There are a lot of business leaders across the globe who have a thick resume full of achievements. They have created successful businesses, better work cultures, and transformed the lives of a lot of people. Yet when it comes to portraying their success, most of them fail to do that. Who you are and what you do are two very vital questions in today’s marketing landscape. Yes, some may say, these questions are interview relevant and not otherwise but in the age of social media presenting oneself is not just restricted to interviews and specific occasions. Today, personal branding has become one of the hottest trends in the past few years.

The reason is pretty simple! As a leader how you present yourself online and offline makes a lot of difference. Not only does it establishes your authority but can also help you get better opportunities and business leads. Technology will continue its dominance in our lives in years to come, and the digital space will continue to expand its horizons. Connectivity has increased and people who seldom know you get a glimpse of you through your digital identity. So, why no up your game and work building a strong personal brand.

So, how do you get started? What is the first thing that you need to do for making yourself a brand? Try answering these questions first.

1. What principles do you firmly believe in?
2. What sets you apart from others?
3. The kind of challenges you have overcome.
4. What are you passionate about?
5. What is it that inspires you?


Find answers to these five basic questions, and you will get a good idea about who you are and your core strengths as a leader. If you want to become a thought leader, you should be aware of your strengths, achievements and weaknesses. When you know your own self better, you will be able to present yourself better and to become a thought leader, presenting yourself well is very important.

Business Strategist Glenn Llopis captured the essence of personal branding when he stated that,

“Personal branding, much like social media, is about making a full-time commitment to the journey of defining yourself as a leader and how this will shape the manner in which you will serve others.”

Here we list down four reasons why personal brand building is essential to becoming a thought leader in contemporary times.

1. It establishes your credibility as an expert-

When you create content in your niche and regularly post it on mediums like LinkedIn, Quora, and Medium, your name on search engines go higher. You make a point that you know what you are doing and have immense knowledge as a professional. The content you create displays your skills and your audience gets a glimpse of what you are capable of establishing your credibility as an expert. The better the content you create, the better the credibility you establish.


2. It showcases your strengths-

When you are careful about what you are posting, you only post what displays your strengths. You cannot be everything, being a jack of all trades is a bad idea. Bring out what sets you apart from others, what is so unique about you? Build your personal brand around that USP and see how people embrace you as a thought leader.


3. You connect to your target audience-

Being a thought leader you need to have a strong bonding with your audience. It is about communicating the right message at the right time. Saying things in a way that generates a positive emotional response. Having a strong brand presence helps you do that. When people know you as a brand, they will trust you and what you have to say to them.

4. It sets you apart from others-

As said in the second reason, when you build your personal brand around your USP, you set yourself apart from others. As a thought leader, your audience should identify you. It is through your personal brand building that you showcase what is unique about you. For, e.g. as a business leader if you emphasize the core messaging of the content, not it’s grammar. You can highlight your philosophy while promoting yourself across different social media channels.

The landscape of personal branding is continuously evolving. That is its speciality. Though it is always evolving it demands consistency from you. You need to be consistent to make your mark as a brand. It is tough but not impossible. When you are aspiring to become a thought leader, it is imperative for you to transform yourself into a brand.