I never deliberately meant to personal brand, as a strategy, I mean.
I was just following the breadcrumb trail of what felt right at the time.
In hindsight, I can see that this was one of the elements that has made Business Jump so successful.
But in the early days, before I understood the power of it, it was just about allowing people to get to know me (best place to find me in in my Facebook group Remarkable Business Mums) and breaking down some of the objections people have about doing business online (Are you an online scam? No, Jan, I’m not, search my name in my Facebook group and you will probably be quite shocked) and also leading by example, because if I was going to talk the talk about how great (and challenging) running your own business is, I had to show I had done the walk myself.
Once I started putting myself ‘out there’ and sharing not only business stuff, but wins and fails, WAHM life, challenges, kid stuff and the realisations that I had, and awareness I had gained, I found it empowering. It lit me up knowing that someone had found value in something I shared.
When someone connects with something you’ve said and feels you ‘get them’ it is so powerful and comforting at the same time.
Personal branding showed me the power of bringing your unique personality and values into your business to cut through the noise of the online world, which meant that the copycats that popped out of the woodwork last year and cloned my whole business never stood a chance.
It showed me that who you are, speaks even louder than what you do.
That better is not better, but different is better.
People gravitate towards people (not businesses) and do business based on emotion, not logic.
What I didn’t expect though as I shared my story was….
It would open up a small dimension for snap judgments, teenage jealousy and bitchy gossip and whilst I didn’t always know it at the time, I felt it.
People see stuff online and it triggers them and they love to pull you down to make themselves feel better.
Got a problem?
Talk to me about it and I know you’d find I am the most caring and compassionate person ever.
Too much even.
There were times I was too invested in other people and what they thought.
These days?
I honestly don’t give a shit anymore what people think unless we have a relationship of mutual respect.
So whilst personal branding was instrumental in the success of my business I won’t say it was all sunshine, rainbows and fairy gardens.
Putting yourself ‘out there’ and stepping out from the shadow of your business and allowing people to get to know the ‘real you’ will trigger a whole lot of fear, limiting beliefs and challenges for you to overcome…
Which is totally what you want.
Without discomfort and that great unknown, we can not grow and expand.
For you or your business to grow, the Law of Polarity needs to be played, there has to be an equal and exact opposite.
If you always play it small, how can you gain large?
A personal brand is one of the most powerful marketing strategies you can use to build a successful business. This is what makes you different from anyone else.
[click_to_tweet tweet=”Being you is something you do better than anybody, so why not make a business based on being you?” quote=”Being you is something you do better than anybody, so why not make a business based on being you?”]
Trying to figure out what your personal brand is? Here are a few tips to help you find it:
Use Your Voice
The voice you use in your personal brand should not so much be created as uncovered. Presenting your website, products, blogs etc in your own voice is not about how great your voice is, but how personal and unique it is.
This is why some of the best and most engaging content today reads as though someone is having a conversation with you rather than holding a textbook in front of you. Let your voice shine and be true to you.
Look at the People Around You
A motivational speaker called Jim Rohn famously said that each of us are the average of the 5 people we spend the most time within our life.
The older we get the more we understand that time in precious, and not to be wasted on toxic people or even those who don’t bring out the best in us. But you don’t have to be older to learn this valuable lesson; get started now.
Don’t surround yourself with anyone personally or on a business level who doesn’t encourage you to be your best. And the people who you let stay, the ones who inspire and excite you, they will help you define your business.
Your Everyday Habits
Your personal brand is very much about how you carry yourself and live out every day. Your everyday habits and routines in life shouldn’t be that far removed from your attitudes and habits in business. And this is how you bring out the unique side of your personal brand.
Some of these things are so important:
- The mood with which you attack each day
- How you are affected by setbacks, as well as by successes
- How you treat people
- How you respond to negativity or criticism
Your business habits will help you define the business you want to run and the customers you want to deal with. No one built a successful long-term business acting in a way that felt unnatural to them.
Your Word
Even though online business is massive and reach is global, your word is still as important as it would have been if you ran the general store in a tiny outback town.
Your personal brand will include whether you deliver on what you promise and whether you offer value for what you charge.
When your brand is your face and your name you will find it hard to separate yourself from negative reviews about your business. The responsibility stops with you.So be as true to your word in business as though the whole world was watching, because it kind of is…
Your Consistency
When one of your key marketing strategies is to sell your business as a personal brand, you need to uncover your personal style and then stick with it. This includes being consistent in everything I’ve mentioned above – your voice, your habits, how you treat people and in how true to your word you are.
Successful businesses are built on customer loyalty, so based on people coming back as well as reviewing you positively and referring you to their friends. If you aren’t consistent then you will have trouble building loyalty, because people need to know their experience will be the same positive one every time.
Online marketing strategies such as good-quality dynamic content and audience building through social media mean a personal brand has every capability to succeed.
It can be scary, but your honesty, your genuineness and your willingness to share yourself as part and parcel of your business brand is one of the most rewarding things you can do.
Choose How Much You are Comfortable With
If you search my name in my Facebook group, you’ll see that I write pretty much about anything. I love talking about the things that others hold back on but just because I talk about mental health, miscarriages, failures and loads more sensitive stuff, doesn’t mean you have to go that deep or start out that full on. I started lightly, and as time went on, I got more and more validation that people wanted to hear what I had to say. I teach my clients to start with what they are comfortable with and lead in from there.
It’s Actually Not about Strategy
Whilst this has helped grow my business, what it offers more than anything is fulfilment. Knowing that someone has resonated with something I have said. If it didn’t feel like I was helping and serving people I couldn’t do it. Even if it was ‘good’ for business. Money and revenue is a natural by-product of helping and serving people.
