As you may already know, the idea of personal branding has been around for awhile now. But I’ve noticed there’s still a lot of confusion over what a personal brand is and what it isn’t. I know that a lot of people have a sort of cringe reaction to the term Personal Brand, because it often seems icky, self-promotional and, well, kind of fake. But it’s none of those things, really. I want to help you understand what a personal brand is, so you can build yours with confidence. Below are some facts to clear up the confusion.
Okay, What IS a Personal Brand?
The funny thing is, that whether you’re an author, thought leader, entrepreneur, or just someone who has any kind of digital footprint or rank in your industry (or want to), you already have a personal brand. A personal brand is simply where you see yourself and how the world sees you intersect. Say, for instance, your favorite color is purple, and you wear it a lot. That’s how people remember you. Whether it’s intentional or not, purple is part of your personal brand.
For me, it’s my hair. People notice it because I have a lot of it. It’s become part of how people see me—part of my personality and therefore, part of my personal brand. I’m also tall, and I think for most people, both of these things reflect strength and confidence. So, lucky for me, that’s part of my brand as well.
But A Personal Brand Is More Than Your Appearance…
Now to expand on these traits to form all the elements that make up your personal brand. As you know, we also have certain ways of speaking, writing, and communicating. And that all shows up in the digital world and elsewhere, as our personal brand. The words and tone you use, the type of content you share, and how open you are about that sharing, are all elements as well.
Some Things to Think About
A personal brand isn’t just a made up persona. Your brand needs to be authentic and transparent. It needs to be authentically you, but the very best of you. Ultimately you have control, or should, of your personal brand and you should keep your goals and audience in mind when crafting it. You want to be comfortable, but not so comfortable that you end up with frequent inconsistencies in your message.
A Personal Brand Isn’t Fake
Having a personal brand is no less fake than the difference between your public self and a private self. It’s no different than choosing to dress in a professional, or dramatic, or artsy way in public while still wearing sweats and a ponytail while at home snuggled up on your couch watching movies. It’s also no different than the way you’d communicate differently with your kids than you would your boss or work colleagues.
Just because it’s not inherently fake to have a personal brand, you need to make sure you’re not being fake. Present the authentic you. People can smell inauthenticity a mile away and they don’t like it. As an example, if you have a passion for Metal music, you don’t necessarily have to make that a huge part of your public persona, or brand, but you can’t pretend to love show tunes just to please people or try to impress them.
A Personal Brand is Authentic to YOU
Your personal brand should be authentically you. But that doesn’t mean you have to expose your deepest inner thoughts and secret fears to your audience. You can, of course, if that works for you and it’s a part of who you are and you’re comfortable with that. But you have the power to choose what becomes part of your personal brand and what doesn’t.
Not everyone is going to even want to share details of their personal life. Some people want to remain in that more professional realm, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t have a personality or be so formal that you come off as unapproachable. You can still be yourself and be professional.
Defining the Difference Between You as a Person and Your Brand
In my experience, my clients who are just beginning to build their personal brand have a hard time distinguishing the difference between their brand and themselves as a person. What is the difference, then, if any? Let’s say you’re a romance author that loves Metal (yes, I’m using this again, because I really kind of love Metal). Do you find yourself in a quandary?
It’s About Consistency
Do you find yourself asking: Should I post this article I found about this band I love, or this concert I went to on just my personal page, or should I share it to my author accounts on social media? If this is the case, you ask yourself a few more questions: Have I ever mentioned this topic before? Is it part of my bio? Does one of my characters also love Metal music? If you answered no to more than one of those questions then it’s probably best left on your personal pages. Unless of course you want to post some sort of reveal about yourself, like a little known fact, so your audience can get to know you better. Or, on the opposite end, don’t hesitate to share a book review you read or wrote about a romance novel you enjoyed. That would both be relevant to your work and to who you are!
A Personal Brand Isn’t As Complicated as It Seems
To summarize, your personal brand and who you are as a person, cross over—they intersect, but there are certain things you chose to expose and not expose. You’re still an autonomous being and not a product. If you want to keep your private life private, by all means do so! If you want to share what you ate for lunch and your favorite recipes, pictures of your cats, or even that you’re having a bad day, go right ahead! Just make sure it serves you well.
As a final note, keep in mind that you leave a digital footprint wherever and whenever you share anything online, and it all adds up to create a larger picture–and your roadmap to success. So I highly recommend keeping your personal social media accounts separate (and private) from your professional accounts. It makes it easier to distinguish the difference between the two and gives you more control over how the world sees your personal brand!
Do you have any thoughts or particular feelings about having a personal brand? What does it mean to you? Share your ideas in the comments section!
