{"id":20897,"date":"2025-10-16T13:04:59","date_gmt":"2025-10-16T13:04:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/try.experience.com\/resources\/?p=20897"},"modified":"2025-11-06T17:16:45","modified_gmt":"2025-11-06T17:16:45","slug":"how-to-turn-your-personal-brand-into-a-profit-machine","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/try.experience.com\/resources\/how-to-turn-your-personal-brand-into-a-profit-machine\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Turn Your Personal Brand Into a Profit Machine"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>In today\u2019s digital-first marketplace, personal branding has shifted from being a \u201cnice-to-have\u201d to an essential driver of business growth. Too often, professionals overlook it, assuming that it\u2019s more about vanity than value. But in reality, a strong personal brand can be one of the most powerful profit engines available \u2014 especially in a world where online visibility directly impacts trust, reputation, and client acquisition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In a recent conversation with <strong>Mike Hickinbotham, Senior VP of Sales at Experience.com<\/strong>, Mike highlighted the crucial role personal branding plays in building credibility, trust, and ultimately driving revenue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-video\"><video controls src=\"https:\/\/try.experience.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/mike-video.mp4\"><\/video><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Why Representation Matters<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThe way you represent yourself online is so, so important nowadays,\u201d Mike emphasized. \u201cYour personal brand is so very important with all of your customers \u2014 even people who don\u2019t know you will look you up. And it happens quite a bit on the professional side with LinkedIn.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>He pointed out that professionals who fail to maintain updated, polished, and authentic online profiles risk losing out on opportunities before they even begin. Beyond appearances, credibility is built through what others say.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cI think reviews have become so important,\u201d Mike added. \u201cTrust is super important, and gaining trust with your customers \u2014 with people who don\u2019t necessarily know who you are \u2014 is key. Third-party reviews and testimonials from your network are a great way to build that trust.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>The Biggest Hurdle: Earning Trust<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>When asked about the challenges professionals face in building their brand, Mike pointed back to trust as the central theme.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cHow do you get people to know that you\u2019re great at what you do? Establishing trust is so vital,\u201d he said. One way to achieve that is by showcasing client testimonials, proof of past successes, and authentic endorsements.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Mike also cautioned against relying solely on paid advertising to get found online. \u201cIt\u2019s expensive to go out and buy leads\u2026 The most critical thing is you can put yourself in the best light so that, on the organic side, when people search for products and services near them, you come up at the very top. That gives you a much lower cost to do business versus paying for leads.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Standing Out in a Crowded Market<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Competition online is fierce, and professionals need to articulate what makes them unique. But according to Mike, the secret is not about being flashy \u2014 it\u2019s about being genuine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cTry to show the best version of you, be open and honest about yourself so that people can connect with you,\u201d he explained. \u201cEven small things like associations you\u2019re a part of, philanthropic causes you support, or things you love to do\u2026 People connect with authenticity more than someone trying to be somebody they\u2019re not.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>He also underlined the power of letting others speak for you: \u201cAnybody can go on and say how wonderful they are. But if you have other people saying that on your behalf \u2014 through testimonials, reviews, endorsements \u2014 that\u2019s far more powerful.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>How Experience.com Helps Professionals Win<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>When the discussion turned to how Experience.com supports professionals in building their brands, Mike pointed to the platform\u2019s foundation: making individuals visible, credible, and competitive in local markets.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cOur platform is designed and engineered based on what\u2019s most important to search engines,\u201d he explained. \u201cThe first step is having a complete, accurate, verified profile. From there, it\u2019s about connecting to the relevant sites that matter most to search engines and ensuring your information is updated and properly reflecting the services you offer.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>He described it as an ongoing process: \u201cOnce you\u2019ve connected to those sites, it\u2019s about playing the game \u2014 logging in, ensuring all of your connections are set up, replying to reviews promptly, and keeping your profile current. Even when a customer isn\u2019t fully satisfied, a lot of times they just want to be contacted. Addressing those issues directly helps you flip an unhappy customer into a very happy one.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>The Takeaway: Start Now<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Mike closed with encouragement for professionals who feel overwhelmed or late to the game.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cIf you feel like you\u2019re way behind, the important thing is \u2014 get started,\u201d he urged. \u201cGet your profile updated. We\u2019ve got search rank coaches who will walk you through what\u2019s most important to all the relevant search engines, for free. Just get in, play the game \u2014 that\u2019s going to help you win in your local market and win online.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Personal branding is no longer just about how you appear; it\u2019s about how you earn trust, how you show up online, and how others validate your expertise. In Mike Hickinbotham\u2019s words:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>\u201cBeing true to yourself, being authentic, and building trust \u2014 that\u2019s how you win.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>In today\u2019s digital-first marketplace, personal branding has shifted from being a \u201cnice-to-have\u201d to an essential driver of business growth. Too often, professionals overlook it, assuming that it\u2019s more about vanity<\/p>\n<div><a href=\"https:\/\/try.experience.com\/resources\/how-to-turn-your-personal-brand-into-a-profit-machine\/\" class=\"exp-read-more exp-read-more-underlined\">Read More<\/a><\/div>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":20902,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"wpb-single-post.php","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[23],"tags":[],"solutions":[],"industries":[],"class_list":["post-20897","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-article"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/try.experience.com\/resources\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20897","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/try.experience.com\/resources\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/try.experience.com\/resources\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/try.experience.com\/resources\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/try.experience.com\/resources\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=20897"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/try.experience.com\/resources\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20897\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/try.experience.com\/resources\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/20902"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/try.experience.com\/resources\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=20897"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/try.experience.com\/resources\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=20897"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/try.experience.com\/resources\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=20897"},{"taxonomy":"solutions","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/try.experience.com\/resources\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/solutions?post=20897"},{"taxonomy":"industries","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/try.experience.com\/resources\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/industries?post=20897"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}