Here Are The Two Main Reasons Why Personal Branding Has Afforded Me Many Opportunities
By: Malcolm Lemmons
Tags: Branding, Athletes, Personal Branding, Sports, Career Development

Instagram: @MalcolmLemmons

I’ve come across various articles that talked about why personal branding isn’t important or impactful for your career.

I’ve seen many people say that it’s a “nice to do,” rather than a “must do.”

I also understand that some of these same people see it as a method to brag as opposed to a method of providing value.

In the years before I really knew what personal branding was, I would have seen it as a “nice to do” and maybe even a little narcissistic as well so I don’t really blame people for having this perspective.

It wouldn’t have crossed my mind as being necessary for advancing my career or for achieving my vision for what I wanted in life.

For a long time, my brand was classified under the term “athlete” and that was it.

Becoming a published author also had never been a goal of mine, but when it happened I knew that if I wanted to actually sell book copies and build an audience, then I’d have to start building my reputation (personal brand) simultaneously.

I’ve now been building my personal brand in the sports industry for about two years and let me tell you that without it, I’d probably be really struggling to find opportunities for myself.

I can’t imagine what it’s like for a college graduate who is trying to break into the sports world without any connections or support.

The world is already super competitive and standing out in any capacity is just getting more difficult by the day.

For me, it’s hard to believe that I’ve been consistentlypublishing content on my sitefor just over 24 months, but it’s afforded me opportunities that I know I would have never been a part of if I didn’t put content out.

And although I’ve just started in this personal branding game and I’m still a long ways away from where I ultimately want to be, I recognize that building my personal brand has contributed to most if not all of the opportunities that I’ve had thus far.

Personal branding might not be important for everyone, but it’s been critical to my success and it’s mainly for these two reasons listed below:

People do business with people they know, like and trust.For years, doing business has been about talking atyour audience or customer instead of talking tothem. Times have now changed. Whether you’re promoting a company brand or personal brand, personifying it builds trust and a connection with your consumer more effectively. It compels them to want to buy from you or follow you or do whatever you want them to do because they have a relationship with you. People are way too smart nowadays to get fooled into gimmicks or sleazy advertising without a purpose or cause behind it. The truth is that people do business with other people, not logos and they want to know what that person is truly about before any type of transaction happens. People relate to emotional, compelling stories and transparency from other people.Through my personal brand, I have written and told stories about my experiences and obstacles through basketball and business. It’s much easier to tell a story that resonates with an audience when it’s coming from an actual person. I’ve been able to build a small following that sees value in the things that I’m passionate about and understands where I’m coming from. Through my vulnerability, people can relate to me and also realize that they aren’t alone. At the end of the day, we’re all the same. We might come from different backgrounds, we might be different races and religions, but we’re all human. We all go through things, we all struggle, we all have fears and we all need to see that we can make it through these things. Hearing stories from other people who have persevered gives us faith and hope that everything will be ok. Providing that value for other people has easily been the best part of this process. I’ve been able to make people believe and see value in themselves. Storytelling and connecting to people on a heartfelt level is what personal branding is truly about, not boasting and bragging about your accomplishments and what you’ve been able to do professionally.

What A Time It Is To Be An Athlete

If you consume my content in capacity then you know that most of it ties back into helping athletes or being a resource for them.

This is not only because I am a former athlete myself, but also because athletes have incredible influence in our culture and I want every athlete to understand how to utilize their personal brand so they can identify with something bigger.

Not only has social media and technology given athletes a bigger stage and reach than they had before, but it has also amplified their voice and made their influence and contributions to society that much more important.

A personal brand is a direct reflection of your thoughts, beliefs, story and ultimately what you stand for in life.

It’s about your values and principles.

It’s what makes athletes more polarizing and unique.

I stress the importance of personal branding not just because it’s great to utilize in the professional world, but also because a brand is an emotional tie that makes us all relate to one another at the end of the day.

There hasn’t been a better time for athletes to build a foundation that will last well after they’re done playing, but the key is to know why it’s important and jump on the opportunity before it’s too late.

I’ve created a list of the 15 most life-changing books that have helped me be successful in and out of sports. Get it right here.

Malcolm Lemmons is a former professional athlete turned entrepreneur and author. To check out more content, visit his website at www.malcolmlemmons.com.