It has never been easier for individuals to tell the world about themselves by creating a personal brand identity. Building a personal brand can demonstrate a person’s qualities and skills, defining what makes them unique or different.
Any edge you can find on your competition is critical in today’s cutthroat business environment.
Social media and WordPress websites now offer individuals a unique opportunity to build their online brands, and companies increasingly recognize the value of this approach.
Even so, you may feel uncomfortable establishing a brand personality or developing your brand identity as a professional. You might be unsure why you should build a personal brand or even where to begin.
Keep reading to learn how to build a personal brand with WordPress in 10 steps!
1. Choose a Domain Name
The first step to building your personal brand with WordPress is choosing your domain name.
Don’t go into this lightly, as it requires a lot of consideration and thought. Your domain name will serve as your identity on the internet, so you want to make sure that the one you’ve chosen not only fits your personal brand but is also catchy and easy to find.
If we could recommend only one thing when it comes to picking a domain, it would be to choose one that is easy to type. Using clever spelling tricks or slang may sound cool, but it could make it more difficult for people to find your website.
Secondly, choose an appropriate domain extension. The .com domain is the most common and should probably be your primary choice, but creating a short and memorable domain with this extension could be tough. Thankfully, there are many other options, including, but not limited to:
- .me
- .org
- .net
- .info
- .guru
Finally, make sure to create a corresponding email. You can do this through Google Workspace, though some WordPress hosting plans include a free email account.
2. Design a Logo
Your brand will be communicated through every aspect of your website. Therefore, presenting a cohesive and clear message from the start is crucial, and your logo plays a vital role in this process.
It is not easy to design a logo, especially one that looks simple and catches the eye. It involves a deep knowledge of your target audience and a careful examination of logo design principles. Designers often create many versions of a single logo before getting it “just right.”
Right about now, you’re probably wondering where to start. Don’t worry; we have an excellent guide on WordPress website logo design through online apps for every budget. In it, we’ve broken down the five best logo design services on the web, which will help you create a logo your audience will love. Once you have a logo, be sure to use it everywhere. On your website, business cards, your email signature, as a watermark in your online video editor – anywhere you can think of.
3. Start a Blog
More than 4 million blog posts are published every day across various platforms. You might be thinking, “what could I possibly gain from adding to all that noise?” The answer is a lot.
With the amount of time spent online steadily increasing, long-form content has never been more critical for building your personal brand. With a blog, you can develop your voice and further define what you stand for. As a result, your audience will be able to learn more about you, leading to a more substantial online presence.
It is a daunting task to create content that stands out. But we’ve got your back once again with a guide on how to get started with WordPress blogging. This guide provides a step-by-step roadmap, helping you write something unique and cut through the noise quickly.
4. Add an About Page
Many people neglect to include an About section on their personal-brand websites. It is common for all the focus to go to the services or products you offer, or even your blog, since these pages have the most significant impact on your search engine ranking.
However, don’t let the pursuit of SEO ruin your website’s user experience. Although the About page may not be stuffed with keywords, the information provided there is still very valuable to the user. This page aims to answer questions about who you are and why someone would want to do business with you — all crucial aspects of building a personal brand.
5. Create a Portfolio
Think of a portfolio as a digital resume. Your brand and overall career can benefit significantly from it. The portfolio you add to your website could be the perfect place in which to share your work, helping you gain a wider audience. On top of that, it can be a great way to impress any potential employers.
You may be concerned about the technical knowledge required to add a personal portfolio to your WordPress website. The good news is that almost anyone with a basic understanding of WP can do this.
For example, flexible themes like Total have custom post types already included. Alternatively, you can use a WP plugin like Visual Portfolio.
6. Offer Services
Offering your services through the internet is similar to selling products. You can think of your website as a virtual business card showcasing what you offer.
However, no matter how well you design your website, you can’t expect people to come rushing in immediately. You’ll need to adopt a bulletproof marketing strategy if you wish to reach out to potential customers and employers. This is the only way to generate revenue and get a return on your investment.
Establishing your online presence is the obvious first step. As we mentioned above, you need to let people know what you’re all about. This means doing more than simply building a WordPress website and putting a list of services on it along with your contact info.
There is a lot of other information your audience may find helpful, such as the specific ways in which your services differ from others. You can also add some user testimonials, social media shares, and endorsements as social proof of your expertise, reliability, and reputation.
7. Add a Contact Page
Contact pages are often pushed to the bottom of the priority list by many website admins, both in terms of layout and in terms of copywriting. Isn’t it surprising how many websites have outdated contact pages, even when the rest of the site is polished and up-to-date?
This is an enormous mistake that can result in a substantial drop in conversion rates for a webmaster. In fact, your Contact page is one of the most critical pages on your site.
Think of it this way — if someone visits your Contact page, they’re likely interested in your services and would like to know more about what you offer. By that logic, you’re hoping that every website visitor will eventually end up on this page, so you should really try to make it pop.
Are you wondering what the ideal Contact page should look like? Don’t worry; we’ve got you covered once again. Read our guide on how to create a contact page with WordPress, and you’ll be equipped with all the knowledge you need in this regard.
8. Build a Newsletter
A regular email newsletter is a great way to provide value to your customers, increase sales, and keep them engaged with your brand. This makes it a vital component of any high-performing email marketing campaign.
Starting an email newsletter means juggling a lot of balls at once. Besides creating compelling calls-to-action, proofreading the copy, designing the email to work in multiple inboxes and devices, and avoiding any spam triggers, you have to think of clickable subject lines while staying within the confines of privacy laws.
The good news is that almost any business or individual can benefit from a newsletter. You can build lasting relationships with your clients using email newsletters, whether you’re a small company, an e-commerce giant, or anywhere in between.
Best of all – you can create an email newsletter entirely for free.
9. Grow a Social Following
To grow a personal brand, you have to attract the right people at the right time. Paying for Google ads is one way to do this; creating more SEO-friendly content is another. However, arguably the best way to grow your following is to master social media marketing.
Are you interested in the latter? Then it would be best if you built an active social media following. If you use the correct methods, you can create a social media audience that will remain engaged with your content.
But how do you get consistent results?
Since there are so many social media channels available, you can’t be everywhere all the time. Getting your audience’s attention today is about being where they are and engaging with them. Your first step should be to figure out who your audience is and which social media channels they prefer by taking the time to monitor social analytics.
This information can be collected in several ways:
- Analyze the social media platforms used by other people in your industry
- Use social media platforms to find niche groups (Facebook, Twitter, Reddit)
- Using social listening tools, find out where your niche is being discussed
- Survey and interview your prospects and customers
Also, you can read online reports that provide insights into usage trends for Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, TikTok, and others.
Once you’ve found where your audience hangs out, you have to learn how to use the platform to make content that will get you noticed. Which types of content perform best and why? This question will determine whether a particular channel is appropriate for your brand.
If your audience uses TikTok, Instagram, and Facebook, you may find that the latter is the best option. Without a visual brand or industry, it won’t be easy to generate effective visual content on the other two channels.
10. Get Professional Help
There are a lot of entrepreneurs trying to make a name for themselves on social media and the internet in general, not realizing that they need someone experienced to bring a few helpful hints to the table. Hiring outside help, such as a personal branding agency, can help you keep up with the trends in entrepreneurship.
Having the ability to recognize what will make your brand last in the ever-changing virtual environment is more complex than ever, and it may be a good idea to recruit the help of professionals in the field.
Whether you are looking to find a better job or increase sales for your business, personal branding has never been more critical. You don’t have to be Richard Branson, Elon Musk, or Oprah to have a memorable personal brand.
All you need to do is constantly craft and curate your digital presence and, most importantly, keep it authentic! Your honesty, transparency, and authenticity will set you apart in the long run. There is no second chance to make an excellent first impression, so make it one that will build trust and reflect who you really are.
