Establishing you in your personal brand
Every great story, book or film starts with a foundational passion that is the trigger for the series of events – the ‘why’.
Think about Barbie for example, a journey driven by her 'why' and desire for women to feel seen in a world where it's hard enough for them to simply exist against societal expectations
Without a 'why', it's just another enchanted story. There are hundreds of other fantasy series out there - but what sets a tale apart isn't the magic itself, but the purpose behind it... the 'why'. This is what drives the difference and creates the connection
So, it’s fair to say that applies to your personal brand… right?
Sit back, relax & take notes as I’ll be taking you on a journey of setting you up for a successful start – through establishing:
Your ‘why’.
Your goals.
Your values.
So that you’re able to ensure that all your hard work is rewarded. Because what’s the point in putting in effort if you have no direction?
Let’s start at the beginning:
Though you may see the term personal branding thrown around often on social media in 2025, the term was actually coined by American Management Expert, Tom Peters, in 1997 after the release of his ground-breaking article, ‘The Brand Called You’.
Peter defines personal branding as applying the principles of branding to yourself, arguing the benefits of should strategically marketing your career as a brand.
And I agree. Personal branding is a way of intentionally using your personality to promote yourself online, professionally, and marketing myself changed my life.
It's not just me. There are thousands of professionals using their unique skills, experience and most importantly, personality, to promote themselves online – regardless of age, job title, experience, or industry.
Despite the numbers, there's room for everyone. Only 16.2% of active daily LinkedIn Users actually share content on the platform – making it the perfect place for you to stand out, seize the opportunity and invest in you!
But what’s the point?
To establish yourself as a ‘Thought Leader’ to build credibility within the industry.
To connect with and network with some major players in the game.
To open the doors/attract opportunities (job, events, partnerships etc).
To enhance your confidence and personal development.
And lot’s lot’s more but I’ll run out of words for the rest of the blog!
It’s all about the why:
Simon Sinek, Inspirational Business Leadership Speaker, once said, “There are leaders and there are those who lead” (Start with Why).
Meaning that the people who lead naturally inspire those around them, over being in a position of power to influence.
(so, take this as another reminder that age, job title, experience, industry are not barriers to getting that first post out… yes, I’m looking right at you).
Sinek’s Golden Circle Theory proves that at the core of everything stands your ‘why’.
Nearly 100% of people should know what they’re doing, most will know how they do what they do – but the few that know why they do what they do are the most passionate and inspiring.
Cliché but it’s not. It’s time to think about your ‘why’.
What is your underlying purpose and passion that’s going to drive your personal brand towards a desired direction?
What makes you stand out between the noise?
What theme is going to run through the vein of your content?
And remember… it doesn’t have to be some philosophical revolution – for me, my ‘why’ was to simply meet people who ‘got it’ as a fresh grad navigating the industry. It was to experience firsts along the way, hold myself accountable and learn a lot from some of the best in a short amount of time.
Manifestation circle:
Or what I like to call goal setting!
Without goals there is no direction – you’re quite literally working and not knowing if you’re making any constructive progress. Now… I’m not saying you have to go full A-Level Business and make sure they all hit the SMART method – but simply evaluate where you are right now and think of three goals that relate back to your ‘why’.
Your ‘why’ is going to be at the core of your personal brand so making sure your goals align are essential to heading in the right direction. So, what is it?
Follower milestone?
A brand opportunity?
Attend X many networking events?
If you’re like me… brave the fear of speaking this year?
Being able to work towards something and see your work paying off by ticking one of those goals away means you’re making positive progress.
And DON’T forget – you must always replace a goal once hit! You’ve GOT to keep that momentum going.
But who even are you?
If you don’t work for a brand, I’m assuming you work with them or you have one, so you should understand that ‘brand values’ help you form deeper connections with your audience by fostering trust, right?
Well shock! YOU are the brand when it comes to personal branding, so how are you going to form those connections?
(your WHY will probably help with this too).
So, let’s think about three values you will uphold throughout your content and the way you engage online!
For me… I wanted to authentically share my journey as a fresh grad in the industry, while fostering a community and celebrating growth.
Why are these values important? Well, they've helped me to…
Strategically choose who I want to network with to continue to foster a community with likeminded individuals.
what content to share to reflect my way and values (remembering to celebrate my small wins and authentically share my journey, good or bad).
Stay true to myself no matter how far my personal brand takes me.
You want your online presence to be an extension of who YOU are and your offline presence – because there’s no greater compliment than people saying you’re exactly the same on and off the screen.
My holy grails:
Now it wouldn’t be fair if I brain dumped all this information on you and let you fend for yourself!
Here are some of my top resources for fighting the fear and kickstarting your personal brand:
[Article] The Brand Called You by Tom Peters
[Ted Talk] Start with Why by Simon Sinek
[Book] F*ck Being Humble by Stefanie Sword-Williams
[Podcast] Building Incredible Personal Brands - Marketing Meetup x Ash Jones
[Statistics] 41 Essential LinkedIn Statistics You Need to Know in 2025 - The Social Shephard
To cut the story short:
If you’ve read my entire blog – thanks for staying around! Here’s a quick fire recap:
Tom Peters coined the term ‘Personal Brand’ in 1997.
Simon Sinek suggested all great leaders and businesses have their ‘why’ at the core of everything they do.
Setting goals will quite LITERALLY tell you if what you’re doing is heading in your desired direction.
Establishing your values will ensure that you are authentically you.
Digital Marketing Executive and Top 2025
Marketer to Watch
