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Let’s jump right into it – what exactly IS personal branding? Well, Wikipedia says that it “is the conscious and intentional effort to create and influence public perception of an individual by positioning them as an authority in their industry, elevating their credibility, and differentiating themselves from the competition, to ultimately advance their career, increase their circle of influence, and have a larger impact.”
Your Personal Branding is the YOU that You Show the World
Historically, celebrities and politicians and other VIPs have had professional publicists to create an image for them. Someone else managed all the photos and publicity, and ONLY celebrities and politicians and VIPs really cared about or were in need of this kind of service.
However, since the advent of social media, we ALL now have a public platform to influence others. Every single post, tweet, photo, and comment on a social media platform creates a framework for our personal brand.
How Does Personal Branding Affect Me?
Growing up as a Gen X-er, I am included in the generation that straddles the traditional (analog) and digital (tech) media. We grew up without the internet or cell phones or digital cameras, certainly no social media. I am of the opinion that this kind of childhood was a much less dangerous place to be . . .
Having two teenage girls under my roof, I constantly hear stories about kids getting into trouble via their social media accounts, usually because they document and share their illegal or illicit activities on these platforms for the whole world to see (even if they think they’re private and locked down). Everything can be screenshot and nothing is sacred. If it’s on the internet, I tell my daughters, it’s FOREVER.
I am constantly extolling the virtues of “the good old days” when you could make a mistake and the entire world didn’t have to know about it. You could have one bad judgment call without destroying your entire future.
These days, it’s critical to cultivate your social media presence. Because, let me be clear, EVERYONE can see it: your parents, your neighbors, your friends, your potential employers, your college admissions officers, your clients, law enforcement.
By “cultivate” I certainly don’t mean Instagram-perfect. What I mean is that YOU are in charge of controlling those perceptions others have of you by the content that you share.
How Do You Want to Influence Others?
Depending on where you are in your life, there are many different ways you may want to influence people:
- you may want to convince a potential employer that you are the best person for the job
- you may want to convince a college admissions officer that you’ve got what it takes to be admitted
- you may want to convince your clients that you are an expert in your product- or service-based business and that you are the best person to help them
At the end of the day, you want to influence people to engage with you to give you what you need or want. You are SELLING yourself.
What Do You Want YOUR Personal Branding to Say?
I’m a mom, first and foremost, so I always pose this question to my children and caution them to constantly be vigilant about their social media accounts – what THEY are posting and what others are posting about THEM. They are already cultivating their personal brands, and even teenagers are acutely aware of this.
But, as a business owner, this is equally important. What do you want your clients or customers to know about you in order to:
- establish yourself as an authority
- portray that you are an expert in your field
- differentiate yourself from your competition
- showcase how you can help your clients with your product or service
Your Customers Are Watching You . . .
People want to know, like and trust those that they do business with. Done consistently, your personal brand tells your story and allows your potential clients and customers to get to know you better. If they like the story you tell, only then will they decide to engage with you.
Just think about your own personal experiences with social media – haven’t you been more likely to follow those people who connect with you? And over time, you get to know more about them from the content that they share. In fact, it’s been proven time and again that the more positive touchpoints you have with these potential clients and customers, the easier it is to cultivate relationships and ultimately make more sales.
In marketing the Rule of 7 once prevailed: meaning, it takes an average of seven interactions with your brand before a purchase will take place. However, because the digital market is FLOODED with information, the consensus is that it can sometimes take up to THIRTY positive touchpoints with you and your business before people will buy from you. That is a lot . . . But wait, what IS a touchpoint?
A touchpoint is a point of contact or interaction, especially between a business and its customers or consumers. Simply put, it’s anything you post or email or share with clients, such as: social media posts, your website, signage, YouTube videos, images, or blog posts. That’s a lot of content. And to capture the attention of your customers, you must STOP THE SCROLL.
There are a lot of methods to stopping the scroll (I love this straightforward article filled with loads of tips – read more here), but there’s no doubt that high-quality images are key. Stock images are cheap and abundant and can certainly have a place in your marketing.
But for a small business owner, solopreneur, or service-heavy business, your customers need to see YOU in order to cultivate that know, like and trust factor. It’s important that you show up in your marketing materials, from your website to your social media posts.
I Need to Cultivate My Personal Branding! Now What?
Not sure what you need or how to incorporate personal branding into your current marketing strategy? No matter the size of your business, I’d love to help you and your business shine! Contact me today to schedule a FREE chat and we can discuss your goals and come up with a plan to increase your client touchpoints with amazing, polished images for your marketing needs.
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