Nora K Shepard

A client of mine was new to her industry, defense tech. She had a lot of imposter syndrome because she didn't have experience in the industry. This seemed crazy to me because of her extensive experience across so many industries. This WAS her superpower - the diverse perspectives she brought. She was one of 12 female leaders in her space. I helped her craft her story, leading with her insecurities and transforming it into a positive. It's all about thinking about what makes you different, because the world doesn't need something that's already been taken. You have extensive expertise you can offer a new industry, if you think about the transferrable skills to highlight.

People connect with people. We all have a story to share. Think about what makes you - you - and then think about how you leverage your story to make an impact. There's an important caveat to this advice, however. Personal branding, when done well, should not be a vanity play. It should be in service of others. If your story is contributing to your larger mission, you should absolutely incorporate it into your message to make a greater impact. If it's not serving others, and you're just doing it to "be vulnerable," I'd encourage you to think twice.

I think of strategy at large as a product of three distinct things - your message, your audience, your goals. These three pillars aren't contingent on one another. Meaning, your audience needs to be developed before thinking about your strategy, and it shouldn't affect your message. Your audience doesn't care about you ;) They care about solving their own problems. What PAIN are they feeling? Once you've really gotten into their head and you're clear on your own message, then you can move into the SEO tactics.

BIG fan of "create once, publish often." That doesn't mean resharing it blindly to all the platforms. Keep in mind the specific reasons for each platform. People go to TikTok for different reasons than they go to LinkedIn. But you can use the same video content to create a blog for LinkedIn, a newsletter, a TikTok short, etc.

Track. Everything. Everyone you meet, take notes and decide how often you want to follow up with them. Then follow up with them on a regular cadence with value and a smart perspective. When you do ask for something, like their time, be specific in what you're looking for. Make it easy for them to engage with you. And most importantly, think about how you can help them. What goes around comes around, and you'll make it much further with that perspective as opposed to thinking about how they can help you.

Contrary to popular belief, especially held by interns and those early in your career, you do NOT need decades of experience to build your personal brand and craft a clear message. Personal branding is about strategic storytelling. In the simplest terms, you need to connect the dots of where you've been to validate what you want to do and where you want to go. For example, I graduated from college with a gender studies degree... and I was not looking for gender studies jobs. I told the story—starting my college career pursuing a medical degree taught me how the world is, and gender studies taught me how to question the world, which gave me a unique perspective of dreaming while staying grounded in reality. Tell YOUR story.