Personal Branding – You Need to Do It

There are a lot of lawyers. No really, there are a lot of lawyers. What is it that makes you unique, stand out or differentiate from the rest? That is what your clients want to know and how new clients learn about you.

Personal branding is one of the most important parts of building your professional persona. We are all distinct in our own ways. Finding out what makes you unique and having an ability to forge your own path will ensure that you are not just another lawyer.

Personal branding can be about the way you dress, your approach, the foods you eat or how you spend your free time. Mark Zuckerberg looked funny in a suit when he speaking to Congress because we are used to him in a tee shirt and jeans. Drake’s love of Toronto can be seen in the clothes and music he creates. Brian Temins @BrianTemins, a Toronto lawyer has taken his love of food and running to Twitter in his pursuit for the ultimate cheeseburger. We all have passions.

Your brand helps you connect with your clients. We are human and humans have interests. Things you will want to consider as you build your personal brand:

• Find ways to add value for your audience – don’t just repeat, be creative
• Start thinking of yourself as a brand
• Monitor your online presence – that does not mean make it boring!
• Be purposeful – share with reason, don’t share just to share
• Reinvent – your brand, just like you, evolves

Your personal brand isn’t only about what is online, it is how you answer the phone, enter a room, treat people, and on and on. We don’t want to hide from who we are, rather embrace the areas’ that clients will connect with. The old saying of we work with people we like is as true today as it has ever been. Today, clients simply have more avenues to learn if they will like you.