PERSONAL BRANDING - Aleen Zakka Blog

Brands are not only limited to companies and corporations. People can have brands too! Your personal brand can be thought of as the opinions and perceptions the public has of you. These perceptions can be shaped and, if done right, used to your professional advantage. Today, we can’t speak of brand building without mentioning the important role that social media plays. Platforms like Instagram and Facebook allow a person to directly address an audience, giving them more control over their image. Still, navigating a personal brand online can be tricky, as it is more than just choosing the right photo or being active on social platforms. So, before you take another step, here are a few things you should know about personal branding on social media.

Think about your brand

The first step is to consider what kind of image you want to project to the public. How do you want people to see you? What do you want them to know you for? Develop a vision, set out goals, and identify your audience. When building your brand, make sure to build on existing strengths and talents. Figure out what impact you want to create and the unique value of your contribution.

Choose the right platform(s)

It’s wise to focus your attention on one or two social media platforms that align with your brand. This comes after you’ve done the work of developing your brand vision and target audience. The right platform depends on what you have to say and who you have to say it to. Other factors that go into choosing a platform include the kind of content you want to share. For example, if your content will be more image based, then Instagram might be a good option for you. However, if you remain unsure what platform to choose, you can always check what other people with brands similar to yours are doing for inspiration.

Make yourself recognizable

Across platforms, you should have the same recognizable elements that tell people it’s you. These elements include profile picture, cover photo, color schemes, post templates, fonts, handle, and anything else that can act as a cue. Focusing on these elements is an important part of brand building, as it makes it easier for you to stand out from others.

Be consistent on social media

It’s important to remain consistently active on social media. Being active once a month on Instagram or Facebook isn’t going to get you enough attention. Aim to be active three or four times a week, if possible. That said, quantity should be met with quality. So, make sure that the content you put out there is something your audience will find useful, connect to, and engage with. Note that being consistent doesn’t mean copy pasting content on different platforms. Recognizable elements aside, you should adapt aspects of your content to fit the intended platform.

Be authentic with your audience

Audiences have a way of telling when someone is being fake and nothing could be more disengaging. When presenting yourself on social media, you want to be as true to yourself as possible. This doesn’t necessarily mean sharing information that you’d rather keep private. It instead means choosing to highlight an aspect of yourself that people will connect with. The point is to always aim for authenticity and base social media presence on truth.

In the last few years, social media has emerged as a powerful tool for personal branding. It’s made certain individuals more accessible to the public. However, one can’t approach social media without first making a few considerations. Coming to it unprepared can have consequences. That is why planning ahead is key and considering the nuances of social media—such as consistency and authenticity—is important.

PERSONAL BRANDING / Aleen Zakka

There’s no doubt that women have been disproportionately affected by the pandemic. In 2020, more women than men left the workforce. On a global level, this translated into 5% of total jobs held by women being lost compared to 3.9% for men. At the same time, the Small Business Trends Alliance (SBTA) reported an increase in women-led businesses, from 27% to 33% in one year. So, it seems that more women are turning the pandemic into an opportunity to be their own bosses and pursue their passions. However, there are still challenges that women have to face and overcome. Here, I mention 4 key things that women with businesses should focus on to overcome challenges and succeed.

Outsourcing

If you’re a businesswoman, consider outsourcing some of your work. Outsourcing is the process of hiring an outside party to complete certain tasks or job functions. This can help with a number of challenges that women face, such as maintaining work-home balance. In fact, increased domestic responsibilities was one of the main reasons why so many women left the workforce in 2020. Women felt there wasn’t enough time to keep up with all the roles they were expected to fill. Outsourcing minor tasks can free up some of your time to focus on the priorities. Not to mention that outsourcing is cheaper than hiring an employee, as you don’t need to worry about covering benefits. Finally, outsourcing is convenient in the sense that the work can be done remotely without the need to meet in person.

Automation

Women leaders that struggle with the workflow should consider automating certain business processes. Automation makes work easier for everyone involved, as well as more efficient and time-saving. Some business aspects to consider automating include customer support, like using chatbots that are available 24/7. Other aspects include HR, for example, relying on automation for the initial review of job applications. The second most common reason why women start their own businesses is to pursue their passions. With time-consuming and repetitive tasks out of the way, you’ll be able to do just that, as well as streamline the workflow.

Marketing

As per SBTA, the biggest challenge women in business report facing is with marketing. Therefore, it’s best to develop a solid marketing strategy, with the help of a consultant if possible. You need to put clear marketing goals and decide on the metrics that will help you measure progress and success (ROI, conversion rate…). Moreover, prepare a social media plan and conduct research into which platforms work best for your business. Another tip is to know how to market yourself as a leader in your field. You can do so by building a personal website and writing blog articles for sharing your knowledge and experiences.

Funding

Women receive very little funding for their businesses compared to men. This is mostly due to gender biases that exist in the male-dominated world they need to navigate. However, persistence is key. Learn to not take “no” for an answer and keep applying for funding until you find the right investor. Also, consider taking classes to develop the necessary soft skills to perfect your pitch. This is because women are provided less opportunities to practice their pitches in the business world. Remember that the bottom line matters and so does a business angle that stands out. Another option is to seek funding from investors that specifically invest in female-owned businesses or in businesses within your specific field.

Navigating the world of business is not an easy task for women with businesses, even as our numbers increase. It becomes important to understand the unique challenges that affect us as women so that we are able to find ways around them. Outsourcing, automation, marketing, and funding are only some things to focus on to get over the setbacks. In the end, no aspirational businesswoman should have to miss out on this moment of opportunity we are living because of her gender. But until gender equality is achieved, there are ways to beat the system.

PERSONAL BRANDING / Jinan Dalloul

What differentiates your brand from other leaders in the market? Do you feel like all of the words have been taken, twisted and used so often until they are tired clichés?
In a society of imitation and replication, whatever you bring to the market as your competitive advantage will soon be copied. So, I’d like to challenge the premise of competitive advantage.
Inherent in the term “competitive advantage” is the idea that you are defining yourself against the standard of others, your competitors. That’s an interesting context–especially if you feel you are truly unique in your market. You need an “edge” if you want to make it. You will fail without it.

How do you find your “edge”?
If you do what everyone else is doing, you will get the same results as everyone else. Your “edge” is what will separate you from the competition!
Your “edge” is the part of your process that gives you an advantage in every aspect of your brand. This isn’t some secret hack or shortcut; it’s the critical component of both your mindset and strategy that sets you apart from others.

This is important for two reasons.
The first reason – your edge is your secret recipe – your brand’s secret – your well-guarded formula.
The second reason relates to psychology and day-to-day activities. If you are constantly chasing others’ formulas, you will be careless, hasty, and sloppy. If you are focused on developing an edge, you will be diligent, patient, and methodical.
Start by identifying your strengths so you can take advantage of them.

What can you do that others can’t or won’t?
Here are some examples:

Work Ethic – You are willing to work harder than everyone.
Preparation – You are constantly learning!
Patience – You can focus on the big picture while others are trying to nail short-term moves.
Focus – You have the ability to narrow your focus and prioritize the quality over quantity
Industry Knowledge – You have unique knowledge about a specific industry due to your occupation or personal interests.
Schedule – You can commit more time or wake up earlier than everyone else.
Tools & Resources – You have access to better tools, platforms, networks
Research Process – You have a unique research process through which you discover information most competitors are unaware of.

We can’t let other people’s stereotypes or their views of our faults or limitations, right or wrong, hold us back. Instead, we have to focus on finding our “edge”, the unique qualities that set us apart, and take strategic steps to make other people see our value and open the doors that will take us where we want to go.
Only in the places of discomfort can we experience true growth.
Do you feel you have more to give? Do you dream of a better life and lack the courage to make a change? Harness and leverage Your Potential.

Discover your Inspiration, what you truly want from life, and how to ignite that internal drive within yourself.
Learn how to own your Courage through self-belief and personal understanding as you build the bridge from Inspiration to action.
Take steps to embark on challenges and hurdles that lay outside your comfort zone.

Instead of picking the competitors you’re “better” than, identify the customers for which you are the only answer.
Never be afraid of failure, we learn from our mistakes and the journey to finding our edge is worth it, take my word for it. Where the world ends, your “edge” begins.

Your “Edge”, and why it matter.

Read More: Expand Your Business Brand Through Your Personal Brand in The Middle East

PERSONAL BRANDING / Aleen Zakka

In the Middle East, the idea of having your personal name directly attached to your business brand is a fairly new concept. Most entrepreneurs in the business world already understand the significance of being recognized in the industry and how it strengthens their market, presence and revenue. How often you present and describe yourself will help you stand out from the competition as well as keep your clients in the loop of your business growth.

Social Networks were made to connect people to each other. Regardless of that, most online businesses do not recognize the value that social networks have on their ability to create relationships online. Trusting online referrals and public relations is still a difficult process for most businesses.

When closing a deal, people from the Middle East believe that a handshake should be in process. It is obvious that networking is the core of each business and a successful entrepreneur understands that if he or she wants his or her business to grow, he or she needs to surround himself or herself with the right audience and relate to the best people in the industry. He or she connects with the people he or she trusts through business meetings and relations, events or dinners.

What causes Middle Eastern entrepreneurs to find it harder to connect online is the fear element that is produced from trust. Face-to-face events and connections are held more important than online relationships due to the fact that people trust others more when they see them in person.

How Do You Eliminate This Fear to Become More Successful in the Middle East?

Despite the fact that most entrepreneurs and business owners understand the significance of having their personal names and branding when building a trusted reputation, the concept is not usually applied in the correct manner.

In this day and age, it is important to utilize technology in personal branding. Integrating the self and the personality in a business exposes it to a wider global audience and embeds people’s characters in their brands. This helps support their vision and brings uniqueness to the business. In other words, become a futuristic leader that people can trust by paying attention to these points that I have included in this article:

Allow yourself to be seen in global magazines by making sure to feature yourself in around ten well-known print medias every year.

Work on your social media presence and create an influential and friendly environment for your clients.
In the Middle East, people are big consumers of content on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and Twitter. Despite the fact that LinkedIn is not one of the highest used platforms in Arab countries, take advantage of various creative means to engage people in your business. Dream big with your customers and include them in your journey.

Be a trendsetter and share your story online by letting your followers on social media know the steps you’ve taken to reach the goals you have completed today.
Older entrepreneurs believe that engaging with people through a personal brand commits you to a life of no privacy and allows people to understand your experiences deeply. This worries them because they think that the growth of their business should be kept a secret to protect their success. This mentality has been slowly diminishing over time with a new generation of leaders inspiring and supporting people with their success. Let your followers know about your inspiring stories, the value of your content and the human side of you that they could relate to. Listen to their concerns about their own businesses, let them learn from your failures and inspire them through your success stories. Let them see your name everywhere and keep it at the top of their minds. You will then open up their minds to the new western techniques of leadership and personal branding and make them respect you and your journey more.

Stay in check with the new leaders of today and learn from the techniques they use. People and businesses in the Middle East are always up-to-date with the new leaders of the day in various fields. It is important for you to notice what big Western entrepreneurs and public figures are doing to represent such a strong and stable business. People only want to work with the best in the business.

Localize your online presence on social media and expand your audience by helping them relate to your content. Focus on the culture, language, social behavior and perception of your clientele by making use of branding experts who are always available to help you create your space while preparing a flexible stage for you to meet your potential clients. People feel more secure and comfortable when they know that you understand their expectations and their cultures.

Stay up-to-date with Middle Eastern challenges and give your opinion online by mentioning a few real-time suggestions and solutions that you might be thinking about. The Arab market is constantly hungry for solutions and valuable opinions.

With the new ways available for building brands, most leaders have already started changing their behaviors for the growth of their businesses. While some still believe that personal branding is a practice reserved for public figures, new up-and-coming entrepreneurs understand the connection between allowing your followers to know you and the growth of your platform. Owners of businesses have made themselves memorable by making an impact on their clients and the business world.

Entrepreneurs have also worked on connecting with each other online to find new opportunities in the global market. Investors and entrepreneurs especially know the importance of finding a potential partner through various well-known business magazines, the way you brand your voice online, as well as the way your character is perceived.

The majority of profiles today lack the development of personal branding strategies. A clear branding strategy will allow you the right positioning when coming up with your personal brand or putting your name on the market. By being aware of the real time exposure of your brand, forecasting potential risks to the industry and your skills in communicating with new connections, you will be able to attract a larger audience as well as potential partners.

Expand Your Business Brand Through Your Personal Brand!