Entrepreneurs can improve themselves a great deal by learning how to sell themselves and their visions with a personal brand statement.
Key Details
- In an op-ed for Hubspot, entrepreneur, SEO strategist, and The Blogsmith founder Maddy Osman discusses the importance of selling each person’s self as a brand.
- As one 2022 Brand Builder study finds, 74% of Americans trust a person with a personal brand, and 63% are willing to purchase something from them.
- Osman defines a personal brand statement as a kind of catchphrase or elevator pitch—”a couple of sentences that highlight your unique skills and experience. It’s meant to be a quick introduction to people who discover you online because it summarizes what you can offer them.”
Why It’s Important
The business world is very competitive, and being able to quickly and easily define an idea or a person in a memorable way can make the difference between success and failure. This is why marketing departments exist and why phrases like “Got Milk” or Kellogg’s Rice Krispies “Snap! Crackle! Pop!” are so familiar. Entrepreneurs are no different. Osman argues that people with brand statements make better first impressions, set them apart as thought leaders, and open networking opportunities.
“As an entrepreneur who is always on the lookout for customers or potential investors, you know that trust is key. Developing a personal brand for yourself can be an effective tool to help grow your business,” she says.
Possible Solutions
Osman offers many pieces of advice for readers who want to make their own Personal Brand Statements. Through the examples she provides, she offers ten different approaches for effective brand statements…
- Summarize large amounts of information succinctly and simply without going into detail.
- Grab people’s attention while still expressing your values.
- Communicate your focus and your product.
- Encourage and appeal to the reader to follow in your mission statement.
- Find the shortest and simplest way to explain your message.
- Contrast relatability with accomplishments.
- Keep things subtle, concise, and creative.
- State the mission and who it is appealing to.
- Highlight a problem with your solution.
- Tell your customers what you can do for them.
Notable Quote
“Your brand statement should be simple and easy to understand. The goal is to have someone look at your profile or website and immediately understand who you are and what you do, so keep it brief. Keep in mind that you don’t need full sentences either. Start by writing one to three sentences that outline what you do, for whom, and how you do it. You can also add a sentence about values. Then, look at different ways you can shorten them. Or pick out the most specific and impactful words and see what happens when you simply list them,” says Osman.
