Table of Contents
- UX Designer to…Influencer?
- Step 1: Craft Your Personal Brand Identity
- Step 2: Generate Engaging and Valuable Content
- Step 3: Foster Genuine Connections with Your Audience
- Step 4: Use the Power of Social Media to Your Advantage
- Step 5: Collaborate with Influencers and Fellow Designers
- Step 6: Offer Exclusive Content and Resources
- Step 7: Consistency and Persistence Are Your Friends
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Read time: under 4 minutes
UX Designer to…Influencer?
Are you a UX designer looking to build a personal brand?
Has the thought of becoming a Design-Entrepreneur ever crossed your mind?
I’m Chris Nguyen — a UX Design consultant and mentor, and over the past year, I’ve successfully:
- Built an audience of > 23,000 loyal fans across multiple platforms
- Monetized this audience to make a full-time living
- Earned > $50k in online sales
Yes, it’s possible.
In this blog, I’ll share a step-by-step guide for UX Designers to build an online audience and influence, which will open doors to multiple passive sources of income and give you the financial freedom you deserve.
Let’s dive in 👇
Step 1: Craft Your Personal Brand Identity
Before anything else, it's crucial to define and establish your personal brand. This means:
- Showcase your unique design style
- Provide guidance based on your own journey with UX Design
- Share your design philosophies, personal opinions (even if they’re controversial 😂)
- Create a cohesive online presence across your website, social media accounts, and design portfolios.
The goal is to make your name synonymous with a consistent brand image that sets you apart from the crowd.
Step 2: Generate Engaging and Valuable Content
As the saying goes, content is king!
Your UX design background gives you an edge when it comes to crafting visually appealing and engaging content.
Focus on topics that resonate with your target audience, addressing their challenges and providing helpful solutions.
By offering value, you become a go-to resource that your audience can trust.
Step 3: Foster Genuine Connections with Your Audience
Creating content is just the beginning.
You also need to engage with your audience and build a community around your personal brand.
- Reply to comments
- Answer questions in DMs
- Show genuine interest in what your audience has to say
Strengthening the connection with your loyal audience (technically your fan base) is the key step to gaining trust from them.
As the values you provide start influencing their lives for the better, they’ll be more likely to trust your recommendations and invest in your digital products or services.
Step 4: Use the Power of Social Media to Your Advantage
Different social media platforms cater to unique audiences and offer diverse features.
As a UX designer, find the platforms that best resonate with your target audience and best demonstrate the value of your content.
🐦 I found Twitter to be an excellent space for sharing quick tips
🟦 While LinkedIn is perfect for connecting with other UX professionals.
📸 Instagram/TikTok is ideal for displaying eye-catching design projects or videos
Mix and match platforms to find the right balance for your brand.
Extra tip: Repurpose your content on multiple platforms to reach a wider audience
Step 5: Collaborate with Influencers and Fellow Designers
Teaming up with influencers and other designers in your niche can be a game-changer when it comes to growing your audience and influence.
- Host webinars
- Co-create content
- Launch joint ventures
Collaborations not only introduce you to new audiences but also offer valuable learning experiences from other expert Designers to your fans.
Step 6: Offer Exclusive Content and Resources
As your audience expands, consider providing exclusive content and resources that can't be found elsewhere.
Think:
- In-depth guides
- Quick-hack templates
- Access to a private community where you share your mentorship and expertise
These additional values are your strong unique selling points when it comes to creating influence and impact on your online audience.
Make it your business goal to create free content so valuable that your audience can’t help but start paying for some of your courses/services.
Step 7: Consistency and Persistence Are Your Friends
Building an audience and influence online is a marathon, not a sprint.
My journey to building an audience and influence as a UX designer was filled with valuable lessons, incredible connections, and personal growth.
I started posting content consistently for months, providing thousands of free resources before I could finally see any fruit: An established and loyal fan base.
It takes time and effort, but being consistent with your content, engagement, and personal brand is vital to your #buildinpublic journey.
Stay patient and persistent, and you'll gradually see your influence and audience flourish.
Thank you for reading, see you in the next blog post ✌️
Whenever you're ready, there are 4 ways I can help you:
1. Junior Designer Bundle: Transition to UX with the ultimate handbook (120+ videos, 80+ templates, 75+ examples) to craft an unforgettable portfolio & get hired.
2. Senior Designer Bundle: Become a design leader with systems to help you build a meaningful career & grow your designers. Join 500+ aspiring leaders.
3. UX Portfolio Critique: Get a 20-minute video review of your portfolio. A checklist of actionable things to fix, in less than 48 hours. Get a personalised portfolio critique here.
4. Job Sprint Course: Get battle-proven frameworks and interactive workshops to: build a memorable personal brand, a killer strategy for job applications, and tactics to nail job interviews. Get hired in UX with Job Sprint.
