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PERSONAL BRANDING IN THE DIGITAL SPACE

Branding is one of the concepts that is very central to marketing since it is the facet of marketing that is responsible for communicating identity to the market. The digital age is an exciting time to be alive because we have witnessed the reshaping of so many aspects of life in unimaginable ways. For one, digitalisation has enabled branding, a concept largely associated with corporations and formal businesses to be applied at an individual level in ways that never used to be possible.

People at an individual level, have always branded themselves in most cases subconsciously but digitalization has made the process of personal branding a very conscious and intentional pursuit. In social media circles there is often talk of content creators, digital creators, influencers, brand ambassadors etc. On different social media platforms from YouTube, LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook, you name it, we have seen different individual brands representing different facets of life from comedians, health and lifestyle enthusiasts, prominent business people, musicians, motivational speakers and authors etc. This just shows how limitless and how fluid the concept of personal branding has become.

In the past few years, here in Zimbabwe we have witnessed big individual brands being born out of almost nothing but the relentless and persistent delivery of engaging content over time. Think of names like Larry Mafukidze (Lawrence Mafukidze), Nijo (Nigel Maritimu), Mama Vee (Mhosva), Madam Boss (Tyra Chikoko Munetsiwa). We have also seen strong personal brands born out of inspiring humble beginnings and success stories such as the KwaTerry Traditional Restaurant (KwaTerry). Terrence Maphosa the owner of KwaTerry built the self-branded Traditional restaurant from nothing much but a small piece of land in village 6 in Mhondoro. He then made a strong media presence, largely on Facebook and managed to grow a following of ……… and has become one of the most popular traditional restaurants in Zimbabwe at the moment.

In the more formal business circles, we have seen prominent media personalities like Trevor Ncube increasing his visibility many times over owing to his popular podcast, “In Conversation with Trevor”. If you are looking for the more serious engaging content or if you are looking for inspirational content featuring home grown success stories and personalities who are making waves in different areas of life in Zimbabwe and the diaspora, then this is your go to podcast. The man has been in the media space for as long as I can remember but, in my view, this podcast has been the ‘it’ moment for him.

Now, what are the key success factors for personal branding in the digital space?

1. Good quality content

This might sound obvious but as obvious as it may sound, coming up with good quality content is not a walk in the park. Crafting engaging content that will attract an audience and keep it tuned in is one key ingredient in building a personal brand. One thing about digitalisation is that it has resulted in a world where there is limitless choice. Audiences are seriously spoiled for choice and it takes some considerable amount of effort from content creators who are trying to build a brand and make a name of themselves to really come up with content that is top notch and has massive pull. To ensure that happens, that means that one has to be well versed on their subject matter, depending obviously on the type of media presence that one has. It means that you have to strive as much as possible to become the go to person on that subject matter. And the one sure way to achieve this is by continuous learning on the subject matter and keeping up with trends in that particular area.

With other types of content, one may need to be a natural. Comical type of content will require that one be funny and witty by nature. Being a comedian is an art that can only be horned and perfected but I doubt it is a skill that one can acquire. So, creating good quality content requires that a person be honest about their capabilities and follow what naturally comes to them.

2. Consistency

In most endeavours, nothing beats consistency. In a digital world that is awash with information of all types, consistency is key. You need to be known for something. Let your name be associated with that one thing that you are so good at. Become a household brand in your subject matter or in your area of specialization. That can only be achieved if you are consistent and relentless in doing that one thing you have set yourself to do. Pick a niche and stick to it.

3. Relatability

One thing that is sure to keep audiences engaged is to talk about relatable issues. Issues that feed into people’s everyday reality. People are more concerned with information that they can identify with, no matter the way in which it comes packaged. It could be a serious informative podcast on education and career choice or some comical skit intended to make audiences laugh. For that content to make an impression, it has to be something that actually means something to the audience. So, the creation of a successful personal brand also hinges on how relatable your content is.

4. Personality

In personal branding, personality is everything because personality is the very thing upon which a personal brand is developed. Each personality type can be a developed into a unique personal brand attuned to a person’s personality. Whatever personality type however, the end goal is to create a personal brand that resonates with one’s target audience. The idea at the end of the day is to be able to create a brand that sells, so to speak. So the first step here is to be self-aware and acknowledge one’s personality type and then develop a brand around that.

5. Continuous improvement

On the aspect of continuous improvement, the name that comes to mind is Jah Prayzah (Mukudzei Mukombe). To think of just how far this guy has come from the time that he was singing ‘gochi gochi’ and ‘tsviriyo’ to the electric performance he delivered at the live launch of the Chiremerera Album, that is a show of what dedication and continuous improvement can do to a person. The man is now a mega brand. Brand building is a process and just like any process, it takes a considerable amount of time to perfect. The transformation that we have seen happen in the musician Jah Prayzah is testimony to the fact that personal branding is an investment. The musician has invested time and financial resources into perfecting his craft and becoming the brand that he now is. Now he is doing private ensembles, he is doing live acoustic performances and in all that, the digital space has enabled him to reach a much wider audience both locally and abroad.

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