Want To Build Your Brand? Do These Things Before Anything Else

Know Who You Are & What Separates You

In my opinion, building a personal brand is a strategy that a lot of people overthink.

It really comes down to a few simple concepts and ideas, but getting these things wrong can make all the difference between creating a meaningful brand and creating a brand that is eventually meaningless.

First things first, athlete or not, you have to know who you are (what your story is) and what separates you from anyone else in the same industry, field or profession that you're in.

It is human nature to love a good story. Telling your story will open up doors for you if it is really captivating and compelling enough.

If you're an athlete this means recognizing the obstacles and experiences that you've personally been through and learning how to communicate that to your audience so that it resonates with them. It also means understanding the keys points in your journey and how it can impact someone else's life.

As a business professional who is trying to build their personal brand, this means understanding why an employer would pick you over another candidate or if you're a professional speaker why would someone hire you to speak over someone who might have the same qualifications, credentials, and experience.

The number one thing that you have to think to yourself is, "why should people pay attention or listen to me?" and "what makes my path or journey unique?"

Always Be True & Authentic

You have to always, always, always be true to who you are and what you stand for.

This is another cornerstone to building any kind of personal brand. Knowing what you value, what you believe in and staying true to those things will allow you to create a sustainable brand that lasts for a long time.

You want your brand to evoke emotion, not indifference and when you take a powerful stance on something, you'll do just that because not everyone will agree with you.

If you aren't being true to yourself or if people see you as inauthentic, then that can damage your personal brand forever.

Whether you're online or offline, always be real with your audience and they will be real with you.

Don't get this confused with being irresponsible online and posting anything you feel like. There is a thin line that requires you to be thoughtful when sharing things on social media, but as far as your personality and who you intrinsically are, that should never change.

People should get the same person online and in person every time.

As they say "it takes 20 years to build a reputation and 10 seconds to destroy it."

If you do this then you will attract the people that you are supposed to attract.

When you are always authentic you don't have to change when you're around certain people and you also let people get closer to you.

Again this doesn't mean they have to know every single detail about your life and what you do in your personal time, but there is a sense of vulnerability that you have to have if you want to build a relationship with your fans or attract people to you.

Which leads us to the next step to building a brand...

Build Meaningful Relationships & Give More Than You Take

Despite what many people think, building any kind of brand starts with quality relationships and not necessarily online either.

If you're an athlete you cant just engage with people online. You have to engage with fans in person at games, at events. You have to show face and sign autographs even if you don't feel like it.

That's what this is about and it isn't easy especially when your face is in the camera 24/7, but that's what comes with the territory and if you want your name to last beyond your sport, this is what you have to do.

People talk, the media talks and you always want people to say good things about you in the long run.

Think about your future out of your sport and how having relationships will benefit you in finding your next career.

For any business professional, building meaningful relationships involves you having lunch and coffee meetings, attending events and conferences in your industry, and taking up opportunities to speak in public.

The fact of the matter is that people have to see you in person and get a full perspective of who you are.

Real brands aren't built behind a computer or phone. They happen face to face and grow with every interaction over time especially when you give, and give more.

Malcolm Lemmons is an athlete turned entrepreneur, author, and speaker. He focuses on helping athletes brand themselves to prepare for life after sports. To check out more from Malcolm, visit his website at www.malcolmlemmons.com or connect with him on Twitter & Instagram