The Importance of Being Bold, Authentic & Credible in Your Online Branding
- Brainz Magazine
- Nov 17
- 5 min read
Written by Jeanette Walton, Career Brand Consultant
Jeanette is spreading the word about the essentiality of career branding for all professionals. As a Career Brand Consultant, she has pioneered a career branding framework, amongst other educational resources, to amplify the use of career branding to cut through and stand out.
It’s taken me years to feel comfortable and confident about putting myself out there as my own career brand advocate. And there have been numerous personal and professional development activities undertaken in the last couple of years to reinvigorate self-belief and reinforce self-intention. Last month, I wrote in Brainz about the very real need to step up and speak out about your core career brand strengths and values. This is essential if you want to be competitive and cut-through-able in highly digitised, information-overloaded professional environments.
The online branding mix
I believe there are three staple ingredients that need to go into the online branding mix if we’re going to adequately arise to achieve our career objectives. These are the self-branding foundations of boldness, authenticity, and credibility. A healthy and steady level of boldness is what will drive and inspire you to keep putting yourself out there. The continual prioritisation of authenticity within your brand communications will attract right-fit target audience members. And the interweaving of information that conveys you as a credible brand offering will keep those target audience members convinced that you not only talk the talk, but also walk the talk.
What it means to be bold
“Whatever you can do, or dream you can, begin it. Boldness has genius, power, and magic in it." (Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, one of the most influential German writers in the 18th century)
Whether it’s focused internally or externally, boldness has been defined as affirming without arrogance and being firm but not rude. It’s when we make the decision to understand and embrace our fears, for example, my lifelong fear of public speaking, which may involve learning from our failures and taking calculated risks. For me personally, part of that becoming bold journey has been realising I’m just as entitled as anyone else to promote my professional self and my career brand. I wouldn’t say I’m fully in the clear, but my imposter syndrome is diminishing. It’s also been about switching my mindset from negative to positive in terms of what if it does happen.
Some of the ideal ways we can embolden ourselves as a brand promoter are:
Defining a strong, aligned, individualised career brand that we feel proud to speak and exemplify, which will also stimulate thoughts, concepts, and views for us to share online.
Using digital platforms like LinkedIn as market testers, where we sample what our optimal branding is to bring in the right opportunities. It’s okay to continue to adapt and fine-tune.
Recognising there are so many other brands promoting themselves online, including our cohorts, and that we’re not going to remain relevant and competitive if we don’t join in.
What it means to be authentic
“To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment." (Ralph Waldo Emerson, American essayist, lecturer, poet, and philosopher)
Authenticity has been defined as making the choice to show up and be real across all personal and professional circumstances. To stay true to your personality, values, and beliefs, act with integrity and be genuine, while also balancing honesty with appropriateness. Did you know that at least 80 percent of consumers desire an emotional brand connection before they make any kind of investment? And I believe that being authentic is one of the primary ways to build solid, meaningful, mutually beneficial connections as a brand or professional. It often feels internally grounding and reassuring when we uphold authenticity. And the human-to-human energy that we emit when we choose to be truthful and sincere will cultivate warm and fuzzy feelings in others.
Some methods for helping us to remain authentic as a brand advocate are:
Sourcing and regularly repeating positive affirmations that we feel affiliated with. I personally do this every morning before I start the working day, as well as at bedtime.
Listening to and trusting our intuition, underpinned by self-esteem, means we’re less dependent on others’ validation. Our own hunches and feelings will guide us to what’s right.
Establishing and operating in alignment with our brand values, beliefs, and objectives. This not only helps ensure brand clarity and consistency, but it will also bring in the right opportunities.
What it means to be credible
“Credibility comes from results. Everything else is just marketing." (Richie Norton, award-winning author and serial entrepreneur)
Brand credibility means that you’re capable and worthy of being believed, which cultivates confidence and responsiveness among target audiences. In my business, I often have prospective clients confirm that it’s my reviews and testimonials that have spotlighted me as a worthy service provider within my competitive professional domain. I recently wrote a post about how quickly brand viewers can be turned off based on the voluminous amounts of global professional competition we’re just about all up against. And it’s the strategic use of your brand assets to build and maintain credibility that will keep them both interested and engaged.
Some of the best ways to convey credibility as a brand advocate are:
Interweaving client feedback across your digital profiles, via both static and organic content. For example, I sometimes reshare client testimonials across other social media profiles.
Highlighting qualifications, accolades, and other brand differentiators across digital assets. For example, I pin these in LinkedIn’s Featured section and include logos in my main banner.
Expanding on your brand channels, such as via co-branding partnerships. For example, I facilitate and promote recorded interviews with industry experts and produce a podcast.
I can guarantee that the inclusion of these three key branding ingredients will deliver both internal and external benefits for you as a professional. Being bold in your brand promotions will open you up to what’s possible. Being authentic in your brand promotions will help you remain reflective and accountable to both yourself and others. And prioritising credibility across your brand promotions will ensure that you stand out and secure the belief that drives customer action.
Read more from Jeanette Walton
Jeanette Walton, Career Brand Consultant
Jeanette is a Career Brand Consultant who helps professionals worldwide to enhance their career prospects. To address a gap in the market, she designed a career branding framework that helps professionals design and apply their own unique career brand. She also avidly writes articles, newsletters and eBooks, features on podcasts, partners with industry alliances, and delivers educational presentations on the benefits of career branding. In her spare time, Jeanette fosters dogs, visits an aged care resident, and co-facilitates a LinkedIn Local networking group.
