Share the Message not the Mess
Personal Branding is one of the most difficult things to do well in your own efforts. This is because when you are creating your own Personal Brand, you are both the Brand Agency and the Brand itself; you are the Author and the Subject.
By Capital Thinking · Issue #898 · View online
Before the first words of a novel or screenplay were written, the Author likely spent an impressive amount of time on Character Development.
The Author then created an outline around the Main Character that would define their past, their call to action, their point of crisis, & their ultimate triumph.
The Author knew where the Story was going before they wrote it down.
And in buying a novel or watching a movie, the Audience is demonstrating an unspoken trust in the Author that they will be taken on a Journey with a solid Storyline wherein the Hero emerges Triumphant.
The 3 Biggest Personal Branding Mistakes of 2021 & How to Avoid Them
Let’s take the above information and Pivot it to Marketing — specifically, Personal Brand Marketing.
Personal Branding is one of the most difficult things to do well in your own efforts. This is because when you are creating your own Personal Brand, you are both the Brand Agency and the Brand itself; you are the Author and the Subject. And when we are too close to a Subject, we have a hard time gaining perspective.
For example, in relationships — we think our current significant other is the most attractive, insightful, funniest person we have ever met. Meanwhile, when we think of an ex romantic partner … well … distance provides perspective there.
It is the same with Personal Branding: When we are too close to the Subject (ourselves) we cannot be fully Objective (not influenced by feelings).
This leads to blind spots. And blind spots lead to mistakes and oversights. And in Marketing, mistakes cost you (BIG) money.
Here are the 3 biggest Personal Branding mistakes I regularly come across, and how you can avoid them:
1. Hero Without a Past:I see this a lot in the world of IG Entrepreneurship and Influencers — you know, the people squatting down in front of 6 cars and giving the peace sign. For the average person, this will create an immediate eye roll. Why? Because there is no back story to the Character in front of us.
If we knew that this person went through ‘A’, and from their experience of ‘A’ they found the wisdom of ‘B’, and in applying the wisdom of ‘B’ they now have ‘C’ we would be much more impacted by their story. Why?
Because we have context for Who the Hero is and How they got there.
The Hero-Without-A-Past method isn’t altogether bad — it does create famous influencers (or models or actors). But models, actors and influencers sell other people’s products & services. An individual with a strong personal brand sells their own products & services.
2. Hero Stuck in the Past and/or a Problem:
Jennifer Cortlandt
Photo credit: Rick Mason on Unsplash