From Popular to Profitable: Crafting Your Personal Brand

Developing a personal brand doesn’t mean just having a memorable style, a clever catchphrase or an impressive following on social media. Your personal brand is the overarching public perception of who you are—and can help you land everything from sponsorships and endorsements to business deals. 

Your brand should reflect the real you: authentic to yourself while designed to connect to your audience. It’s not always easy to achieve, but it’s important to get right. Here's how to get started. 

1. Know who you are

The first step to creating an authentic, effective personal brand is to get in touch with what truly matters to you. Think about a few things that get you fired up. Mental health in women’s sports? Nutrition? Making tennis accessible to underprivileged children?  Make note of the things that excite you and set you apart from others.

2. Dream big

The future may seem far away, but you probably have hopes for what you want it to look like. Whether you see yourself creating your own tennis shoe line, launching a charitable foundation or becoming a public speaker on an important issue, your personal brand is going to help get you there. Focus on crafting the persona and image that supports your vision. 

3. Understand your audience

As you’re building your brand, think about your target supporters and their interests, priorities and challenges. Let's say you eventually want to build a nationwide series of clinics for elite youth tennis players. Your target audiences are the young players and their parents. It’s important that they believe in you and trust you to teach and care for the young people who would sign up for training. By being specific and focused on defining your audience, you enhance your ability to connect with them on a deeper level.

4. Craft your message

When it comes to personal branding, you are your message. That’s why you need to take the time to get it right. This might take a few brainstorming sessions, or a few rounds of tweaking, but it will be time well spent. Your message is the engine that will make your brand go. Here’s how to get started:

• Identify your mission and values: What’s your big goal? What principles and beliefs guide your actions and decisions? Create a concise and compelling statement about who you are and what you stand for. This statement should be clear, impactful and memorable. Be sure to keep your audience in mind.   
   

• Tell your story: Jot down the experiences, challenges and triumphs that have shaped you to this point. You don’t need to be a great writer—focus on being authentic to help your audience connect emotionally with you.

• Perfect it: Review what you created. Have you said, simply and clearly, what you set out to say? Do your words evoke emotion, inspire action and create a strong impression? These are questions that trusted friends, mentors or advisors can help answer. Get their feedback and adjust as needed.

5. Start promoting

Once you've perfected your message, start getting the word out by developing your digital presence. Create one or two social media profiles and, perhaps, a website. Be consistent about adding content, as that helps build trust and interest. Reach out to corporate sponsors that may be a fit for your brand and outline your sponsorship opportunities. This proactive approach can open doors to exciting collaborations and sponsorships right in your own backyard.

A strong personal brand is an asset that you can continue building throughout your career, making you an appealing partner for sponsors, advertisers and other potential revenue opportunities. Get started now and your brand can open doors to opportunities for years to come.