How to Position Your Personal Brand in a Unique Sweet Spot (4 Tips)

In a noisy marketplace, find a unique space for your personal brand.

There is no one just like you. So, use a marketing mindset to find your white space in a noisy marketplace.

My marketing story began 15 years ago. For most of that time, I had limited official public speaking opportunities. And, all related to my role as a leader or involved acting as an organisation’s spokesperson.

Until, just three days after soft launching my personal brand coaching, when I received my first public speaking request. As just me, on my niche subject matter - personal branding.

I hadn’t promoted myself as a public speaker or planned to anytime soon. Yet, in three days I received something I never envisioned in 15 years. All by having a niche developed for a specific audience.

Here’s how you can find your sweet spot in a noisy marketplace:

#Tip 1: Find a Niche for Your Personal Brand

Your unique story, skills and interests make you the best person to solve a specific problem. So, what problem are you solving? What’s your niche? What could you be a subject matter expert in?

Let your values compass be your guide.

Your niche should ideally connect as much of your values compass as possible. This includes your core why and underlying beliefs. As well as the tangible features of each. This is where these otherwise fluffy values words become practical skills, activities and ideas. Translating into meaningful concepts in a day-to-day way.

If you were asked to be a speaker, join a panel, write an article or pen a book, what might it be on?

Don’t be afraid to niche down. Or to find the niche within the niche. As the Creative Director of your own personal brand, you can always pivot in the future if you need to. But, no good brand was developed to be everything to everyone.

#Tip 2: Dominate, don’t Compete

In Grant Cardone’s bestseller, The 10x Rule, he states that one of the biggest mistakes of goal-setting is competing not dominating. Embracing this is one of the most mentally freeing concepts - professionally and personally.

As Cardone states, competition is a loser's game. Following the competition limits your own creativity. While dominating is for winners.

“Forward thinkers don’t copy. They don’t compete - they create.”

Through the lens of personal branding, this concept applies naturally. Because it assumes that there is no one just like you. No one with your exact story. So, your white space is waiting to be discovered in a way only you can.

But, I believe, there’s some important nuance to this. Of course, you’re standing on the shoulders of giants. And in reality, every idea is created as a result of those that went before it. So, industry awareness is also important. But, I recommend reframing ‘competitors' as those who have helped pave the way in your industry. Don’t compare yourself to them, study them.

In his bestseller, Steal Like an Artist, Austin Kleon quotes basketball legend, Kobe Bryant, who said, “There isn’t a move that’s a new move.” Bryant’s on-court theatrics were a result of studying the tapes of his heroes. But, because, he wasn’t them, with their same body type, he couldn’t copy them perfectly, so he adapted. Making his moves his own.

Appreciate any related contributions with a sense of gratitude and learning. Focus on how you can uniquely dominate a position they did not. Through your unique point of difference.

#Tip 3: Have a Point of Difference for Your Personal Brand

Marketers’ ole-faithful ‘perceptual maps’ help identify what differentiates you in the noisy marketplace.

Perceptual maps have two axes. They intersect at the centre allowing you to think in opposites. I encourage my personal brand coaching clients to think in terms of ‘versus’. Positioning yourself as this versus that. For example, are you a bricks-and-mortar consultant or an online operation? This is where your decision-making dexterity comes to dance. Wishy-washy isn’t an option. Confuse your audience and you’ll lose them.

I recommend doing this for as many key factors as possible. Here are just some ideas and examples:

• Ideal audience (male v female, gender-specific v gender neutral, emerging leaders v C-suite)

• Price (low v high)

• Quality (low v high)

• Place (online v bricks-and-mortar)

• Process (1:1 v one-to-many)

Once you understand your points of difference, you can develop your positioning statement.

#Tip 4: Develop a Personal Brand Positioning Statement

Your positioning statement is critical for clearly articulating your sweet spot. You move beyond defining yourself by a title. But rather, by the unique value you provide the marketplace.

Your positioning statement forms the bedrock of your communications. With variations of it appearing across your personal brand touch points.

Your vision and mission statement should inform the positioning statement for your personal brand.

Consider the following in developing your Personal Brand Positioning Statement:

• Your problem statement: what you’re helping solve

• Your ideal audience: who you’re serving

• Category: what service you’re providing

• Value proposition: what makes it valuable

• Differentiation: what makes it unique

In a few short sentences, you take your listener on a journey of who you are from the lens of a problem solver. And, bring into their awareness a solution they, or someone they know, might be looking for.

When it comes to navigating a noisy marketplace, don’t get lost in a sea of sameness. Differentiate yourself in a noisy marketplace. Position yourself in the personal brand sweet spot that is unique to you.

So, what is your personal brand sweet spot?