561-429-2585
Email Us
Map Location

6 Tips on How to Build Your Brand as a Small Business Owner

Entrepreneurship

Many small business owners get so consumed with developing their business brand, creating a Florida SEO marketing strategy, and communicating “as” the brand to customers that they don’t distinguish between their personal and business brands.

But remember that you aren’t just your business. You’re so much more than the owner of a company. Establishing a strong personal brand helps customers understand who you are, what you do, and why you do it.  

It’s how you want to be known and how the public perceives you. The image you build for yourself is critical to your professional growth and the success of your business.  

Creating a personal brand allows you to introduce yourself as an expert, a thought leader, and a real human being who people can trust, learn from, build an authentic relationship with, and buy from.  

In this article, we will explore why your brand matters and how you can build it.

5 Reasons Why Having a Personal Brand Separate from Your Business is Necessary

Business owner using Florida SEO marketing to boost personal brand and business online.s

1. Gives You Freedom to Grow Beyond Your Business

It’s easy to define yourself as your business, especially when you’ve spent so much of your time and money building it from the ground up. However, you need to understand that you are more than your business.

You are an entrepreneur who can grow beyond your business. You can write a book, be an advocate, start a new venture, or get yourself involved in a new project. The possibilities are endless for you.  

By having a personal brand that's separate from your current business, you can achieve more. You will have a voice, a personality, and an image that people can resonate with. This is the perfect opportunity to promote whatever it is that you do outside of your business while allowing the company to operate as usual.  

2. Builds Your Credibility and Establishes You as an Authority

Creating a personal brand where you demonstrate your knowledge, expertise, and value is an effective way of showing people that you know what you’re doing, that you're an expert in your field, and that they can trust you.  

When people see this, they begin to recognize you as an authority and your brand is pretty much the proof they need to “try out” your product or service.  

Think of it this way: businesses tap into influencers because they have the power to influence their followers’ purchase decisions, and therefore help boost sales and brand awareness. But why do their followers believe their recommendations? It’s because people recognize their authority.  

Consider yourself as an influencer for your business! When you speak on behalf of your business, you're attracting more customers and spreading the word about your business.  

3. Helps Develop Your Professional Network

As you join various business and social events, you'll begin to meet other like-minded individuals, build more connections on LinkedIn, and develop your professional network over time.

This opens opportunities for you to get invited to more events or even appear on other people’s websites or social media channels. It’s a great way of increasing people’s awareness of your business. Even if they don’t necessarily need your services, they might know someone else who does.  

Through your brand, you’ll have more and stronger connections with your fans and other professionals in your field. When you’re ready to start a new venture or pivot into a new area, you can easily build your dream team from the large pool of people you know.  

4. Opens More Opportunities for People to Discover Your Business

When you consistently publish useful content across multiple communication channels, you're allowing more people to discover you and your business.  

Through Florida SEO marketing, you can boost the visibility of your blog posts, videos, social media posts, and marketing campaigns and put your brand in front of a wider audience.  

5. Strengthens Your Business Brand

When you separate your professional interests from the main purpose of your company, you can strengthen your business’ brand by being more focused and intentional in your messaging and marketing.  

6 Things You Can Start Doing Today to Create a Personal Brand Separate from Your Small Business

Now that you know why having a brand separate from your business is beneficial to your professional growth and the success of your company, it’s time to discuss how you can achieve this.

Build a Personal Website

The word "personal branding" written on a notepad beside a laptop.

Many people think that being present across various social media channels is enough to establish their brand and show their expertise. Although having accounts on LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and other channels connects you with the rest of the world, the truth is, people still look you up on Google to check if you're legit.

Having a professional-looking and functional website that's optimized for Florida SEO demonstrates that you are indeed the real deal. It’s a space where you can showcase your work, provide proof of your abilities, and promote your business.  

It also gives you the freedom to personalize and create a more visually accurate representation of your brand, which you can't do with your social media pages.  

Make sure you have a solid Florida SEO marketing strategy in place to boost your website’s visibility in the search results. You want your page to appear first when people search for your name online or look for the specific services or products you offer.  

When building your professional website, use your name as your domain name or something very similar to it. This makes it easier for people to look you up and it also helps with brand recall and recognition.  

Choose One Social Media Channel to Focus On

It's important to be present on channels where your target audience is because it's a way for you to keep in touch with them and put your brand at the top of their minds. However, posting on multiple accounts, replying to comments and queries, and running campaigns can be a handful for someone trying to build their brand while at the same time managing their business.  

So, to avoid getting overwhelmed, we suggest that you choose one social media platform to focus on first and then slowly expand once you get the hang of it.  

Just like your website, it’s also important to boost the visibility of your social content by optimizing your social media page, using hashtags, and incorporating keywords into your titles and descriptions.  

Publish High Quality, SEO-Optimized Content

Expertly-written blog posts, high-quality videos, helpful podcasts, live Q&A, and infographics are just some of the ways you can demonstrate your expertise to your target audience.  

It’s through content that you can show who you are, what you do, and why you do what you’re doing as a professional. It's the perfect avenue to share your philosophies and build relationships with your audience.  

To build a strong presence online, it’s important to post consistently. Create a content calendar to ensure that you’re always publishing something new and helpful for your audience each week.  

You should also do this with your social media so you can plot out your content for the entire month and ensure that you have something to post every other day.  

Don’t Be Afraid to Be Vulnerable

Small business owner smiling at customers.

People crave the human touch when interacting with businesses. It assures them that they're working with a company that is intentional, authentic, and doesn't see them as just "another customer".  

A lot of people think that they need to appear perfect to be respected but it’s when you share your mistakes, failures, and quirks that people can relate and identify themselves with your brand.  

It’s when you tell them how you were able to overcome all the hardships and come out victorious that you can earn their respect. It’s through these stories that you inspire people and make an impact on their lives.  

Don’t be afraid to let people in your life a little and show them that entrepreneurs make mistakes and like Netflix too. That achieving success isn’t something that happens overnight. It may sound cliché but it’s true. People love stories like these. It’s one of the ways you can stand out and build rapport with your target audience.  

Explain What You Do and Define What Makes You Different

Don’t make web visitors guess who you are and what you do. Communicate this and what makes you different the moment they land on your site.  

You can also achieve this by using a keyword or adjective that best defines your brand or professional goals. So, instead of just putting your name or brand on the header, you can add a subheader that will allow people to recognize you right away. For example, Emily Creighton, Social Media Expert, Founder, and Author. When people read this, they know right away who you are and what services you might be offering.  

Check out Natsai Audrey Chieza’s professional website:

Screenshot of Natsai Audrey Chieza's professional website optimized for Florida SEO.

It’s also important to show your value and the benefits you offer. You can mention innovative techniques, a unique specialization, or niche expertise.  

Be Consistent Across All Touchpoints

Whether your audience engages with your brand on social media, your website, a business card, or a social media campaign, they must get the same experience every time.

Delivering a consistent experience builds your reputation and helps you stand out. It also drives loyalty and strengthens your brand.

Take Your Brand to The Next Level with Florida SEO Marketing

Having a solid personal brand allows you to do so much more professionally. It opens up opportunities to explore new ventures and drives more business to your company!

Whether you’re trying to get more customers for your business or building a professional reputation that will take you to greater heights, Florida SEO marketing is the tool you need to put your brand out there and widen your reach.  

At Digital Resource, our SEO marketing experts in Florida will work with you to develop a custom SEO and content plan that will strengthen your online presence and establish your brand.  

Thinking about building your brand and creating a personal professional website? We can also help!  Contact us today to get started!

Back to blogs

Related Blogs

Want to work for us?

Think you've got what it takes to hang with the pros at Digital Resource? Check out our Careers page to browse current job openings!

apply Today
Digital Resource Awards