People buy YOU before they buy your services or products – we are sure you’ve heard this a lot of times if you’ve been paying any attention to your business lessons.
It is not an easy task, but it is an important task – developing and building your personal brand. It sets you apart, builds trust with clients and colleagues and can increase your professional success.
Choosing your style and your fashion direction can go a long way in influencing people’s perception of who you are and what you represent. Great clothes and a signature style can help you with how you present yourself.
The good thing about personal branding and styling yourself is, no matter what signature style you choose, fashion allows you to reinvent yourself every now and then.
Read also: Why You Should Add Several Hats to Your Wardrobe
No matter your niche or industry, regardless of what you sell or the service you provide, knowing your core values and the experience you plan to provide to end consumers can dictate your style sense.
To adapt your values and message into your personal branding, you need to figure out or define YOU – is your brand chic, techy, conservative, wild, formal etc.? There are five (5) major brand personalities for businesses, and they can also define who you are as a person – sincerity, competence, ruggedness, sophistication and excitement. Taking brand personality assessments or simply asking your friends to describe who they think you are can begin to give a sense of who you are and how you want to or should be dressed.
After choosing a signature style, what you want to do next is be consistent with your dressing. You want to rock nerdy glasses like Falz, an afro like Wole Soyinka, durags like Teni the Entertainer; or you just want to keep serving unforgettable fashion statements like Denola Grey – you need consistency. This consistency with your looks, also applies to your values – don’t go styling yourself outside of what your brand represents – a Pastor wearing tattoo sleeves establishes skepticism right away, so does an animal rights activist wearing fur.
Read also: 5 Fashion Pieces That Can Be Worn More Than One Way
Another thing to note when it comes to personal branding is that, most people want to force a signature style. Signatures are good, they let you be memorable – but you don’t have to think too hard before choosing a signature style. It can be socks, black lipstick, vintage shirts etc. – one you choose that one item you want to be known with, you make sure you wear it a whole lot!
Finally, people can tell when you are faking or trying to be like someone else. The ultimate goal in your personal branding and styling is to be true to yourself. Wear what you are comfortable in, make fashion choices that are in alignment with your values and beliefs, wear clothes that describe you the way you or your business want to be described.
PS: It is okay to delegate and work with professionals who can help you figure out a lot when it comes to the fashion of your personal brand. If you have chosen to brand your person, then it means you care about your image – create it, develop it, own it!
Instagram.com/mykmaryfashion
Facebook.com/mykmaryfashion
Twitter.com/mykmaryfashion