How to lift your personal brand in 2024

It’s important to take your brand to the next level.

Regardless of the current stage of your brand, if you desire to stay top of mind and in business, you will need, at least, one of these milestones/goals to reach in the coming year.

1. Raise the bar on yourself

All is about having a growth mindset to place a demand on yourself to go higher and do better. Let me draw your attention to this simple observation: I know quite a number of brands in my circle that offer the same services and products of high quality and standard, yet they are underpaid by their clients. Why? Well, my survey revealed one major setback: lack of confidence in their expertise. They lack the boldness to price their products and services as they deserve. Let me break it down this way.

The psychology of pricing with confidence:

• Imposter syndrome: Many people, regardless of their abilities and accomplishments, suffer from imposter syndrome. They believe they are unworthy of charging what their services are worth. Improving pricing confidence requires overcoming imposter syndrome.
• Underestimating expertise: Professionals frequently underestimate the expertise they bring to the table. This could be due to a lack of understanding of the particular value they offer or a concern about pricing themselves out of the market.
• Fear of rejection: There is widespread anxiety that clients may reject higher costs. Because of this anxiety, people may underprice their services to secure business, even if it means they are not fairly compensated for their abilities and efforts.

Listen, if you don’t place a premium price on yourself, others will treat you like a commodity. Truth be told, you are powerful, gifted, talented and skilled. Yes, you! You have to believe that! It all begins with self-belief and confidence in one’s abilities. Perhaps, you have settled for crumbs for your brand and business.

No! Yours is the gold, gear up and go for it. Until you raise the bar on yourself and work toward becoming a better version of yourself, you will only have the leftovers of those who dare and do mightier things.

Building confidence in yourself is building confidence in your brand. If you’ve been doing well, great! It’s time to step up your game, go up the notch. Stretch for a higher and greater opportunity.

In the coming weeks, months, and years, lift your game, pursue excellence, and master your craft.

2. Invest in a professional coach

One of the secret ingredients to success is spending money on a skilled coach. One common thread throughout successful people’s routines is that they know the benefits of coaching as a tool for personal and professional development.

If you want to take your brand to the next level, hiring a coach is a must. Some individuals fail to take this into account since they naively think they can handle all the challenges that come with running a business and building their brand on their own. It’s vital to understand that there are fields where knowledge reigns supreme, and aiming to be a jack-of-all-trades may limit your brand’s potential.

The necessity for professional advice becomes more obvious at various points along the path to creating a successful and lucrative brand. To achieve one’s goals, one needs a strategic partner, and that’s exactly what a coach is. By sharing their extensive knowledge and expertise, they will help you avoid common mistakes and face obstacles head-on.

Asking for a coach’s assistance is seen by successful people as a sign of strength, not weakness. A coach functions as a catalyst for progress, pushing you beyond your comfort zone and unlocking your entire potential.

In a world where average performance is just not enough to stand out, having a coach motivates you toward excellence. They provide tailored assistance that is designed to address your specific goals and obstacles. Whether you are a young entrepreneur or an established businessowner looking to expand, a coach delivers the specialised guidance needed to accelerate your brand’s trajectory.

The potential return on investment in a coach for your brand is priceless.

3. Build partnership

There’s strength in numbers and unity of purpose.

In building and growing your brand, forming strong alliances offer you great leverage you can’t have doing things all on your own.

There are times you need to partner with other successful and big brands to grow your business. Therefore, I advise you to seek mutually beneficial connections.

In partnering, consider what you can offer your partners and vice versa – what they will be bringing to the table.

Once all is set, always remember to have a partnership agreement signed before you go on with any task. If possible, seek legal advice.

Effective partnerships grow brands.

Make it a major goal to build a partnership in the coming weeks, months and years.

4. Scale – enlarge your territories

Too often, many people settle too soon when they attain what they may seem successful in their own eyes.

The temptation to settle could be so high when praises come from all corners. Yes, you may be doing well. It is good to celebrate but even greater to make the most of the situation at hand, repeat that which worked and scale your brand.

When the season to grow comes, don’t rest on your past fruits – there are more lands to conquer. Grow your brand beyond your current comfort zone.

You may be doing well considerably in your niche. Sometimes, your niche may become your comfort zone when you fail to recognise the season to expand.

Take a well prepared and calculated giant step with your brand in the coming weeks, months and years. The world is your oyster.

5. Work on your feedback

As I always say, “feedbacks are ways brands can look back”.

I know of brands that have failed and have dimmed out because they took lightly the feedbacks of their clients and customers.

Perhaps, you’ve lost a fortune over the years because of your indifference; but in moving forward, you can do better to restore that which you lost.

It’s time to review and evaluate your brand, where you flipped and flopped. The good, bad and the ugly.

Every great brand and leader takes reviews and feedback seriously. These are important data to help make better decisions, products and services; you discard and disregard it at your peril.

6. Develop a working brand guide and strategy

Knowing exactly what you want and desire would help you achieve your goals faster.

Sometimes, you may have a plan for your brand but if it’s not well documented, you wouldn’t be able to reach your brand goals. One way to make this easier and better is by having a brand guide and strategy plan. Your brand guide and brand strategy will serve as a blueprint. Boosting your professional brand position. This will deter you from using try-and-error approaches.

Additionally, get a website/ redesign the old one

In this digital-content world, a website is a must-have for any brand. It’s erroneous not to have a website. Get a website for your brand. If you have one but are not making the most of it, now is the time. If your existing website is outdated, get it redesigned; it’s your 24/7 online storefront, a virtual extension of you, your product and services. Let it speak and sell you well.

7. Rebrand

If circumstances demand that you start afresh, do so. It could mean entering a new niche or exploring a different category—whatever is best for you. You don’t always have to adhere to your initial style, especially if it’s not yielding results or if you realise you started on the wrong foot in an area that doesn’t truly serve your purpose. Sometimes, things won’t pan out as planned, but learn from the experience and move on.

You may have been building your brand for some time, if not years, without seeing the desired results. Perhaps, it’s a clear sign to consider rebranding. Take the time to regroup and re-strategise.

Review why it hasn’t been working—collect data on your current brand and rework your plans, incorporating new strategies. You might need to change the brand name, identity, tagline, colours, story, product and services. Whatever it is for you, strive to work harder and smarter. Aim to better your best.

8. Build capacity for growth

Any brand that does not grow fades away. The competition is fierce, and the noise out there is loud. If you don’t build yourself up and create significant capacity for growth and expansion, you will fade out faster than you think. This demands consistent improvement, exploration, charting new terrains, and pursuing bigger goals.

Over the past year, several interesting things happened, and some went viral on social media – from Nigeria’s Hilda Baci breaking the Guinness World Record for the longest cooking time to Afua Asantewaa Aduonum of Ghana attempting to break the Guinness World Record for the longest singing marathon by an individual. A few things stand out. Firstly, the desire to break a record – that audacious attempt is worth commending. The second thing is that these records were way beyond their capacity, but they had to build the capacity to get it done. It stretches them, it challenges them, and it also gives reason for others to attempt breaking other records – be it in public or private. It gave enough people a reason to pursue larger goals and bigger dreams.

My question for you is this: What bigger goals, dreams and aspirations would you attempt in the coming year?

Go for your big wins!

Bernard  is a multi-talented individual who has made a name for himself as a leading authority on personal branding and digital book publishing in Africa. As a brand strategist at BKC Consulting, he runs the monthly Branding & Publishing Masterclass, helping individuals take their personal and professional brands to new heights. To learn more about Bernard and his work, visit www.BKC.name.

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