Why it's so important to create a personal brand
Tags: webdev, beginners, codenewbie, career
Published: 2021-05-10 10:21:34

Whether you choose to accept it or not the fact remains that as we go through life we are all displaying our personal brand. Be it the clothes you wear, the way you talk, your interests or any infinite amount of choices. You are who you are and that is what makes everyone so unique and special. So then why is it that when it comes to programming a lot of people tend to go against their own trends and act differently? If you are a programmer then it is highly likely that you are either going to be doing freelance work or employed at a company. In the first case knowing your worth and personal brand is extremely important. You will want to have a consistent message throughout all of your work for example your portfolio website, social media accounts, blogs and logo.

## Brand styling guide
Creating a brand style guide is something that you should be high on your list. If you are just starting out as a freelancer then it might not be too important to begin with as your main priority will be finding clients and creating as many Minimum viable products (MVP) as you can. Having a website or app that just works and meets the clients expectations should definitely be the focus. However as your reputation grows as does your strive for being a professional. So eventually you will want to be taken more seriously and come across as a well rounded experienced individual.

Coming up with a logo, brand colors, font selection as well as the other requirements for a brand is the first step in the right direction. You are your own company that is the way you should be looking at it. So make sure that you remain professional and put your best work forward. Think about it how many commercial brands have become iconic because they had a great marketing team behind them. If you want to be successful then you should be working to ensure that your content and profile is something to be proud of.

## The importance of social media
If you are serious about being a developer then in my opinion you really should have a presence on social media. I remember years ago when I was having an interview at a company. The developers who I interviewed with told me that they hated Twitter because they had used it far too much to develop apps which required the API. Something along those lines of it. Fair enough but these days having an active presence on social media can lead to many doors opening there is such a huge potential for any developer to get some gains. I have had so many opportunities happen just because of the content that I was posting on Twitter.

The same is true for LinkedIn and blogs like DEV, Hashnode and CodeNewbie. These platforms are more than just tools for networking they are the portals which can help you realize your dreams. I also like the fact that you can count them as full blown learning tools. When you have access to an infinite collection of curated resources and many highly rated developers who create course content in addition to being successful in their careers. It is just too good to pass on.

If you want to reach such heights all you have to do is create a tech focused Twitter and LinkedIn account and post relevant content. It is extremely important that you stay to your brand as closely as possible because that is what is going to lead to high engagement. So for example you should be posting at least 90% programming and tech related content and then the other 10% can be your other hobbies and interests. Some people make the mistake of going completely off brand and talking too much about stuff that their audience does not care about. This is what leads to lost engagement and followers. It is the equivalent of a huge sports brand suddenly changing their narrative to house and decorating products for example. Going completely off brand.  

## Final Thoughts

I really hope that you enjoyed reading this article and learned something from it. As a content creator and technical writer I am passionate about sharing my knowledge and helping other people reach their goals. Let's connect across social media you can find all of my social media profiles and blogs on [linktree](https://linktr.ee/andrewbaisden).

Peace ✌️