The personal brand is your story and imprint in time

Introduce yourself in a few words..

My name is Marina Handjieva, I am the owner of Brandino EOOD and for the last 27 years I have been working in the field of brand communications. I started with PR, moved through event marketing, integrated marketing communications, e-commerce, and digital marketing. For the last 16 years, I have been actively engaged in digital PR and digital branding, helping various companies and brands to properly organize and develop their brand communications online. Behind me, I have 3 personal brands, 3 favorite hobbies - tennis, books, and cooking, and two wonderful, now grown-up boys.

How would you define the personal brand and why is it so important today?

The personal brand is a title that is earned, like in sports. It is given to you by the people you work with, with whom you have built trust, you have proven yourself over time as an expert, they have seen your dedication and depth, and they have chosen to work specifically with you. The personal brand comes with time, with accumulated expertise and life experience, and at a moment when you have understood and properly appreciated the freedom in your work.

How did you start building your personal brand? What motivates you?

I have three independent brands that I have created over the last 27 years, which have turned me into a kind of personal brand. With my latest project, in which I work independently, people started to seek me out personally, without even caring what my company is called and what my brand of services is. Very often, they seek me for advice, for opinions, and outside my business as a consultant, as a teacher, and trainer as well. The trust and the fact that they rely on me engages me as a personal brand.

I have always been motivated by anything that distinguishes itself, that is interesting and meaningful, where you can see a more deeper approach and the opportunity to acquire new knowledge. I cannot stand mediocrity, I believe that personal brands should set an example of diligence, to drink their product in detail and to inspire. Of course, I find motivation in people as well. It is important for me who I will work with, this becomes evident from the very first meeting.

What are the most important elements of a successful personal brand?

First and foremost, it is expert positioning, and it goes hand in hand with trust, sincerity, and quality of execution.  The chemistry and respect in the work that you demonstrate also matter. Communication, meetings, and overall interaction should be pleasant and positive. Professional discipline and the value system that define you as a person, the consistency in what you offer are also important elements of the personal brand.

How to find your niche and unique value?

There is no universal formula here. The niche is formed gradually in your consciousness and usually arises from something you love, want to give your heart to, and dedicate your time to. If you also have a certain dose of entrepreneurial instinct and good intuition, that helps a lot. Value develops over the years; you must first give a lot to your clients and your team and then receive recognition. Of course, luck is also important.

Should the personal brand be built around personality or expertise?

I would say equally around both. Just expertise is not enough. Here we have attitude, approach, precision, trust. As I said, there must be charisma, a dose of chemistry in the interaction. Otherwise, things will not work out. Working with people and among people is primarily based on emotion, feeling, and intuition, so relationships and synergy are very important, so that it is not just performing activities, but achieving goals and building something beautiful, meaningful, and sustainable over time.

What first steps would you recommend to someone who is just starting?

Times are tough for new ventures, and a person needs to think very carefully and assess. They need to be realistic and measure the risks well, so as not to be disappointed. In the online space, things often look very rosy, easy, and optimistic, but without a real assessment, there can be great disappointment. This applies to any undertaking, whether a person enters as an entrepreneur or simply joins a team. But here I would say that first and foremost, the personal brand must be a good person. The personal brand is not just a title; it is the story you carry and the imprint you have left in time with something meaningful. If you have been recognized as a personal brand, you are obliged to leave something lasting, sustainable, and useful behind you.

What platforms are most suitable for developing a personal brand today?

For me, the more important point here is the content. Platforms are just a portal, a bridge between the personal brand and its audiences. Usually, this involves participation in more than one platform, but there are a few things that should be prioritized - own digital assets, adherence to the consistency of content publication and its coherence, sticking to the language and writing style that are characteristic of the given platform, and persistence. These are digital branding and digital PR; they shape the big picture and the framework before the other tactics for different platforms come into play.

Before you start selling, offering, or promoting, it is important what you say, what you stand for, what problems you solve, or what needs you address.  People today greatly underestimate writing and the impact of words, and it is the most important skill at the moment. For example, in the field of digital branding and marketing communications, you cannot be everything. The segments that require specific skills are already too many, and a person must choose where their strength lies and where to position and specialize. In our sector, it is not correct for everything you do to be labeled as “advertising” or “digital marketing.” Things must be called by their correct names, using the right and precise language of concepts and style of expression, so that you are recognized as an idea leader and personal brand. This is true in many other fields.

I also work with students, people over 20 years old, some of whom at the beginning of the semester experience horror from writing, and then they themselves are surprised at how beautifully they can arrange the words and marvel at their own harmony that they have created. I encourage them to write independently, to hear themselves, to edit themselves, to polish their texts without delegating the task to the most modern technologies. To get to know their own possibilities.

What role does authenticity play in the personal brand and how to maintain it?

Absolutely primary role. Otherwise, there is no personal brand - you merge with the others. To be a personal brand, you must be 100% unique and authentic. To be recognized as a personal brand, you really must be recognized as an expert in a given field. In this sense, the personal brand is an idea leader - it develops and offers expertise, influence, insights, and this is a huge commitment and responsibility at the same time.

You not only need to be authentic, original, and interesting, but you also need to be careful about what example you set and what attitudes you create. As a personal brand, you carry this great responsibility. The words you share, and again the words - this is your imprint in the online space, which remains lasting.

How to create content that engages and builds trust?

Content should not be aimless, just writing something to publish it, so as not to lose momentum and remind people of yourself. This is a huge and often repeated mistake. Content should always be subordinated to a specific goal, direction, and strategy. Otherwise, it results in “chaff” in the users' feed, and the effect is completely opposite.

The personal brand is usually strong in one area, at most two, and should say meaningful things that distinguish it from others and establish it as a specialist. The key word is meaning - write and share what would be meaningful to other people. Do not write just for volume. Content should have a human face and message - created by people for people and adapted for machines.

Quality content should always be a priority, not its quantity. The personal brand implies the creation and distribution of targeted, meaningful, and quality content.

What are the most common mistakes people make when building a personal brand?

What I observe, especially among younger people, is that they rush to proclaim and position themselves as a personal brand, and then they start to gain experience. Things work in reverse order - first, you must prove what you are good at, your clients, colleagues, and partners will recognize you themselves. There is too much reliance on the mass influence of social media, the misunderstood influencer culture, which creates false perceptions. It is not a problem to recognize how strong a personal brand someone is by the way they present themselves, by how they write their content. It is immediately clear who the real personal brand is and who has a long way to go to earn that title.

How to deal with negative comments and criticism?

With professionalism, expert argumentation, and emotional intelligence. If you made a mistake, you should be able to admit your mistake or apologize. If you are attacked maliciously or out of pure professional envy, you should be able to argue and defend yourself intelligently. If the situation is not worth it, just ignore it. Good hygiene of relationships and communication is always healthy.

How to avoid burnout when investing a lot of effort in your personal brand?

Balance is key; you need to find your own critical point and learn to rest. Good planning of work, the breaks you need are vital and important.

How can a strong personal brand lead to more opportunities (jobs, partnerships, clients)?

It all comes down to good relationships and the trust you build with people. A recommendation, a good word or two, sharing firsthand experience. The desire to recommend someone in a given field, to help them even - pure human relationships that are built over the years. If someone has done it, do not forget to thank them. In work, as well as in life, we should not forget this wonderful word - thank you!

What are the best ways to monetize a personal brand?

When you dress the brand in a business model and develop it. Here, you really need entrepreneurship. Usually, people carry these skills within them from their family, from the upbringing they received, even by birth. Not everyone becomes an entrepreneur, and sometimes it is better to remain a personal brand within another team than to undertake their own project.

When is the right time to start offering paid services or products?

When we have thoroughly researched the market, the opportunities for development, and the costs we will need to cover. Many people struggle because they approach emotionally based on something that looks trendy, sought after, but it needs to be checked whether the numbers will add up in the long term.

How to maintain sustainability and long-term growth of the personal brand?

Sustainability is maintained with quality, consistency, and development. Growth is a very elusive concept. For each brand and field, there is a different dimension, and we must be realistic. There is no endless growth; there is development, adaptation, and going through phases that are sometimes sinusoidal.

What habits and discipline are needed to build authority?

Three things - consistency, sincerity, and benevolence.

Which personalities with a successful personal brand inspire you and why?

It is hard for me to list, because in practice, everyone who is an established name in a given field is a personal brand. In every sphere, I find people whom I recognize as established authorities and professionals, who stand behind that respect with their name. I am inspired by writers, artists, sportspeople, coaches, doctors, ordinary people who have remained down-to-earth, positive, and have earned their name to be associated with achievement, a source of wisdom, or simply a good example.

What three specific things can people do today to improve their personal brand?

To check if they are completely authentic, if they do not copy or imitate too much someone, to ask themselves if they love and want to continue in this field, and to be sure that what they do makes sense and is met with trust and respect.