Personal branding is a topic that has long since ceased to concern only starlets on TV or so-called speakers. The internet and Google in particular are forcing experts of all kinds to position and present themselves as a brand. After all, if you are a brand, you are more successful. Those who are better known are (usually) perceived as more competent and therefore win more customers. This also applies in particular to management consultants and management consultancies, who have to assert themselves against strong competition.

The competition is huge

There is huge competition in the consulting industry. If you enter "management consultant" into Google, you get 3.7 million search results. Very few people will click on number 1 million, most will opt for a search result on the first three to five pages. This means that anyone who does not appear on the first few pages of the search results has already lost out in such an unspecific search.

Your name is your capital

Now, most companies looking for a management consultant do not google the job title. In the vast majority of cases, a collaboration is preceded by a personal contact or a recommendation. Interested parties therefore often search the Internet for the name in connection with "management consultant" or "consulting" or for a specific topic that is to be implemented in the course of a collaboration, such as the Introduction of agile methods in project management, Implementation of New Work or Increased efficiency through modern collaboration.

In the course of personal branding, there are therefore 3 points that are crucial to success for consultants:

1. The Make your own name known - online and offline - through active networking, discussions with decision-makers, experts and multipliers, presentations and appearances on external stages, etc.
2. Through Online and blog marketing on the corporate website to ensure that your own name appears high up (top ten) in the Google search results in combination with the desired search terms. The name must be combined with a Topic for which the consultant is an expertand always appear at the top of the search results in combination with it, if possible.
3. Presence in the social media show: Google+ in particular appears preferentially in the search results for the proper name and also shows a photo in the preview, for example. It also provides information about the company, which also appears in the snippets. Career networks such as Xing or LinkedIn and Twitter, Facebook and YouTube also deliver valuable search results in the top positions.

Name + content = personal branding

These basic measures in personal branding are an absolute must. However, there is more that can be done to position yourself as a brand. Customers and clients want consultants who are experts - and who have proven this expert status.

The best way to achieve this is with your own blog, on which specialist articles on specific topics are published. In addition such contributions are also important for the placement of relevant keywordsIf someone searches online not for the proper name, but for a specific consulting service, the chances increase for those who have placed specialist articles on the topic.

A good blog is also a multiplier in terms of self-marketing. If you prepare high-quality content in an entertaining and technically competent way, you also get the chance to place articles in specialist magazines. Such articles are worth their weight in gold when it comes to personal branding. This is because they have a large online and offline reach and therefore contribute to increased visibility. Your own name will become known in the target group through such publications, which in turn will lead to an increasing number of inquiries.

Marketing today works via content

The background to all these developments, which make targeted personal branding indispensable, are the changes that have taken place in the marketing sector in recent years. On the one hand, online presence is invaluable: almost all potential customers and clients obtain information this way. On the other hand, they are primarily looking for interesting content that has added value for them. Whoever provides this content can only win: Reputation, customers, success.

As a TCI partner, you can use our blog to become even more visible and impress with your expertise. If you are interested, please contact redaktion@tci-partners.com.

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