The Power of Using Your Name in Your Personal Brand

When you introduce yourself for the first time, usually the first piece of information that you share is your name, and the reason we do this is because it is powerful. A name defines you and creates your identity. It is your label in life. Names are not just random words that you use to fill in a sentence, but an identifying sound that stands out from everything else that is spoken out loud. The power that your name holds is not just something that impacts your personal life, but your personal brand as well. The power of using your name in your personal brand is something that every entrepreneur should understand and use to their advantage. So here are four reasons that you should be using your name in your personal brand.

1. NAMES ARE ATTENTION GRABBING

Names possess something that regular words don’t–uniqueness. If you take the sentence, ‘the grass is green and trees are tall,’ nothing in particular stands out. However, if you take the sentence, ‘James is the president of my company,’ it’s very easy to point out that James is an important part of that sentence. In addition to that, nobody feels connected to the fact that they have green grass outside and I just wrote a sentence about it. On the other hand, if your name is James, it’s likely that the sentence I wrote immediately grabbed and held your attention. Using your name is a very powerful and proven way to be noticed.

2. NAMES ARE EASY TO REMEMBER

Contrary to what most people think, we tend to remember names better than we remember faces. If you run a business and post content online, simply posting pictures or videos of random team members or of yourself is not as effective as actively sharing using each other's names in the process. If you meet someone new at a networking event, follow each other on social media, and your username is just a non-personal brand name, your new connection is less likely to remember how to find you later. They may not even remember who you are at all after your content starts showing up on their feed. Make sure to connect your name with your brand so that people can remember you better.

3. PEOPLE CONNECT WITH FACES AND NAMES MORE THAN BRAND TITLES AND LOGOS

There’s a reason why personal brands are so successful, and from what I have observed, that’s largely due to the fact that they come across as more trustworthy than a company without a face or name attached to it. When somebody has a conversation with you over a medium like email, social media, or text, they are more likely to feel comfortable when they know the name of the person they are speaking to, aka your name. If people don’t know who they are talking to, it can be a big turn off in their eyes because the trust cannot be established. So if you want to establish a better connection with people, use your name more often.

In addition to using your own name, make sure to get into the habit of using other people's names when you speak to them. It’s one of the best ways to get their attention as well as remember their name for future interactions. Here are a few ways you can do that:

• Say their name when you greet them

• Use their name throughout your conversation 

• Use their name when you text them

THE CHOICE IS YOURS

In the end, the choice is yours on how personal you want your brand to be. The best part about personal branding, is your personal name and your personal face being attached to it. Naming your brand after yourself is a great way to stand out, be remembered, and establish better trust. With the continuous rise of social media, it’s becoming more and more difficult to be noticed among your competitors. However, you don’t need to be fancy or spend a ton of money to do that. Sometimes all you need to do is just be you.

If you’re ready to take your personal brand to the next level and make your name more discoverable, book a free call here to take your PR game to the next level.