How to become A Personal Branding Consultant

A Personal Branding Consultant helps an individual or an organisation market themselves and their talents in a way that resonates with the target audience. They help a brand thrive in an ever-changing virtual environment.

• Personal Branding Coach
• Personal Branding Strategist
• Digital Sales Executives
• Internet Marketing Specialists
• Search Engine Optimization (SEO) Marketing Specialists
• Digital Marketing Directors

What do Personal Branding Consultants do?

A Personal Branding Consultant would typically need to:

• Study, analyse and evaluate the brand identity, brand performance, and brand strategy of their client’s products and services; offer expert recommendations and insights on revitalising the brand
• Talk to the clients and help them figure out their business goals
• Encourage the clients to invest in a personal brand audit; identify the areas to capitalise on and those that need to be removed
• Offer the clients a competition analysis to better understand what the target audience might respond to and what the competition is lacking
• Provide the clients with feedback on beneficial strategies that they might be lacking
• Come up with a strategic plan customised to the client’s business and goals; offer one-on-one coaching aimed at providing the clients with effective direction
• Help the clients escalate their social media presence to gain more recognition in their industry
• Ensure the client’s brand is seen by the press and investors

Personal Branding Consultants may work for an agency, contribute with an in-house team in a large corporation, or open their own business.

The job involves significant computer-related activity; so, they can efficiently work from home unless their employers prefer to have them work alongside the advertising and marketing team in the office.

Expect regular domestic and international travel to attend client meetings and deliver presentations.

Generally, Personal Branding Consultants work during regular business hours but should expect late hours to meet campaign deadlines.

Finding a new job might seem challenging. You can boost your job search by asking your network for referrals, contacting companies directly, using job search platforms, going to job fairs, leveraging social media, and inquiring at staffing agencies.

Personal Branding Consultants are generally employed by:

• Independent Brand Consultancies
• CEOs, Executives & Tech Business Owners
• HR & Training Managers
• PR Agencies & Executive Communications Managers
• Academics
• Sports Stars
• Celebrities
• University & Corporate Alumni Organizations
• Professional Associations

Professional associations and organisations like eMarketing Association are crucial for Personal Branding Consultants interested in pursuing professional development or connecting with like-minded professionals in their industry or occupation. Membership in one or more adds value to your resume while bolstering your credentials and qualifications.

• Availability of data can lead to baseless assumptions and perceptions
• Managing multiple brand identities and audiences
• Unlimited access to social networking spaces makes it impossible to control content
• Security issues arising from the disclosure of client’s personal details
• Ensure branding is unambiguous and reliable
• Constant attention essential to ensure a brand grows and thrives

Internships in marketing, mainly social media marketing, would probably provide some of the best work experience for aspiring personal branding professionals. Many corporations and startups offer such positions.

Students can seek these opportunities through the universities placement office, internships fairs, etc. Another good place to start could be websites of such companies or job-hunting websites like Indeed.

Make the most of any opportunities to get work experience with a brand consultancy, a market research company or an integrated marketing agency. It will also help you build a network of valuable contacts.

There is no mandatory course of study required to become a Personal Branding Consultant. However, you could acquire several essential job skills from undertaking a college education in marketing, journalism, design, or creative writing. You will need to be very well versed in social media platforms and their use as well.

Certification demonstrates competency in a skill or set of skills, typically through work experience, training, the passage of an examination, or some combination of the three.

Certification from an objective and reputed organisation in personal branding, career management, writing, design & presentation, or social media marketing can help you gain professional credibility, stand out in a competitive job market, and help you become an independent consultant.

Performance, experience, and the acquisition of professional qualifications drive career progression. Personal Branding Consultants with consistently high individual performance levels who contribute to their organisation’s success may be eligible for promotion every two to three years. You may progress to Account Manager and then to the position of Senior Brand Consultant. Eventually, you may rise to a senior management role and probably become a Company Director.

Personal Branding Consultants who can navigate the digital world with ease should have the best job prospects.

Many Personal Brand Consultants enter the industry as part of a graduate training scheme where you will develop the necessary skills under the supervision of senior brand consultants. Continuing professional development (CPD) allows you to upskill continually, regardless of your age, job, or level of knowledge. It stops practical and academic qualifications from becoming outdated, will enable you to identify any knowledge gaps and progress to a new specialism.

Help Clients Thrive

Personal Branding Consultants ask questions to determine who the client’s target audience is, what the client’s vision, purpose, values, and passions are, and what their top personal brand attributes and core strengths are.

They also conduct a SWOT (Strengths – Weaknesses – Opportunities – Threats) analysis of their clients and ask them to identify three words that best describe them.

Tools of the Trade

Personal Branding Consultants may need to use social media platforms (YouTube), business tools (data analysis), e-commerce software (Shopify), and Microsoft Office during a typical workday.

Customised Assistance

Personal Branding Consultants work with CEOs, executives, and business owners who wish to evolve into outstanding industry leaders. HR & training managers seek their assistance in conducting workshops and training programs for employees on social media branding and social selling.

PR agencies and executive communications managers who need inspiration and training on personal branding strategies for their clients, CEOs, or themselves also use the services of Personal Branding Consultants.

When employees share brand messages on social media, they get 561 per cent more reach than the same messages transmitted by the brand’s social media channels.

Personal Branding Consultants have the natural aptitude and the wisdom to continually guide their clients along the path that best showcases their brand in today’s highly competitive online market.

People have so much going on these days that you risk getting left behind if you don’t make an effort to stand out.