your appearance, communication style, and research presentation. It involves developing an image that is compatible with both your personal and professional values.

It simply refers to how you present yourself to the public, particularly to those you hope to influence or collaborate with. It isn't about boasting or acting confident. It's about showcasing your awesome abilities, principles, interests, and objectives sincerely and enjoyably.

Why do people create personal brands?

1. It helps you stand out from the crowd. There are a lot of people out there who do things like you. How do you stand out and be remembered? By developing a distinct and intriguing personal brand. It also assists you in attracting and maintaining the attention of your ideal customers, clients, bosses, or colleagues.

2. It builds trust and credibility. By sharing your knowledge, insights, stories, and achievements, you can demonstrate your value and authority in your industry. By displaying your personality and human side, you can also establish a connection with your audience.

3. It supports your career goals. Having a distinct and consistent personal brand allows you to align your actions with your goals. It also assists you in locating and pursuing opportunities that align with your skills, interests, and values. It also assists you in expanding your network and influence by connecting with others who share your vision.

4. Helps with networking. Making your personal brand more visible to potential employers, collaborators, and students can help you get noticed. You can attract new opportunities and have a greater impact in your field by showcasing your expertise and accomplishments.

5. It opens up more opportunities. You can create new opportunities for yourself by developing a personal brand, whether it's speaking engagements, consulting, or writing opportunities. You can attract new clients, collaborators, and partners by displaying your expertise and value.

In my situation as a tenured professor of educational psychology, my personal brand must reflect my professional expertise in psychology, my commitment to education, and my desire to have a positive impact on the world.

Where do I start to develop my own brand?

I had no idea how to start developing my personal brand. I picked up some tips on how to develop my professional personal brand after speaking with two of my coworkers:

1. Identify your unique value proposition. What distinguishes you from other academics in your field? What special abilities, perspectives, and experiences do you have? The core of your personal brand is figuring out what makes you special.

2. Create a consistent online presence. Having a reliable online presence that promotes your knowledge and values is crucial in the modern digital world. The creation of a personal website, the posting of blog entries or articles, and interaction with your audience on social media are examples of this.

3. Publish your work. Publishing your work in reputable academic journals can position you as an industry thought leader. You can also broaden your audience and reach by writing books, whitepapers, and other publications.

4. Network with other professionals. Networking with other professionals in your field can assist you in developing relationships and staying current on the latest trends and insights. Attend conferences, join professional organizations, and network with other industry thought leaders.

With this in mind, I began developing my personal brand.

How I built, and continue to build, my personal brand as a tenured professor

Online presence

So, I knew that one way to start building a personal brand as a tenured professor was to focus on my online presence. This includes establishing a strong social media presence as well as a professional website or blog where you can share your research and thoughts with others. All of your online profiles must be consistent and portray the same image. I want to make it as simple as possible for people to locate and contact me online.

First and foremost, I designed my website. A personal website enables me to curate information and display my accomplishments in a way that is consistent with my personal brand. It's a platform for me to highlight my research interests, teaching philosophy, and professional experience. It also allows me to distribute my publications, seminars, and media appearances.

Aside from a personal website, I think it's important to have a presence on social networking sites like Twitter and LinkedIn. Twitter enables me to communicate my research findings, engage with other scholars in my field, and remain current on trends and advancements. LinkedIn, on the other hand, allows me to stay in touch with colleagues, mentors, and past students while also sharing updates on my professional achievements.

Communication

Communication abilities are a key component of a tenured professor's personal brand. It's crucial to be able to successfully convey ideas and findings to the general public as well as to other academics. Together with your verbal and written communication abilities, this also refers to nonverbal cues like your body language and voice tone. Building your reputation and positioning yourself as a thought leader in your profession depend on your ability to communicate effectively.

Although I was always confident in my research and experience as a tenured professor of educational psychology, I experienced anxiety and trepidation when it came time to explain those ideas to others. I was frequently dissatisfied with myself for not being able to express my thoughts more clearly, stumbling over my words, and having trouble making my point.

I wasn't aware of how much my communication skills were hindering me until I attended a conference and saw a colleague deliver an engaging and motivating presentation. I was aware that I needed to work on my communication abilities if I wanted to become a thought leader in my industry and have a significant influence on my research.

So, I decided to take action. To begin with, I looked for chances to hone my communication abilities in a secure setting. I joined a group for public speaking so that I could practice giving presentations and get helpful criticism from other members. Also, I began going to networking gatherings so that I could practice giving a succinct and interesting introduction to myself and my research. I deliberately worked on developing my nonverbal communication skills in addition to looking for opportunities to practice. I was conscious of how I was presenting myself, making sure to stand up straight, make eye contact, and use my hands appropriately. I practiced speaking with assurance and enthusiasm as I worked on enhancing my voice quality.

I was able to significantly improve my communication abilities via perseverance, practice, and dedication. When I presented my findings, I no longer felt anxious or unsure of myself, and I was able to express my thoughts more forcefully and effectively. My standing as a thought leader in my area improved as a result, and I began receiving invitations to deliver speeches and lectures at conferences and colleges all over the world.

Networking

In the last blog post, I wrote about my networking plan for building a career roadmap. It goes without saying that networking and relationship-building are important components of personal branding. This can involve going to conferences and other gatherings, working with other researchers, and interacting with students and coworkers. You can become known and recognized in your academic community by developing good relationships, which can lead to new possibilities and assist you in achieving your objectives.

Conferences and events also assisted me in promoting my own website. I always make sure to bring business cards with my website URL and social media handles whenever I go to a conference or event. I make sure to mention my website during my discussion and include the URL on my presentation slides. My website receives more visitors as a result, and I become more visible online.

Personal brand promotion tips

1. Sharing on social media. I always make sure to post my website on all of my social media channels. My recent blog posts, research findings, and upcoming speaking engagements are shared on my social media accounts on Twitter, LinkedIn, and Facebook. By answering their comments and inquiries and offering pertinent material from other thought leaders in my industry, I also interact with my followers.

2. Guest blogging. Guest writing on other websites devoted to educational psychology is another way I advertise my website. This gives me the chance to exhibit my knowledge to a new audience and offers beneficial backlinks to my website, which can help it rank higher in search results.

3. Share the website link in emails. The body of every email I send, on my business cards, and in any presentations or lectures I give also always contain a link to my website. Everyone I interact with will now find me online and have easier access to my research and thought leadership as a result.

4. Last but not least, I frequently assess the traffic and engagement analytics of my website to see which material is connecting with my audience and what might need to be improved. This enables me to continuously improve my personal branding approach and guarantee that my website is meeting the expectations of my audience.

Is personal branding worth it?

It's time to assess the value of all of this work after it has been completed. The answer itself, however, is not as simple as it first appears to be. It's simple to doubt whether developing a personal brand is worthwhile when one has a full schedule of teaching, research, and service obligations.

Yet after much thought and personal experience, I can declare with certainty that creating a personal brand is totally worthwhile. In fact, it has grown to be a crucial part of my academic career. A personal brand is primarily what enables you to position yourself as a thought leader in your industry. You can position yourself as a subject matter expert in your field of interest by crafting a clear and consistent statement around your research and teaching interests. This not only aids in your professional recognition and reputation but may also open up new speaking and partnership opportunities.

Furthermore, having a strong personal brand can let you stand out in the crowded academic job market. While selection committees are analyzing dozens, if not hundreds, of applications, having a strong personal brand can help you stand out from the competition.

You can become recognized as an authority in the larger public arena by building your personal brand outside of the academic community. You may reach a larger audience and have a greater impact outside of the academic world by using social media and other online channels to communicate your research and views.

Naturally, developing a personal brand demands a sizable time and effort commitment. It takes time and requires continual care and upkeep; it cannot be accomplished quickly. Yet, the advantages greatly outweigh the drawbacks.

A personal brand is ultimately an investment in your future and career. You may boost your impact, broaden your audience, and create new prospects for growth and advancement by developing a strong online presence and establishing yourself as a thought leader.

So, is personal branding worth it? Absolutely.

Final thoughts

Becoming a successful tenured professor of educational psychology requires effective personal branding. I established myself as a thought leader in the sector and met professional objectives by putting a strong emphasis on my online presence, communication abilities, and relationships with others. Always keep in mind that your personal brand represents both who you are as a person and as a professional, so make sure it's something you're happy with.