Personal branding for women?

No one ever discussed about personal branding for men separately or conducted research or wrote books and articles ever.

But on second thoughts, when I searched through my childhood memories, I realised that till date, I have heard umpteen times from my mom, aunties, friends’ moms and other women relatives that first I had to listen to my father in childhood, after marriage to my husband and now in old age to my son.

I never understood it when I was young. I used to wonder, why listen to someone else. When I grew up, I understood, it meant – As a woman I DON’T have my identity. I never got a chance to build my identity. Someone else defined what my identity should be at different stages of life – father, husband and son.

But with changing times, women have learnt to carve their identity or their brand. And are standing out and shining with the hard work they have put in to create their own brand. Sometimes even outdoing their male counterparts.

A study by the Institute for Public Relations found that a whopping 94% of women leaders believe personal branding is crucial for success, with 60% saying it’s very important.

Research by Harvard Business Review suggests that having a personal branding strategy can make women 23% more likely to be promoted.

Personal branding can be a powerful tool for women, especially considering the unique challenges they might face in the professional world. Here are some insights from successful women highlighting the benefits:

Sheryl Sandberg, COO of Meta: “In the future, there will be fewer jobs that are company-specific and more that are person-specific. The question won’t be ‘Where do you work?’ but ‘What skills and experiences can you bring to the table?’ Your personal brand is a way of answering that question in a way that is memorable and differentiating.”

Reshma Saujani, Founder of Girls Who Code: “Your personal brand is not just about your resume. It’s about your story, your passion, and your purpose. When you share your authentic self with the world, you connect with people on a deeper level and inspire them to take action.”

O prah Wi nfrey, Media Mogul: “You get in life what you courageously ask for. And a strong personal brand is a way to confidently ask for the opportunities you deserve.”

Understanding Personal Branding for Women

While personal branding itself is still considerably new, personal branding for women is still in its nascent stages.

True that, there have been women who have stood out in the past owing to their personal charisma be it Jacqueline Kennedy known for her style and elegance which she crafted and stood out from her husband John F Kennedy. Closer home, late Prime Minister Indira Gandhi who carved her own brand in the male dominated political field in the 70s and 80s.

Oprah Winfrey, Beyonce, Kiran Mazumdar Shaw, Sudha Murthy, Indra Nooyi…and the list of women who are a brand unto themselves across various fields are true inspiration not just because of their body of work but because of their brand persona cultivated and nurtured over the years.

Today, for everyone irrespective of the gender, personal branding is a necessity and not just a nice to have. When we take the case of women, personal branding is all about:

Adding value through skills, experiences, and uniqueness.
Being authentic and genuine. Showcasing one’s strengths to the world.
Building trust by sharing expertise and adding value.
Most importantly it’s about empowerment – Building a brand that provides confidence and empowers women to pursue their dreams and achieve success on their terms.

Benefits of Personal Branding for Women

While personal brand building helps people across different fields, age groups and gender, women who put effort in building personal brand have multiple advantages over women who don’t put the effort to build their personal brand.

Here are some benefits about personal brand building for women:

Overcoming confidence gap:

This can be both in personal and professional lives. In personal life, having confidence can help tackle life’s challenges easily and also act as a great support system for the entire family. In professional, overcoming the confidence gap helps get a hike and promotion and position you as an expert in your field.

Countering or Limiting Sub-conscious Bias:

When you have a strong personal brand, you have the power to showcase your skills and win trust and establish your credibility.

Building Supportive Networks

When you have a valuable personal brand, it opens up avenues for further networking and building a strong and close-knot support system amongst like-minded women.

Attracting mentorship:

When you use your brand to build credibility, it puts you in the spotlight in front of other leaders in the field which in turn may lead you to securing valuable mentorship.

Creating a blueprint for personal branding

Instead of blindly copying role models or celebrities, it pays to have a well-thought-out strategy to arrive at a blueprint for personal branding. Here is a systematic plan to go about building your personal brand.

Identifying your Strengths

The first step in identifying your strengths is the need to be self-aware about what are your natural skills and talents that you take pride in. There are multiple ways you can do this:

Self-reflection about your strengths by spending some time thinking about what is it you do best and excel at and for which you receive appreciation.
Checking with family and friends about your strengths.
Taking online self-assessment tests such as StrengthsFinderv and VIA Character Strengths Survey.

Defining your Unique Selling Proposition

Unique Selling Proposition (USP) is what makes you stand out in a crowd. What only you have and no one else has and what you can capitalize on. In short, why should someone come to me and not go to others?

It doesn’t mean list down a series of good points you have but offer something valuable that solves some problem in a unique way.

Here is how you can craft your USP – It should be a combo of your strength and what problem can you solve for your audience. Think in-depth what is it that only you can provide and no one else can. This way you can create a compelling USP. For example, I can say that my USP is adding a touch of humor to any serious topic to break the ice.

Understanding your target audience

This can sometimes be tricky as many a times everyone tries to be everything to everybody. Which means you end up being nothing to anybody. To understand your target audience, you have to go beyond the normal demographics of age and location.

You have to understand what are the challenges, what are the aspirations and how can you fulfil them with your USP. What challenges keep them up at night? You have to understand their inner emotions so you can tailor your strategy accordingly.

Always invest your time in understanding your audience, only then can you build trust and credibility which strengthens your brand in the long run.

The Importance of Networking in Personal Branding

No network, no personal brand – Period.

Personal branding thrives on networking and networking means cultivating genuine relationships over a long period with like-minded people who can support you when need arises and vice versa.

When your network is diverse, your brand is strong. Networking opens doors to valuable opportunities, mentorship and information. When you network, you can learn from others experiences, and gain new perspectives and can stay ahead of the curve.

When you have a strong network, you have multiple brand ambassadors who can amplify your reach which helps in fuelling your personal brand growth.

Effective Networking Strategies for Women

While relying on traditional networking strategies, it helps if women deliberately practise certain strategies to help build their personal brand.

Come out of the stereotype mould

Being a woman don’t think that you have to step back and be in the background. Confidently, highlight your skills and expertise to build trust and authority. Always showcase your unique perspectives.

Connect not collect

Remember that networking is a two-way street. Don’t just reach out, also offer value and collaborate.

Seek supportive networks

Check out if you can be part of women focused professional organizations and online communities. This way you can connect with like-minded women, share your experiences, understand their perspectives and grow together.

Sustaining and Evolving Your Brand

Building a personal brand is a marathon and not a 100-meter dash. You need to work towards evolving your brand overtime.

Change with the times: Today’s world is constantly evolving and hence it’s important that we change with the times by keeping ourselves abreast with latest technologies, trends and target audience expectation shifts.

Continuous learning: One who learns continuously is always in demand. Hence learning both in personal and professional life helps with the evolution of your personal brand and positions you as someone contemporary.

Regular brand refresh: We all like everything new and fresh. So is the case with your brand. Refreshing your personal brand with new learnings and perspectives helps you stay relevant and fresh.

Overcoming Gender Specific Challenges in Personal Branding

Irrespective of gender, everyone faces challenges while building their personal brand. But there are certain challenges unique to women when it comes to personal branding.

Striking work life balance: While our society has transformed manifold, women still have to juggle multiple responsibilities. Women should keep in mind here that they need not try to be super women. Just focus on quality over quantity. Taking a break is ok to rewind and don’t be pressurised to outsmart your male counterparts. Stick to your uniqueness.

Countering sub-conscious bias: Usually women’s achievements are at times considered less so always be armed with the right data and showcase your skills with concrete examples. This helps cut through the bias and brings your abilities to the fore.

Overcoming the confidence gap: Women usually hesitate to talk about their achievements. Put a conscious effort in celebrating your achievements in a sincere way without excessive self-promotion. Showcase the value you bring.

Future of Personal Branding for Women

No doubt that the future of personal branding will be hyper-personalized. And women can have an edge in this matter with their innate ability to focus on minor nuances.

While striking a balance between work and personal lives, women can leverage holographic avatars to deliver presentations globally.

Using AI and data analytics women can tailor their voice patterns, facial expressions and communication style to tailor their brand messages to a variety of audiences.

With the rise of micro-influencer, women can leverage this opportunity to build loyal followings in specific industries becoming highly trusted sources of information.

Usually, women being credited with being good in soft skills, in the future as automation makes further inroads to take up routine tasks, there will be increasing focus on soft skills. Women can leverage this natural ability to create a well-positioned brand for themselves and the future of personal branding for women looks bright.

Resources and Tools for Personal Branding (Women-Focused)

Websites & Online Courses

Here are a couple of personal branding online courses for women.

She Breaks Barriers: Offers workshops, coaching, and resources specifically for women entrepreneurs and career builders, focusing on building personal brands. (https://report.adidas-group.com/2018/best-of-slider/she-breaks-barriers/she-breaks-barriers-detail/index.html)

MBD Podcast Network: Features podcasts like “Personal Branding for Women” and “The Confidence Code for Women” hosted by female entrepreneurs, offering actionable insights and interviews. (https://podbay.fm/p/the-pinball-network)

Power to Fly: Provides online courses and a supportive community for women in tech, including resources on personal branding and career development. (https://powertofly.com/tag/women-in-tech)

Worksheets and Practical Exercises

Personal Brand Workbook: A free downloadable workbook with exercises to define your values, target audience, and brand message. (https://www.pwc.com/c1/en/assets/downloads/personal_brand_workbook.pdf)

She Owns It Network: Offers resources like worksheets and templates for women entrepreneurs, including personal branding tools. (https://sheownsit.com/)

Personal Branding For Women