8 Brand Visibility Tips to Innovate Your Story as a Woman Leader

When you think of Brené Brown, what words or titles come to mind? Perhaps researcher, author, and speaker. What about Michelle Obama? Maybe former first lady, attorney, and writer. 

Both women don’t just define themselves by their achievements—they explicitly name their identities and declare their worth. In her memoir, Becoming, Obama simply states, “Am I good enough? Yes, I am.”

It’s a confidence all of us should carry, but often struggle to when faced with societal barriers or career challenges. We must remember that everyone has a brand, even if they’re not as high-profile. If we don’t work to control our narrative and how we’re perceived, someone else will, and they’ll likely paint an incomplete representation. 

So, how can you, a woman leader, take the reins of your story and ensure people recognize and value your presence? Let’s explore 8 quick, but practical personal branding tips to get started.

1. Reflect on your journey.

To lay the foundations for an impactful leadership story, you must have a clear timeline that leads your audience through a compelling experience. In the beginning, you may have identified a need that inspired you to search for potential solutions and rise up as a leader to bring them to fruition. You can detail the rest of your journey with insights that got you where you are now, and will continue to take you toward your greater goals. 

2. Narrow down your why. 

Every memorable leader has their personal why. Some women want to pioneer DEI efforts to transform their workplace or equip future generations with the tools to rise to greater heights. To shape your brand properly, you must have an underlying reason to drive your actions more meaningfully. Allow it to become your foundation as you grow your public identity. 

3. Identify your desired outcomes.

Although you shouldn’t particularly have an end goal for your brand visibility, creating specific growth milestones can help you measure your progress as a leader. Whether it’s a specific metric, like your number of speaking opportunities, or a more qualitative indicator, like positive interactions with your audience, make sure to monitor your current successes to then map out future possibilities. 

4. Be shamelessly proud of your wins.

Women don’t boast about themselves enough. You can be balancing a full-time job and parenthood or fighting for a well-deserved promotion—no matter how big or small you think your accomplishment is, make it known to everyone in your network. It can be as simple as a LinkedIn post or a highlight during a team meeting. Don’t hesitate to bring more eyes to your potential for greatness. 

5. Build your digital presence to boost brand visibility.

When building your brand, social media can feel like an entirely separate job. However, in our current day and age, it’s a necessary strategy to get as many eyes on your story as possible. Crafting a digital presence may be difficult in its initial stages, but once you have a general understanding of what you post and who you engage with, it can easily become second nature. 

6. Lean into thought leadership opportunities.

Thought leadership has become a trendy buzz phrase in the corporate world, but for good reason. It demonstrates your ability to lead others through similar challenges, providing audiences with best practices that can clarify their own careers. Unfortunately, there continues to be a severe shortage in women leaders despite us making up nearly half the workforce in the U.S. More than ever, we need people to fill the gap and represent us. 

Trust that you have valuable insights to offer, and when the time comes, be open to opportunities that allow you to leverage your voice, share your story, and advocate for women’s needs. 

7. Consider mentorship as your way of giving back. 

Mentorship is a mutually beneficial relationship that equips the mentee with career resources and empowers mentors to build supportive communities. As you guide others and build credibility in your respective industry, you can organically expand your circle, strengthening your brand in the process. 

8. Find a community to run the race together. 

Brand innovation doesn’t happen overnight and can’t be effective if you operate alone. It takes multiple people—colleagues, mentees, sponsors—to build and promote your leadership presence. Join a community where you can uplift others, and in turn, receive their support as you navigate your journey. 

Get more branding tips through our CCWomen network.

As women professionals, we need people in our corner to uplift our authentic selves and value our diverse stories. At CCWomen, an inclusive membership platform for women and allies, we believe in elevating our collective voices to create a stage that allows everyone the opportunity to celebrate themselves—and proudly step into the names, roles, and titles that bring them to success.

We’d love to have you be a part of our mission. Join our CCWomen+ community today!