When someone Googles your name, what do they find? You? Or a list of more famous namesakes? Perhaps a few old headshots. But what if anyone looking found a strong, dominant first page, where it’s abundantly clear who you are and what you’re here to do? Investment in your personal brand will never go to waste.
It matters now more than ever, because humans are being replaced by technology at an alarming rate. With the growth of AI, it’s not just administrative tasks that no longer need to be done manually. Everything from logo generation, writing for various formats, and following complex instructions involving multiple steps, can be done with the right combination of AI tools, automation and expertise.Â
Those that remain relevant and in-demand for their human skills will prosper. But who are they? Those whose name holds weight.Â
The AI challenge
Information is now ubiquitous and accessed easier than ever before. This presents a problem for modern entrepreneurs and startups. How can you sell knowledge when ChatGPT knows everything? AI-powered solutions are popping up every hour, squeezing margins and commodifying information and those services we thought only people could do.
But here’s the thing. Personality wins out. You simply cannot charge for knowledge alone, because people can get it elsewhere. You have to bring more to the table, as a person and a business. Not only might this protect your company and win you work over other players, but it gives you more of a springboard if things don’t work out.
The value of personal branding in an AI world
If AI replaces your business in its entirety, what will you do? Having a personal brand gives you more options. It can open far more doors that would previously have remained closed. A strong personal brand, where you are known, liked and trusted by a growing audience of people, allows for easier business pivots or launching new ventures. Rather than disappearing into irrelevance, you can tell the story of transformation. You can be the hero, not an invisible victim.
Trust and reputation are assets that aren’t easily replicated by AI, so a personal brand offers a safety net of sorts. A nondescript human might find it difficult to find a role, but a personal brand will never struggle. This might be as simple as a personal website as a foundation for your brand, which is simple to create. More and more, you’ll see company founders with their own founder site.
As robots grow in prevalence and ability, the human touch is lesser felt. Perhaps customers will lean towards content and services that have a real person behind them. Perhaps we’ll get a strong sense of human versus robot, and those key people of influence will continue to get the work.
Building your personal brand
You can begin beginning your personal brand right now with these seven simple steps.
1. Content creation with AI
Content plays a crucial role in brand visibility and positioning. Whilst AI has created a threat, it offers opportunities to those that can leverage it well. Log onto an AI tool website and start trials with some sites that let you create content with AI. Enter a comprehensive brief and see what comes out. See if you can find a way to create high-quality content on a regular basis. Dig into social media analytics to understand what the people you already know want to learn and produce in that direction.
2. Create an AI-powered chatbot
Leverage AI by cloning yourself and do more in less time. Have your personal brand work on your behalf by creating an AI version of you and positioning yourself ahead of the curve. Use the content you’ve created to build a chatbot based on your work that your audience can interact with. Configure it to align with your personality and personal brand and collect leads from people who sign up and engage.
3. Social media strategy
Think about how and where you want to show up on social media. Choose the most relevant platform and double down until you see it snowball. Leveraging AI social media tools will help with audience engagement, analysis and optimisation of your profiles and content. They will help you do more in less time. Build a strong following by paying attention to what each platform wants from creators just like you.
4. Email marketing
As you’re building your brand, build your email list. Your database is incredibly important for future success. Not only is email one of the few direct communication channels, but people have to opt in to hear from you. There’s no algorithm, so you are getting straight into someone’s inbox, not hoping to get noticed on a busy feed. Start with a monthly newsletter and manually add people to your list. You’ll soon be glad you did.
5. Emphasise quality over quantity
Remember that just because you can produce reams of content and email people every hour, doesn’t mean you should. Focus on producing content that resonates, grabs attention for the right reasons, and leaves a lasting positive impression. Putting in the effort to make personal, unique and genuinely valuable content for your audience gives you an advantage over everyone looking for shortcuts.
6. Cultivate community
As you’re building an audience, engage with them. Even if you’re starting small. A hundred followers might not seem like a lot, but if they were all in your office at the same time you’d switch it on. You’d play the host and you’d work the room. Think of your social media audience in the same way. Engage and build loyalty, even if it’s one person at a time. They’ll appreciate and remember it.
7. Diversify revenue streams
Your future success strategy simply cannot be based on selling information. Some of your services may be becoming obsolete or having the margins squeezed. Now is the time to diversity. Seek alternative monetisation methods. Quiz your customers on what they want. Find the problems they’re experiencing or where they’re spending money elsewhere. See if you can create value worth paying for off the back of your growing personal brand.Â
Final thoughts
The value of your personal brand has never been more important and will continue to matter more and more. Now is a great time to start taking action.Â
Explore AI-assisted content creation and building an AI chatbot based on your work. Think about your social media strategy, then building and nurturing your list. Emphasise quality over quantity, cultivate community, and see personal brand as a way of mitigating your risk and potentially diversifying your revenue.
Be proactive in integrating both your unique personal brand and the tools AI offers to create and develop your long-term success.
