From Self-Identity to Digital Content: UMN Lecturer Shares Personal Branding Strategies at Athalia School

Group photo of the lecturers and Athalia School students (Doc. FIKOM UMN)

South Tangerang, 13 October 2026 – Dr. Arsa Widitiarsa Utoyo, a lecturer at Universitas Multimedia Nusantara (UMN), delivered the workshop “Personal Branding: Find Your Voice, Build Your Brand” at Athalia School on Tuesday (13/10/2026). The session invited students to recognize their own potential and build an authentic digital identity through social media.

The 90-minute workshop focused on developing digital communication skills, particularly on building a personal brand through TikTok and Instagram. Students were guided to understand that personal branding isn’t only about popularity or follower counts, but also about being able to recognize what makes you distinct, convey your values, and keep your message consistent.

In the session, Arsa covered four main aspects: content pillars, self-differentiation, tone of voice, and message consistency. These four aspects form the foundation for students designing a digital identity that fits their interests, abilities, character, and the values they want to convey to an audience.

On content pillars, students were introduced to the “I Love, I Know, I Care” approach. It helps them settle on three content themes based on what they enjoy, what they are able to do or know about, and what they consider important. That way, students can develop content ideas that are relevant to who they are, rather than simply following a trend.

Arsa at the workshop with Athalia School students (Doc. UMN Communications Faculty)

The section on self-differentiation guided students toward finding the characteristics that set them apart from other creators, whether through their experience, point of view, delivery style, or the value they offer. The section on tone of voice, meanwhile, helped students settle on a communication style that suits their personality, such as friendly, humorous, educational, or inspirational, or one built around storytelling.

The workshop also highlighted the importance of keeping your identity consistent across TikTok and Instagram. Although each platform has its own characteristics and content formats, the core message and the values you want to build need to stay aligned so that your digital identity is easier for an audience to recognize.

Putting Personal Branding into Practice

Beyond the conceptual material, students also took part in a practical exercise using a Brand Persona Canvas worksheet. In this activity, they put together a personal branding plan covering three content pillars, their target audience, that audience’s needs, what makes them distinct, their communication style, and the core message they want to convey.

Students then practiced presenting their plans through a short brand pitch. The activity was designed to build their capacity for self-reflection, for putting together a communication strategy, and for presenting ideas in a structured way.

According to Arsa, understanding yourself is an essential foundation for building a strong personal brand.

“Personal branding isn’t just about how we want to be seen by other people, but also about what value we can give to other people. Students need to recognize what they enjoy, what they’re good at, and what they care about,” he explained.

He also stressed that using social media has to come with responsibility, including respecting other people’s privacy, paying attention to the safety of your content, and using other people’s work ethically.

“Don’t just try to become famous; try to become meaningful. Social media can be a space for learning, for sharing creativity, and for being of benefit to other people,” he added.

Through this session, students are expected to be able to use social media more strategically, creatively, and responsibly. Personal branding skills can also give young people a foundation for building confidence, communicating their own potential, and establishing a positive reputation in digital spaces.

The participation of UMN lecturers in educational activities like this also opens up room for collaboration between universities and schools. By sharing academic knowledge and experience, UMN can contribute to improving digital literacy while strengthening the relevance of communication studies to everyday life.

The workshop made clear that building a personal brand doesn’t have to begin with chasing popularity. The more important first step is recognizing what makes you distinct, deciding on your direction in communicating, and consistently offering something of positive value to other people.

By Arsa Widitiarsa Utoyo

English translation by Levina Chrestella Theodora

Kuliah di Jakarta untuk jurusan program studi Informatika| Sistem Informasi | Teknik Komputer | Teknik Elektro | Teknik Fisika | Akuntansi | Manajemen| Komunikasi Strategis | Jurnalistik | Desain Komunikasi Visual | Film dan Animasi | Arsitektur | D3 Perhotelan , di Universitas Multimedia Nusantara. umn.my.id