I would assume the reason you’re learning data analytics is that you’re passionate about it. Plus, you want to make a living out of it.
Well, that’s the case for me, and assume the same is true for you.
First, what is personal branding and how is that relevant to you as a data analyst. According to sproutsocial, it’s about how you define and promote yourself, and everything you stand for. It’s about how you sell yourself to the world. If you’re from a marketing background, positioning comes to mind.
By now you’re starting to understand the point of personal branding.
Before I proceed, let me say something. If you’re reading this, and you’ve started learning data analytics, you can solve some data analysis problems with any tool. Well, you are now a data analyst, you are no longer aspiring.
So, let’s take the first step now. Go to your social media profiles, delete the aspiring, and leave it at data analyst. You are welcome.
Why should you care about your personal brand?
Here are a few reasons.
· Personal branding helps you get recognized in the industry.
· It helps you stand out to prospective employers and clients.
· It improves your confidence as a practitioner.
· It helps you build authority as a subject matter expert.
· It helps you develop credibility.
· It helps you connect to your audience.
As you can see, personal branding is loaded with benefits. I could go on and on.
So, let’s get to the meat of the matter. How do you build a personal brand? The thing is, you’re probably already doing it, but are you doing it right? At the end of this piece, you’ll have a clearer idea.
How to build your personal brand
First thing first. You’ve chosen this career path. If you’re having problems putting some structure to help you excel, I wrote something that might help you. You can find it here.
Back to building a personal brand. This is going to be very practical.
1. Discover your passion — I won’t be dwelling on this. You’re now a data analyst. That’s your passion.
2. Be genuine — This is straightforward. As a newbie data analyst, try to develop a solid knowledge of your field. Don’t write a cheque (or Check for the US audience) you cannot cash. Learn your craft so that when you start talking about it, you do so confidently. You don’t want to be outed as a fraud, do you?
3. Choose your audience — One aspect of personal branding is understanding that you can’t appeal to everyone. This might not be easy at first. You can start as a generalist. After a while, you’ll gravitate towards a niche.
4. Optimize your social media– This is where everything comes to life. This is what people see. Let’s start with social media. When people land on any of your social media pages, they should be able to tell who you are & what you’re about. Set up your accounts on Twitter, LinkedIn, and Medium. You can use other social media platforms like YouTube & Instagram. Blogging is also a good option. LinkedIn is ideal for professionals and here are few things you can do to make it pop.
· Your LinkedIn profile should be well-written and error-free.
· Profile picture should be a professional headshot.
· Include industry-relevant keywords in your profile summary.
· Add your education, certifications, and links to your portfolio.
You can find more tips here.
5. Talk about your journey — Understand that no matter what stage you are in, your story can inspire someone somewhere. Are you taking a data analytics course online? Preparing for a certification exam? Struggling with a task? Recently completed your first data analytics project? Learned a new trick on Excel? Talk about it. A simple tweet or a LinkedIn post is enough. No pressure.
Here’s a tweet I made about a book I was reading.
6. Write — Writing can be daunting. I know because it took me a long time to start. Here’s the good news. If you have already been talking about your journey as I suggested in 5, it’s easier to make the jump. Medium and LinkedIn are good platforms for this. Writing is an important skill for data analysts. It also helps you build credibility. Remember to keep it simple and be genuine.
7. Increase your visibility — Put yourself out there. Talking about your journey and writing help you do this, but they are not the only ways. Ensure you have a portfolio (GitHub, Linktree, and Disha Pages are good platforms). Avail your social media handles and LinkedIn page on your portfolio sites. The goal is to make it easy for people to find you.
Here are other ways to increase your visibility.
· Take part in forum discussions, like Quora.
· Attend industry-relevant events.
· Take part in competitions.
· Post on your social media pages.
· When people engage your tweets, reply them.
· Comment on other people’s tweets and posts.
Conclusion
The same way branding is important for businesses, it is important for you as a data analyst. So, if you haven’t started doing it already, now is the time to be serious about your brand.
Be consistent, and put in the work. As you work on building your personal brand, here are 10 golden rules you can apply. Good luck, I’ll be rooting for you.
