In this day and age if you’re not on the internet you don’t seem to exist. Because of this, it has become increasingly important for individuals in competitive industries to develop what is known as a “personal brand.” As Dr. Summit Shah explains, your personal brand is the reputation and unique characteristics that become associated with your name over the years. This personal brand can either drive success or ensure failure, which is why he encourages professionals in fields like medicine, law and other service providers to invest the time and effort into building an effective brand.
The challenge of building one of these brands for a professional in the medical field is two-fold. First, the issue pertains to whether or not the professional is working under a firm or hospital, a larger entity, or is simply working for himself in his own practice. Second, the challenge in this field is that it is not something the majority of people would deem interesting or “viral”, as the term is used in the social media space. The majority of people, your viewers, may want to see something completely different to what you are trying to show them, and so this brings us to the steps to take to overcome these challenges, and develop your own personal brand.
A personal brand or personal branding can be best defined as the way in which people market themselves and their careers. This is often done by creating and using a persona that accentuates certain key features of one’s personality and expertise. I’m sure you’ve heard of Tony Robbins and Oprah Winfrey because they are two of the biggest personal brands on the planet and have invested heavily in their stage persona. Yes, they have other businesses and names, but their personal brand name is what secures their position in a competitive marketplace. They and many other personal brand creators share these tips in common:
1. Your brand is not just online
Your business and brand are not something apart from you, they are you. You carry your personal brand with you wherever you go, from the smile you give someone you first met, to the birthday card you send to your investors. You’re the one responsible for these things and so you’re not a businessman, you’re a BUSINESS, man.
2. Grow your online following and presence
This is the biggest, easiest, most efficient, and inexpensive opportunity for people to portray themselves to the world. Social media has the potential to share your one-minute message with the world, in an instant.
3. Seek recommendations
Word of mouth is still a very powerful marketing tool and for those seeking to grow a personal brand, recommendations are a must. It’s easy to hide behind the name of a corporation, even if it’s still only you operating it, but when someone reviews a personal brand, they’re reviewing the person.
4. Learn to love networking
Again, people need to know who you are and what you have to offer, how else are you going to get those real, face to face recommendations we just spoke about?
5. Build a short but powerful pitch
In order for you to network efficiently and in a manner people will remember, start by crafting a short but powerful pitch. Most company owners either don’t really know why they’re in business or define it in unclear jargon that could take hours to explain when in most cases their businesses are really simple.
6. Seek interviews to be on
This is called using leverage. you are leveraging our knowledge and giving something to an audience that someone else has grown in order for some of that audience to become part of yours in the future. Conversely, the person who interviewed you may also benefit from your audience if you do have one.
7. Delve into your industry and look for mentors
Stay on top of news in your industry and keep up to date on who your direct competitors are, what new tools are coming out, and what your customers already have access to.
8. Know who your audience is
Seek to always understand your perfect customer because this is the person who will most benefit from your products or services and will be more ready to exchange money for it.
9. Determine what you want people to know and remember you for
When building your brand, every step should be deliberate. If the priority is only providing random information and seeing what sticks, your personal brand will only appear to be cluttered and unsure.
10. Know yourself
One of the hardest challenges when building a brand is the hurdle of truly knowing yourself and your worth. Turn up the volume on your strengths and mute your weaknesses. Your personal brand should focus on putting only your best foot forward.
Conclusion
In conclusion in this article, Dr. Summit Shah discussed the challenge that developing your personal brand in the medical field poses for individuals. Although it is tough to build a personal brand in any industry, it is imperative that whoever is trying follows and takes the ten tips listed in this article.
