Lolu Mogaji

As it has been found to be true that every force has a source where it generates its power from, so also a personal brand. In this post, I will be drawing your attention to the 3 main sources of that give a personal brand its power.
THE POWER OF EMOTIONAL IMPACT:
It is often said that; “people will first buy into you before they buy from you.” Meaning before a decision to buy a product, employ someone, patronize a business, is taken, usually an emotional connection/ reaction precedes it, and with the right measure of rational thinking mixed with it, the decision is taken. Specifically, when it comes to taking a decision about a person, it is often about emotions first. Most times, we like to think the decisions we make on buying something is completely based on logic, however in the real sense of it, such a notion is far from the truth in many circumstances. Imagine if an entrepreneur who is ready to take his /her business to the next level, steps out to hire a public relations expert to handle some publicity activities, despite the fact that such a decision would be taken based on some measurable factors, but in most cases the decision to grant the so called expert an opportunity in the first place will be based on how the entrepreneur feels about the expert and his/her strategy. Therefore, for a personal brand to be effective and powerful, it must be able to evoke strong emotions in the minds of its target market. Such emotions may include; confidence, trust, warmth, admiration, respect, friendship, etc.
THE POWER OF CONSISTENCY:
For a personal brand to resound so strongly with its target audience to the extent where positive actions are taken in favor of the brand immediately is a rare occurrence, it hardly ever happens. This is because a process has to be followed, i.e., to notice, gradually begin to appreciate and then eventually take the brand seriously, and this process has to be subjected to time and multiple exposures. What this means in a nutshell is that you need to keep your core brand message consistent and fresh from month to month, and year to year, before you can be taken seriously.
Who you are, what you do, and how you provide value for your target market must of a necessity remain the same over time so that your prospects can become familiar with you. Its too crowded out there, there are many people making noise and claiming to be the real-deal. For you to stand –out and rise above the noise, you must be able to patiently and consistently communicate your personal brand to your market by way of multiple exposures.
“Building a strong personal brand is never an overnight occurrence, but an ‘over time’ occurrence that is subjected to consistence.”
THE POWER OF TIME:
Repetition leads to retention! Personal branding is about repetition. Most times, when studying or in class, in order to retain what is being read or taught, it is imperative to obey the law of repetition, this might be done through the introduction of several examples, or through revision.
Lets quickly play around with the word “Revision” by breaking it in two; ‘RE’ and ‘VISION’.
For the purpose of this illustration, ‘RE’ means ‘AGAIN’ or to ‘come back to’ while ‘VISION’ means to ‘see/ sight’, when the two are brought together, it is safe to say that a possible interpretation would be “To see something again”, or better still “To experience something all over again”. Looking closely at this illustration, there is a suggestion of ‘passage of time’ before the revision. Therefore if someone gets the opportunity to see, or experience your brand again and again “over a period of time”, the likelihood or chance of retention is high, because the exposure to your brand is not a one-off thing. I dare say at this junction that this is simply how brands get built, through multiple exposures to your personal brand on various platforms, not just one.
Doing one thing consistently over time leads to perfection and visibility. Check to see if you are paying quality attention to these three points. If the answer is yes! Then, congratulations. If No! At least, now you know what to do to if you want to tap into the power of your Personal brand.