Why Branding Is Important For Freelancers

As a freelancer, personal branding is one of the most important ways to get your business off the ground. Branding is a sure way to stand unique and draw more attention to your business and, of course, yourself. 

However, as a freelancer, or an entrepreneur, branding is less about your business and more about building a personal brand for yourself. That's because a business brand is, often, a reflection of a personal brand. Hence, building a personal brand, especially as a freelancer, is very important. 

Personal branding talks about how you place and establish yourself in your niche online. It tells your target audience everything you want them to know about you, and by extension, your business. 

The personal branding process is about narrowing down your skills and what you're passionate about, creating an online presence for yourself, and consistently adding value to your audience. It’s never about competing with anyone; it’s about you being a go-to place for your customer’s problems. 

When you have a consistently reputable brand, it brings the right opportunities and drives up sales. 

Interestingly, whether knowingly or unknowingly, you already have a personal brand as a freelancer. The way people see you, what comes to mind when they stumble on your page on social media platforms, and more make up your brand. And that's very important and powerful for any freelancer. 

Below are some of the importance an excellent personal branding for freelancers; 

Staying Unique in Your Niche 

A solid personal branding carves a sense of uniqueness and individuality in the minds of others. Meaning it leaves a lasting impression about your business and what you stand for in the minds of others. 

As a freelancer, it is not all about having a corporate logo and hiding behind it. Your audience must be able to effectively differentiate your business from the pool of other related businesses, and that's what strong branding affords you. 

Hence, it is always advised that you choose a niche you're passionate about and have a firm knowledge and expertise in. 

Know Your Audience

Strong branding involves you having a clear picture of what services you're offering. As a result, it will allow you to pitch your services to the right audience. 

Generally, people connect with people and not big logos or brands. It's the person behind the brand and logo that drives connection and relationships. If you, as a freelancer, build a dominant personal brand, clarify with yourself what your values, mission, and vision are, you can tailor the right message to draw like-minded customers, and ultimately, build the right community for your business. 

Share Your Skills and Become an Expert

If your branding does not involve sharing your skills and expertise, you should review what you set out to do as a freelancer. 

The whole scruff about personal branding is all about becoming an authority in your niche. You can only do that by professionally sharing your skills repeatedly with the right audience. 

A solid personal brand, with time and consistency,  will earn you credibility, respect, and even admiration. You attain expert status both online and offline. That's a sure way to succeed as a freelancer. 

Build Trust 

As your branding grows more substantial and more prominent, it becomes a competitive edge in your niche. You get a lot of referrals from your satisfied clients. 

Gradually, you begin to attract more clients without extra conscious efforts. And that's because the credibility, authority, and respect you've built over the years, with your magnetic personal branding, is actively doing most of the work for you. 

In addition, you will be able to charge premium rates and have a broader range of gigs to choose from. More like making more money in less time. 

Interestingly, when you branch into different businesses, people will trust you to deliver the same quality and expertise.

Personal branding is a luxury for freelancers. One that must be afforded to steer your business in the right direction and to succeed in the highly competitive market out there. 

To help you lay the proper foundation in your freelancing career, here are a few things to know about building a strong personal brand. 

• Authenticity: While flexibility and creativity are great ways of building a personal brand, authenticity must be at the core of it all. Authenticity must be a moral guiding compass; The importance can not be overstated. 
• Relationship: Creating excellent relationships leaves remarkable and lasting impressions in the mind of your prospects. Consistency with the relationship - content, quality services, etc.-  is what builds a strong brand. 
• Visual Identity: Your visual identity is one of the essential branding assets. That includes pictures, videos, etc., of your freelance business. It's a proven way to strengthen your association and make your brand more prominent. Also, having a professional headshot on your portfolio, personal website, social media platforms, and in your email is instrumental to building a professional visual identity. 
• Personal Website: This is where you have your brand logo, compelling mission and vision statement, and more. Having a website will give your brand more credibility. 

However, the most important thing is to ensure consistency across all your online platforms. Meaning you should be passing the same message on your website and across all your social media pages.