4 Steps to Position Yourself as an Industry Leader (without hiring a PR firm to do it for you)

Personal branding and executive presence are terms that have been thrown around together and separately over the past few years. Are these terms mutually exclusive or do they work together and build upon each other? 

I think they work together…you’ve got to have both in order to stand out amongst your competitors…and there’s a system you can leverage to do this with ease and impact.

One thing you need to know is that you are your brand, whether you work for a company or own your own business. Your subject matter expertise is an asset. In order to capitalize on your expertise, you’ve got to show the world what you know.  - - > Get visible. Gain influence. This is how you develop executive presence.

What’s the difference between a personal brand and executive presence? 

Your personal brand is how you market yourself — internally within your organization, or externally to clients. When you have established a strong personal brand, you are able to clearly communicate what’s important to you and what sets you apart. 

Executive presence is what makes you a leader that others want to follow. It’s a culmination of character and behaviors that demonstrate your commitment to what’s important to you…and to the development and success of others. 

4 Steps to Create Your Brand

1️⃣ Create Your Top 3 Content “Buckets”: What are the top 3 topics or areas of interest you can easily talk about on the regular? If you need help identifying topics, think about the dream job you’d like to have in the next few years or how you’d like your network to think of you and work toward that. Consider your work history, experience and credentials, as well as what your network asks you for help with. 

2️⃣ Get “out there” on Social Media: If you’re a professional and not active on LinkedIn (or whatever platform is best for you), GET STARTED TODAY. Update your profile with your current role and headshot. You need to be posting up to three times a week…but, if you’re just getting started - focus on at least ONE post per week and build upon that.  

Connect and engage with your network on social media to increase your followers and reach. Follow influencers and industry leaders, especially in the areas you want to be known for. Posts should be diversified, meaning you’ll want to post polls, images, videos and “carousels” (these are the graphics with multiple slides).

3️⃣ Create Content & Post It: Creating content can be a beast for so many, and it doesn’t have to be. I want you to think about the topics you can easily talk about…find articles to re-post with your own perspective. Create your own blog posts. Develop your own graphics (FREE on Canva) and share with your network. Record videos on your iphone - this doesn’t have to be fancy. The goal with your content is to position yourself as an authority figure in your space. Don’t overthink content. You know what you do best…post about it.

4️⃣ Get Involved: If you’re not actively involved in various membership organizations, boards or attend industry events, this needs to be a part of your monthly schedule. If you attend events, be sure to share content or quotes and tag the speaker. If you’re currently serving on a board or advisory group, share updates. The same applies to association memberships. Share interesting news and industry updates along with your affiliation with the organization.