In consulting, you're not just selling your time—you're selling your expertise, insights, and unique perspective. Your personal brand is the bridge between your capabilities and the opportunities you want to attract. Whether you're an independent consultant or working with a firm, a strong personal brand opens doors to better clients, higher rates, and more interesting work.
Here's your 90-day action plan to build a personal brand that sets you apart.
Why Personal Branding Matters for Consultants
Unlike employees who can rely on their company's reputation, consultants must establish their own credibility. Your personal brand:
- Attracts Opportunities: Clients and firms seek you out rather than you constantly hunting for work
- Commands Premium Rates: Recognized experts can charge 2-3x more than unknown commodities
- Creates Optionality: Multiple opportunities mean you can choose the work you genuinely want
- Builds Trust: A strong brand reduces the perceived risk of working with you
- Future-Proofs Your Career: Your reputation follows you across roles, industries, and even career pivots
The Personal Brand Framework
Your personal brand consists of four key elements:
Positioning: What you're known for—your specific expertise and unique approach
Presence: Where your target audience can find and engage with you
Proof: Evidence that you deliver on your promises
Personality: What makes you distinctively you—your values, perspective, and style
Let's build each element systematically.
Days 1-30: Define Your Positioning
Week 1: Identify Your Niche
The biggest branding mistake consultants make is positioning themselves as generalists who "can do anything." Instead, become known for something specific.
Exercise: Answer these questions:
- What specific problems do you solve?
- For which types of clients or industries?
- Using what distinctive methodology or approach?
- What results can clients expect?
Example Positioning Statements:
- Weak: "I'm a technology consultant who helps companies with digital transformation."
- Strong: "I help mid-market healthcare companies implement AI-powered patient engagement systems that reduce no-shows by 40%+ while staying HIPAA-compliant."
Week 2: Understand Your Audience
Who needs to know about you?
Potential Clients: Decision-makers who hire consultants like you Consulting Firms: If you're looking for contracts or employment Peers: Other consultants who might refer work or collaborate Thought Leaders: Influencers in your space who can amplify your message
For each audience, identify:
- Where they spend time online
- What problems keep them up at night
- What content they consume
- Who they already follow and trust
Week 3: Define Your Point of View
Thought leaders don't just repeat conventional wisdom—they have a distinct perspective.
What do you believe about your field that others might disagree with? What approaches do you think are overrated? Where is the industry heading that others aren't seeing yet?
Examples:
- "Most digital transformation projects fail because they focus on technology instead of organizational change management."
- "The future of consulting isn't in selling hours—it's in creating scalable, productized offerings."
- "Technical certifications are overvalued; demonstrated problem-solving ability matters more."
Week 4: Craft Your Brand Story
People connect with stories, not credentials. Your brand story should explain:
- Your background and how you got into consulting
- A pivotal moment or insight that shaped your approach
- The mission or purpose driving your work
- The impact you're trying to create
Keep it authentic and relatable. The best brand stories are about transformation—yours or your clients'.
Days 31-60: Build Your Presence
Week 5: Optimize Your LinkedIn Profile
LinkedIn is the consultant's most important platform. Optimize every element:
Headline: Don't waste it on job title. Use it to communicate value.
- Before: "Senior Technology Consultant at ABC Consulting"
- After: "Helping Healthcare Companies Implement AI | Digital Transformation | 50+ Successful Implementations"
About Section: Tell your brand story, showcase your perspective, and include a clear call-to-action.
Featured Section: Showcase your best articles, presentations, case studies, or media mentions.
Experience: Frame each role around the problems you solved and results you delivered, not just duties.
Recommendations: Actively seek recommendations from satisfied clients highlighting specific value you delivered.
Week 6: Create Your Content Foundation
Establish a content hub where you demonstrate expertise:
Option 1 - LinkedIn Articles: Start publishing weekly insights directly on LinkedIn.
Option 2 - Personal Blog: More control and SEO benefits, but requires driving traffic.
Option 3 - Medium: Balance between reach and control.
Option 4 - Newsletter: Build a direct relationship with your audience via Substack or similar platforms.
Start with one platform and do it consistently before expanding.
Week 7: Develop Your Content Strategy
Plan content pillars—3-5 themes you'll regularly address:
Example for a Technology Consultant:
- AI implementation best practices
- Tech stack selection and evaluation
- Managing technical teams
- Digital transformation lessons learned
- Industry trends and predictions
For each pillar, brainstorm 10 content ideas. Now you have 50 topics—enough for a year of weekly content.
Week 8: Start Publishing
Begin your content engine:
Weekly Long-Form Content: One substantial article (800-1500 words) on LinkedIn or your blog.
Daily Short-Form Content: Share insights, questions, or observations (100-300 words) on LinkedIn.
Engagement: Comment thoughtfully on 5-10 posts from your target audience daily.
The formula is: Consistency > Quality > Quantity
It's better to publish a good post every week for a year than to publish 10 perfect posts and burn out.
Days 61-90: Create Proof and Add Personality
Week 9: Build Social Proof
Credibility signals that prove you're the real deal:
Case Studies: Document 3-5 client success stories (with permission). Use the Problem-Solution-Result format.
Testimonials: Request video testimonials from satisfied clients. Video is 10x more powerful than text.
Speaking: Submit to speak at industry conferences, webinars, or podcasts. Every speaking engagement is social proof.
Media: Contribute to industry publications or get quoted in articles. Use services like HARO (Help a Reporter Out) to connect with journalists.
Certifications: Highlight relevant certifications, but don't let them be your entire identity.
Week 10: Showcase Your Personality
People hire consultants they like and trust. Let your personality show:
Be Opinionated: Share your perspectives, even if they're contrarian.
Show Vulnerability: Share lessons from failures, not just successes.
Inject Humor: Where appropriate, make people smile.
Share Personal: You don't need to overshare, but giving glimpses into who you are beyond work makes you more relatable.
Have a Visual Identity: Use consistent colors, fonts, and image styles across your content.
Week 11: Expand Your Network
Your network is your net worth in consulting:
Strategic Connections: Send 10 personalized connection requests weekly to people in your target audience. Reference something specific about their work.
Valuable Introductions: Connect people in your network who could help each other. Be a connector.
Join Communities: Participate in online communities (LinkedIn Groups, Slack communities, Reddit) where your target audience gathers.
Attend Events: Virtual and in-person industry events are opportunities to build relationships beyond LinkedIn.
Engage Meaningfully: Add value in every interaction. Answer questions, share resources, offer introductions.
Week 12: Measure and Optimize
Track metrics that matter:
Reach: How many people are seeing your content? Engagement: Are people liking, commenting, and sharing? Connections: Is your network growing with the right people? Inquiries: Are you getting inbound messages about consulting opportunities? Conversions: Are these conversations turning into clients?
Identify what's working and double down on it.
Content Ideas to Get Started
Never know what to write about? Try these:
Lessons Learned: Share insights from recent projects (keeping client info confidential)
How-To Guides: Teach your audience something practical they can implement
Framework Breakdowns: Explain a methodology or framework you use
Industry Trends: Share your take on emerging developments in your field
Myth-Busting: Dispel common misconceptions in your industry
Case Study Breakdowns: Analyze public success or failure stories
Tool Reviews: Evaluate software, platforms, or resources you use
Q&A Posts: Answer common questions from clients or your network
Predictions: Share where you think the industry is headed
Personal Stories: Share your journey, challenges, and growth
Advanced Branding Strategies
Once you've mastered the basics:
Create a Signature Framework: Develop a named methodology associated with your brand (e.g., "The [Your Name] Method").
Productize Your Expertise: Turn your knowledge into scalable offerings like courses, templates, or tools.
Build in Public: Share your consulting journey, wins, and challenges in real-time. Transparency builds trust.
Host a Podcast or YouTube Series: Going deeper on one platform can establish serious authority.
Write a Book: Still one of the most powerful credibility builders, even if it doesn't directly make money.
Common Branding Mistakes to Avoid
Inconsistency: Posting sporadically or disappearing for months kills momentum.
Being Too Generic: "Providing excellent service" isn't a brand. Specificity attracts.
All Self-Promotion: Share value, insights, and helpful content 80% of the time. Self-promotion just 20%.
Copying Others: Being inspired is fine. Being a clone is not. Your unique perspective is your differentiator.
Waiting for Perfection: Published beats perfect every time. Progress over perfection.
Ignoring Analytics: If you're not tracking what works, you're flying blind.
Trying to Be on Every Platform: Master one platform before expanding.
Maintaining Your Brand Long-Term
Personal branding isn't a 90-day project—it's an ongoing practice:
Quarterly Strategy Reviews: Every 90 days, assess what's working and adjust your approach.
Content Batching: Create multiple pieces of content in one sitting to maintain consistency.
Repurpose Everything: One long article becomes 5 LinkedIn posts, 10 tweets, and an email newsletter.
Stay Current: Continue learning and evolving your perspective. Stale thinking leads to stale content.
Build Systems: Use scheduling tools, templates, and processes to make branding less time-consuming.
Leveraging AI for Brand Building
Modern AI tools can accelerate your branding efforts:
Content Ideation: AI can suggest topics based on trending themes in your industry.
Draft Creation: Use AI to create first drafts, then add your unique perspective and voice.
Repurposing: AI can turn a long article into social posts, email newsletters, or script outlines.
SEO Optimization: AI tools can suggest keywords and optimize your content for search.
Analytics: AI can identify patterns in what content performs best.
At Hire2Hired, our Personal Branding & Marketing service helps consultants leverage AI to build their brand faster while maintaining authenticity and voice.
Measuring Brand Success
Beyond vanity metrics, track:
Inbound Opportunities: Are people reaching out to you?
Quality of Opportunities: Are you attracting better clients and projects?
Rate Increases: Can you charge more than before?
Referrals: Are satisfied clients and connections referring others?
Recognition: Are you being invited to speak, write, or contribute?
Network Growth: Is your network expanding with influential people in your space?
Your 90-Day Checklist
Days 1-30: Positioning
- Define your niche and positioning statement
- Identify target audiences and where they spend time
- Develop your distinct point of view
- Craft your brand story
Days 31-60: Presence
- Optimize LinkedIn profile completely
- Choose primary content platform
- Develop content strategy with 50 topic ideas
- Publish 4-8 pieces of content
- Engage daily with target audience
Days 61-90: Proof & Personality
- Create 3 case studies or success stories
- Gather 5 client testimonials
- Submit to speak at 2-3 events
- Inject personality into content
- Make 100+ strategic connections
- Review analytics and optimize approach
Conclusion
Building a personal brand as a consultant isn't about becoming internet-famous or posting perfect content. It's about consistently demonstrating your expertise, providing value to your target audience, and making it easy for the right opportunities to find you.
The consultants with the most successful, sustainable careers aren't necessarily the most talented—they're the ones who've mastered the art of making their expertise visible and valuable to others.
Your 90-day journey starts now. Pick one action from Days 1-7 and do it today. Then tomorrow, do the next one. In 90 days, you'll look back amazed at how far you've come.
Ready to accelerate your personal branding? Hire2Hired's Personal Branding & Marketing service provides personalized coaching and AI-powered tools to help consultants build authority in their field. Start building your brand today.