How to Build a Personal Brand (and Why You Need One)

A couple of years ago, social media sites were a great source of entertainment and a means of connecting with friends.

In recent years, however, social media has become a haven for marketing, sales, and networking 

If your work is in any way related to digital marketing, your presence on social media sites is a necessity.

Today I will be sharing tips that will help you to improve your personal brand on these sites.

One of the most common statements I hear from fellow bloggers or young entrepreneurs is:

• “I want my brand to be visible… not me”.

In other words, they want to enhance their company’s visibility rather than their own personal visibility.

Here is my take on that idea:

• You are your company. If you are growing, your company is growing. If your company is growing, you are growing as well.
• Moreover, social media sites are all about networking – making real connections rather than just having thousands of people on your friend’s list or in your circle.

If you are among those who are leery of going public, or if you are an introvert who is afraid of having a strong online presence, you have to release that mindset.

If you fall into the other category of online users who have profiles on all major social media networks, but those profiles are idle and of no useful consequence for your business, this post will help you to understand how you can:

1. Improve your personal brand.
2. Make those sites work for you.

How To Write TOP Content If You’re Not A Native English Speaker

I’m not a native English speaker and here’s my confession:

• I’m a trained translator with a degree in my pocket.

I speak English fairly well, but I never thought I would ever create content on my own.  When I got to the English-speaking world of content marketing, I was lost, frustrated, and paralyzed with insecurity. I strongly doubted if I could ever enter a league of those smart guys who create killer content. To be honest, I wasn’t even sure if I could write anything high-quality at all. If you’ve ever been in my shoes, this article is for you. I’m going to share the tips and tricks that have worked (and still work) for me.

To begin with, there are only two points you need to consider when writing content.

The first:

• Most likely, you will never be able to speak, think, or write like a native speaker. 

Being fluent isn’t all about vocabulary, grammar, spelling, and all of the other ‘technical’ aspects. The trickiest and most complicated part is the cultural background. It may take years of living in the country before you really “fit in”.

The second:

• You can’t know everything, but you can be an expert in your niche. 

Digital marketing is global.

And it accepts people from all cultures and nations. Many of those who create TOP content aren’t native speakers. 

Just try to be as good as them. 

If you’ve decided to accept the challenge, here are some tips to help you out.

5 Tips To Help You Create Top Quality Content

When I first tried guest posting, I focused on grammar, wording, and spelling.

I checked and weighed every single word as if I was writing a novel.

But my posts got rejected quite often. I blamed it all on my ignorance and poor English.

Strange, but the idea of simply bad or irrelevant content never passed through my mind.

But here’s the fact:

• In most cases, it’s the content itself that makes editors reject posts, not grammar.

Accept it, and concentrate on looking for good ideas rather than pretending to look native. I promise your writing will be more fun.

And remember, an idea has no nationality.

• “But where do I take those ideas from?”

That’s a good question.

Here’s my starter pack of sources:

1) Your or your team’s cases

If there’s anything worth trying that you or your team has made or tried, go ahead and write about it.

Case studies are popular and usually get a lot of likes and shares. What’s more,describing your own experience can be less complicated than writing about someone else’s.

2) Steal an idea from other blogs/forums/etc.

I love reading stories about how writers find ideas for their books. In many cases, their inspiration came from rumors, news, or various talking points.

In a similar way, you may find content ideas in forums, blogs, discussions, or on Q&A resources like Quora.

If people are always talking about something that really worries them, why not use it to create your content?

3) Resource articles

This type of article doesn’t require polished writing skills, but it needs lots of researchand background work.

The good news is that a resource article is a great way to get lots of traffic and shares.

There was recently a wonderful post that described clever ways to create resource articles. I highly recommend taking a look at it.

It’s always a good idea to learn from the gurus.

One of the most stunning abilities of the human mind is to absorb information and adapt to it. That’s why quality reading may improve your writing as well.

But it’s important to filter what you read.

After I first faced digital marketing, I started digesting every single article I could find. It didn’t play to my advantage.

Instead, my mind turned into a massive trash bin.

Since then, I have radically changed my attitude to reading.

Here’s a step by step guide I have developed for quality reading:

1) Make a “TOP-5” list of quality blogs, magazines, newsletters

Mark my words, you won’t be able to read more than 5 regularly without getting lost.

To find the best content quickly, use Google:

• “TOP bloggers in /your niche/”
• “Best /your niche/ blogs”
• “Best blogs about /your niche/”
• etc.

2) Subscribe to newsletters to get updates directly to your email

This is optional and I know a lot of people who don’t like it.

However, in my case, it helped me develop a habit of regular reading and helped me to greatly organize my work environment.

3) Use tools to organize your content

There are various automated tools that allow you to keep all of your content in one place.

What’s more, you can filter, sort, bookmark, and customize what you read.

I ignored automated tools for a long time. Then I started drowning in information.

I like Feedly, Flipboard, and Instapaper apps, but you are free to find your favorite one.

4) Learn phrases and expressions

It’s all about writing, isn’t it?

Try to taste the language of experienced content marketers.

I’m sure you’ll notice that they use lots of phrases and expressions that make their writing creative and entertaining.

Why not use them in your articles?

• You can use apps like My Words to store and memorize words.
  
• If you have a native English speaker in your team, consider yourself lucky.
  If you can hire a professional native English proofreader, consider yourself twice as lucky.
  Anyway, many of us don’t have access to such luxuries but we still have a lot of international friends.
  If you decide to ask your friend or colleague to review your post, keep in mind two important things:
  1) Not all native speakers are qualified to proofread texts
  I often proofread texts in my native language for my workmates. They make lots of confusing mistakes.
  We are all native speakers, but we also all have a different language expertise.
  That’s why you should keep in mind that sending a copy to your overseas friend doesn’t guarantee he or she will correct all of your mistakes.
  2) However, a native speaker CAN detect cultural and language inconsistencies
  The good news is that any native speaker will immediately point out bad wording. I’m sure you’ve heard the phrase:
  • “We don’t speak like this”.
  They’ll also point out cultural mistakes. In many cases, these mistakes are far more critical than poor spelling.
  So, take your friend’s helping hand, but do so wisely.
• 
  
  
• When you are a beginner, it’s hard to get published in a respected blog. However,nothing is impossible.
  Most quality blogs and magazines have great editorial teams.
  Write something worth publishing and pitch your idea in a clever way. Editors will help you improve bad wording and correct spelling mistakes without changing the main idea.
  How to find quality blogs? Refer to point #2.
• 
  
  
• Don’t underestimate the power of automated tools like I used to.
  Sometimes a simple built-in spellchecker isn’t enough. Automated tools can detect grammar, spelling, and punctuation mistakes, find overused words and cliches, and alert you if your sentences are too complex and hard to read (like this one).
  Of course, you cannot fully rely on these tools. They are not human proofreaders, andyou’ll have to double-check your writing yourself.Here are my TOP-3 grammar apps:
  1. Grammarly – Detects typos, grammar, spelling, and punctuation errors; finds cliches and overused phrases; scans texts for bad wording. They also offer a human proofreader service for premium users.
  2. Ginger – Works in a similar way to Grammarly; it has fewer functions but detects more spelling mistakes.
  3. Hemingway – This app highlights long, complex sentences and common errors.