In the race of staying on the top and staying relevant in today's world, people are branding themselves as the brand, be it movie stars or sports star. Personal branding is most important as it will differentiate you from the crowd and keep you at the top. Either you are a freelancer or an influencer or just another employee in any company, the first impression is the last impression.

As Jeff Bezos says, "Your brand is what people say about you when you're not in the room."

Earlier, Brands was mostly about business but today with the growing relevance of Social Media, Personal Branding has become fundamental. Personal Branding is a mixture of your skills and experiences which make you and your personality.

How to make yourself a personal brand. Here are some inputs-

• Explore Different Skills- In today's digital world, there are more skills that used to exist before. Go out there and learn the skills which you feel are relevant for you. For example, I always loved capturing different frames, so when I got my first camera, I went ahead clicked hundreds of pictures every day. If you pick 2-3 skills and master yourself there will be nothing stopping you from becoming a brand.
• Work, Work and Work- Never say no to any work. Working Opportunities are the best way to analyze your strengths and weaknesses. You never know which work opportunity will make you a big brand and put your skills in front of the world. Any skills you learn will be better after you practice it while working. So never let go of any work opportunities.
• Show Your Work to World- Whatever you do, show it to the world through any medium you want but most importantly your social media channels, i.e- Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, etc. A survey recently reported that 70 percent of employers use Social Media for screening the candidates. If you put your work on social media or any digital platform, your work will speak for yourself.
• Stay Relevant and Adapt The Change- The most important thing in today's world is to stay relevant and updated with the trends. If you don't change with the changing trend, there will be someone who will push you down in the race. So it's very important to stay relevant in order to stay at the top.

"Explore Different Skills- In today's digital world, there are more skills that used to exist before. Go out there and learn the skills which you feel are relevant for you. For example, I always loved capturing different frames, so when I got my first camera, I went ahead clicked hundreds of pictures every day. If you pick 2-3 skills and master yourself there will be nothing stopping you from becoming a brand."

Here are some of the best examples of Personal Brand-

• Oprah Winfrey- With an estimated net worth of $2.5 billion, Oprah Winfrey is the epitome of personal branding. Coming from a humble background, she has inspired millions by staying true to herself and adding value to people's life.
• Richard Branson- One of the most successful and well-known alive men, Richard Branson always stuck to his values which include risk-taking. With his unorthodox methods and commitment towards his passion, he has created a powerful personal brand and is one of the examples to learn from.
• Elon Musk- One of the mafias from the Peter Theil led PayPal mafia, Elon Musk is an innovator, visionary and serial entrepreneur. With powering private space programs through SpaceX to making electric vehicles with Tesla, Musk has raised as a phoenix from his failures and is one of the biggest examples of the personal brand today.

Next Big Brand is a brand-centric media platform that makes people aware of brands and how to be one. Personal Branding is the next big thing in terms of brands and with the increasing popularity of smartphones and the internet, we will see more personal brands in the future.