I love talent-specific reality competition shows — The Voice, So You Think You Can Dance, American Idol. Love. I’m a sucker for the formula, the tear jerker stories, the creative growth. But what I really love are the coaches and mentors that help the contestants along the way. It’s so heartwarming to watch them find the competitors’ strengths and match them up to songs or dance moves and help them have moments that only they can have.
That’s the trouble with ambitious people sitting down on their own trying to create a personal brand wholecloth, with, like, a worksheet or something. It doesn’t really happen like that. The worksheet gets you started, but then there’s just what comes naturally, and a bunch of work, and other people helping you be your best self along the way that makes a personal brand. It’s exactly the same with a business brand.
And there are plenty of inauthentic business brands out there. Brands that haven’t figured “who they are as an artist” yet, to put it in American Idol parlance.
The Essence of Branding
Developing a brand is a mix of the business and how it impacts some set of humans. It’s both the business’s purpose, style, and message and how those things reflect and connect with its audience. It’s a look, a feel, a communication style, a whole experience that evolves based on the way the audience responds to different elements.
Now, here’s the thing, whether you develop a personal brand or not, you’ve got one. It came together over the course of your whole life, mostly by chance, sometimes on purpose, and some of it might be a surprise to you. Just like a business, your brand is a look, a feel, a communication style, a whole experience that evolves based on the way people respond to you.
Rather than trying to create a personal brand, consider reflecting on who you already are. Ask yourself things like:
- How do people react when I walk into the office or a meeting or a party? Does everyone react that way? If not, what subset of people do?
- What kind of advice do people come to me for?
- What makes me feel confident?
- What kind of person rubs me the wrong way?
- How do I react when I’m angry?
- What do I value?
- What are things people regularly tell me are “so me”?
And keep asking yourself. Check in with yourself all the time to see if there are any changes.
It’s not a Me Thing, it’s an Us Thing
Self-awareness, a core competency in emotional intelligence, is required to go from having a personality to connecting with your personal brand. Ironically, self-awareness thrives with feedback from other folks. I didn’t really realize I was a “mama bear” until people kept bringing it up. But I liked it, and leaned into it. I didn’t decide, “my brand is going to include being a mama bear.” It was inherent to who I already was, and something other people noticed and responded to. Am I that way with everyone? Hell no. There’s a certain set of people — mostly women and some glorious men who have talents I admire and are genuinely good, kind people — that I naturally gravitate toward, support and, if necessary, protect.
For example, promoting the work of a talented writer who needs a boost in her business is very “on brand” for me. It makes me feel good, I don’t wonder whether or not it’s appropriate, it fulfills my values, and it draws other like-minded people to me.
Marketing is your brand in action
Like it or not, that act is personal marketing. It’s my version of the singer on The Voice who really knows how to belt taking on a Whitney Houston song. Or, a product company founded on environmentalism switching to more sustainable packaging. Your brand in action is marketing.
What does that mean when it comes to personal marketing? It’s everything you do.
If that’s overwhelming to think about, I have good news. Authentic personal marketing happens when you think a whole lot less. There’s always a moment on American Idol where sweet ol’ Lionel tells just about every contestant it’s time to stop thinking and start feeling. That they’ll know they’ve got it when they’re just enjoying themselves on that stage. They know who they are and what they can do and are putting it out there. Same same same with personal marketing.
It’s also an Us Thing
But even then, they have help. Mentors and vocal coaches and the judges’ feedback and advice hone and polish those young stars as they find their unique artistry. The ones that don’t find it don’t connect with “America,” and get voted off, hopefully to keep working on it because those are big dreams, man! The point is, success doesn’t happen in isolation. So, rather than setting goals for how many weekly social media posts you share about a cause you care about, consider a personal marketing approach focused on input, not output.
Here’s what that involves. After you’ve done some work figuring out what motivates and delights you, and what about you motivates and delights others (a kinder, gentler way to think about your personal brand), go out there and do you. Then pay attention.
- Who’s responding to you in a positive way? Is that who you want to be attracting?
- Who would you like to be connecting with? Are you engaging with them directly? How can you connect with them in a way that feels natural to you?
- How are you feeling about the overall response you’re getting? What would you like to change? What might you be holding back that’s keeping you from the response you want?
Branding and marketing, whether for personal or business purposes, isn’t something you do once and then hope for the best. It’s a conscious, ongoing effort that can be summed up by asking yourself at the start of each day “who do I want to be in the world?” And then asking yourself at the end of each day, “was I who I set out to be today?” You’ll know you’re onto something when you’ve hit every note, when the crowd goes wild, but most importantly, when it just feels right.
This article was originally published on LizaDube.com
