Let’s dive a little deeper into the topic of self-branding!
Not business branding, like logos and fonts.
But your brand personality – YOU, as a person… how people perceive you.
Let’s take Kanye West (barf) for example.
What comes to mind when you think of his infamy/ personality? Not such good imagery, right? How about Angelina Jolie? Beyonce? Orpah?
Now think of some of our fave comedic celebs: Justin Timberlake, Ellen Degeneres, Jennifer Lawrence, Jimmy Fallon, Stephen Colbert, John Oliver, Amy Schumer.
Now think of influencers in the business world: Tony Robbins, Christy Wright, Dave Ramsey, John Lee Dumas, Denise Duffield Chalene Johnson, Tim Ferris, etc.
I could go on and on with names, but you get it!!!
They all provoke a certain image / personality when you hear their names.
You know what you are getting when you tune in. You know their quirks, what they look like, their unique traits, their habits. You know why you are attracted to or repelled by them.
That, my friends, is a brand personality. Whats yours?!
Let’s take myself as an example: everyone knows I have flaming red hair, love large obnoxious earrings, don’t wear makeup, obsessed with tacos, have watercolor tattoos, I curse, don’t sugar coat things, have a southern accent, and I am always encouraging people instead of throwing them under the bus or discrediting them. I am very much a go getter and no-excuse-making lady, I am active in my community and do a lot of volunteer work, and advocating for anti-human trafficking organizations. People know me for my skills with fire cupping and loving everything holistic and organic. People tell me all the time I’m exactly like I am in person as I am online. That’s all personality traits of ME, not my business.
What does your personal brand say about you?
How do you portray / display yourself to the public?
What does someone think of when they hear your name?
CRAFTING YOUR PERSONA
This will help in creating your brand.
Your persona can be created by:
- Identifying your emotional appeal. What are your personality features? This can be as easy as saying you have a crazy sense of humor or that you are obsessively organized. Take a few moments, why do you think people are attracted to the brand of you?
- Describing yourself. When it comes to your brand who are you and why do people enjoy working with you?
- Identifying your specialty. What do you do and what do people want you to do for them?
BE AUTHENTIC AS HELL
*** Be yourself instead of a clone & copycat of someone else ***
There’s no better way to foster a lasting and meaningful connection with your audience than by being your true self. Don’t be afraid to talk about things other people won’t say. It might make you polarizing, but it will also make you powerful. There are people who won’t like you or your brand no matter what – embrace it.
If you’re flaky, why should they invest their time in you? They have a lot of other choices. Show up. Show up BIG. Show up without fail.
HOW DO OTHERS SEE YOU?
- Ask trusted colleagues, co-workers, and friends for four or five adjectives they would use to describe you. How do you describe yourself?
- What are you good at? What are your strengths? Your talents? In which areas do they view you as “irreplaceable?”
- What does your audience will find interesting and educational, but that also highlight your unique skills and experience?
- Be sure to promote your brand in person, too…. Join and participate in industry groups, give talks at conferences, or offer to spearhead a large project that highlights your unique talents.
- What are you going to be the BEST at? Don’t do 7 different things. Figure out what your differential is in the market and play up that.
DO YOUR RESEARCH
- Commit to a niche–but choose one you can actually win. (Take Badass Bodyworkers for example: This group isn’t for everyone, and I simply brought like minded spa industry go-getters together and cut out all the negative bullshit.)
- What do you want to be known for? What sets you apart from other established influencers in the same space (e.g., maybe they’re all super smart but really boring; maybe they are all science but never use layman’s terms)? How are you going to be memorable?
- All the big names in your industry started out by dominating a small space. What can you master that they can’t? What’s your superpower? What is your unique selling point, how will you deliver your information? What have I done (or what am I doing) in my career that is actually remarkable?
- Spend some time thinking about what makes you different than your peers — your strengths, your passions, and your goals.
- If you left your job today, what would your company and colleagues miss? Know who you are, as well as who you are not.
