No matter what your profession, it pays to stand out. In fact, standing out is absolutely vital for small businesspeople and solo professionals like lawyers and doctors, because these professionals live and die by their ability to attract customers. Without a way to stand out, they would be out of a job. But even those who work for larger companies need to stand out in order to get ahead — to compete effectively for promotions, plum opportunities and new jobs.

That’s why the relatively new concept of personal branding is a winning strategy for climbing the ladder in any field. To convince potential employers, clients and colleagues that you’re the person they want on their team, you need to “sell” yourself and your skill set. By applying some of the same “branding” principles used to sell sneakers and soft drinks, you can stand out from the competition and boost your chances of success, whether you’re an employee, a small business owner or an independent professional.

A personal brand is not just a logo — it’s the way that people think about you. Your goal is to build a reputation as a knowledgeable, competent professional who is an asset to those working with you. When it’s time to reach out to those connections for work or a job search, you’ll be reaching out to people who already know and respect you. When clients need a professional in your field, you’ll be able to trade on an established reputation or even draw them in on the strength of that reputation. And when you’re competing for a job, being known as a reliable expert may give you an edge over similar candidates — in fact, you may be approached by recruiters on the strength of your reputation.

How to Establish a Personal Brand Online

Before the Internet, it was usually possible to establish a personal brand only at the local or industry levels. But these days, the Internet allows you to reach virtually anyone who might be interested in your field of expertise — a powerful reputation-building tool. That means you can make connections with people in your field anytime, not just at a once-a-year conference, and reap industry-wide benefits.

Start by thinking carefully about what kind of reputation you want to build. You need to stand out, so it’s vital to build your brand around something that’s not a dime a dozen — think “forensic accounting in criminal cases” rather than “accounting.” You need to offer something of value to your readers to keep them coming back, so the subject should be informative, helpful or compelling. You need to be professional, so it’s best not to choose a subject that creates political debates or exposes confidential client information. Perhaps most importantly, it needs to be a subject you’re passionate about. For a blog to build your professional reputation, it needs to be updated consistently, and your online “voice” needs to be genuine. This is far, far easier when you have real enthusiasm for your subject.

Once you know what you’re trying to convey, you need a home online. The most effective way to do this is to start a blog, preferably using an easy-to-remember top-level domain name. A blog helps establish you as an “expert” with something of value to share, which is a cornerstone of your personal brand. After all, in order to build a good reputation, you’ll need to offer something to the world. A blog also allows community participation, so you can quickly get to know others in the field who are active online and begin building crucial relationships. A blog that’s updated regularly and run professionally shows the world that you’re dependable and professional, vital traits in any field. And blogging will keep your site at the top of search results, because search engines reward recent updates.

Once you have your blog established, you can start the slow process of joining the community. Enable comments in your own blog (you can manually police spam and disrespectful behavior), and respond when warranted to get a friendly, professional dialogue going. Seek out related blogs and becoming a commenter there, linking back to your blog. You can also do this in appropriate online forums. After you’re established enough to know other bloggers, consider crossposting on one another’s blogs, to get your name in front of readers more directly.

All of these strategies direct human readers to your blog and serve your ultimate goal of building a reputation. They also help keep your blog at the top of search engine results, because search engines reward sites that are linked to often. There are a few other ways to do this, including coordinating your blog and your personal brand with social media, and writing articles at reputable online article sites. See parts II and III, respectively, for more on this.

Finally, put it all together by meeting your online acquaintances in person. Just one look at your face will help online readers remember you better. It can also give potential employers and clients small but important clues about whether they’d like to work with you. This means going to conferences, local business events and other meetups, then networking in a way that’s consistent with your brand. Don’t forget to mention your URL and online activities when appropriate. Just as your online activity supports your offline professional life, your offline professional life can be used to further build your online personal brand.