The Trials and Tribulations of Building Your Brand in Your Twenties
If you are a young professional looking to break into the world of public relations, communications or media, you have repeatedly been told the importance of building your brand. You would understand that a well-built brand has consistency, is interesting and compelling, and plays to an individual’s strengths. However, you would also know that building a personal brand is intimidating and tricky – particularly in your twenties.
Career advice for twenty-somethings looking to build their brands often starts out with some vague suggestion to “understand who you are.” It overlooks the whirlwind delirium of these years that plagues while you try to figure out ‘what exactly am I doing with my life!?’ Your twenties are amazing years but based on market research*, they are also your question years. Where will I get a job? Where will I live? Who do I want to surround myself with? Is it okay to eat Nutella if it’s only, like, two days expired? Only one thing is apparent: we are looking for answers.
But how are you supposed to construct a consistent and compelling persona when you don’t even know the answers to those basic questions? The answer I’ve found as I’ve gone on my own brand development journey these past few years is that you probably won’t know until you start. Start creating, start writing, start photographing, start drawing, start cooking, start knitting, start discovering. Along the way you will find your stride, what feels right and what you love to do. Your personal brand should grow from your passions. You will also find that what you’re passionate about ends up being what resonates with your audience most. This is because your audience is smart – they want something genuine.
You could be known as the knitting blogger, the Instagram-famous cook or the professional coffee-art barista who can draw a fire-breathing dragon out of foam. All you have to do is start.