Picture: Mrs South Africa semi-final contestant, Berlina Lekgethwane/Supplied
It’s been a whirlwind five months since Mrs South Africa contestant, Berlina Lekgethwane joined the renowned women’s empowerment programme and received a coveted semi-finalist title.
Hailing from the North West Province, Lekgethwane was motivated to join Mrs South Africa by her passion to see the lives of people transformed and a childhood dream. Since then, she has been a part of a series of empowering workshops from leading experts on topics ranging from health and fitness to building financial acumen.
But one of her greatest lessons has been the power and importance of personal branding in achieving her individual aspirations, she says.
“I believe personal branding is the ability to establish and build a reputation to influence public opinion of any member of the society by helping to assert themselves as credible players in their trade,” she said.
To guide her personal branding evolution, Lekgethwane and the other Mrs South Africa semi-finalists, received professional coaching from #PRGuru Madelain Roscher, the founder and CEO of award-winning marketing-communications agency PR Worx.
Roscher notes that a strong and distinctive brand is one of the most powerful weapons in an individual’s arsenal, no matter their unique goals.
“A brand is not a logo – it’s about people’s experience of you and your reputation. In a noisy world, a strong personal brand allows individuals to differentiate themselves and stand out by consistently articulating and leveraging their unique value proposition.
“In other words, by consistently communicating who you are, your values, and your areas of knowledge or expertise to others, you can get a significant leg up in your career or business. By sharing who you are and building your personal brand, you can increase your public visibility, establish stronger and more authentic relationships with other people, and expand your influence – all to your benefit,” she said.
With this in mind, personal branding has been one of Lekgethwane’s greatest focus areas as she seeks to build her profile and use her voice to effect positive change.
Some of her greatest achievements since joining Mrs South Africa have been to motivate learners and build their confidence, help expand a local bakery that now delivers bread to prisons, help and mobilise businesses for local charity programmes.
“To have done this much in a very short space of time has left me grateful for the mentoring and coaching that the organisers of this beauty pageant have invested in me. It has made me believe in my capabilities but most importantly it has made me believe that I can add value to society and help change lives for the better,” said Lekgethwane.
Top three branding tips from South Africa’s #PRGuru
As advice to others seeking to build their personal brands, Roscher offers her top three branding tips:
1. Take inventory: Before you can communicate your brand to others, first reflect and define what your brand is and what you would like to communicate, or how you would like others to see you.
2. Make yourself findable: Choose social media channels that are best suited to your brand and brand goals, and begin actively updating and engaging on your profiles to boost your visibility.
3. Donate your expertise to a cause: Not only will this allow you to enjoy the heart-warming joy of giving back but will also allow you to develop a more visible platform for good.
To support our Mrs South Africa Semi-Finalist in her journey, vote for her. SMS “Berlina Lekgethwane” to 47587. SMS cost R3 and you can vote as much as possible.
The Guardian 