According to the article “Five Tips To Amp Up Your Very Own Personal Branding” on www.bandt.com.au by contributor Debbie O’Connor, developing your personal brand can have a significant impact on your career and business. People like to do business with people, so your personal branding can be just as effective as the business’ brand itself. As such, O’Connor explains the five traits behind a stellar personal brand:

• Thought leadership: If you are someone genuinely talking, educating and sharing information on a topic in your industry, you are more likely to become a thought leader in it. Furthermore, if you are ready to herald this information — creating content, posting to social media and engaging in serious conversations about it — then you will become the go-to person when it comes time to talk about it. This sort of exposure is a powerful part of your personal brand.
• Credibility: After you’ve become the go-to person for a certain topic, you’ll have established credibility, which leads to respect and referrals. In fact, people are four times more likely to buy when they are referred to a person or business.
• Trust: Statistics show that people nowadays trust organizations, such as businesses, the media and the government, less than they have in the past. People trust people now more than brands. If you become a thought leader, sharing your knowledge through your own channels instead of through official brand channels will make it travel much further. The more credibility and respect you have, the more trust you will gain.
• Impact: After having built your reputation, credibility and trust, you will be able to have an impact on more people, sharing with those beyond just your immediate circles.
• Leverage: Finally, after building up your personal brand, you will be able to leverage your knowledge and the contacts to whom you’ve been exposed, potentially providing you with bigger opportunities and experiences.

Read the original article here.