I’m sure you’ve noticed that Millennial and Gen-Z vocabulary banks are proliferated by witty words and kooky catchphrases that grab the attention of listeners, whether in an online space or face to face. One such phrase that has become popular over the last few years is to point out that something is “on brand,” for an individual or entity for that matter. For instance, it would be incredibly on brand for Ariana Grande to be seen sporting her signature high-pony, or for Leo DiCaprio to break up with his new love interest before her 26th birthday. All of this to say, branding matters.
How does this translate to the marketing world or in a small business setting you might ask? It all comes down to perception - what are others associating you with in their minds? What is on brand for you or your small business? How do you want to be perceived?
Radiant Media is here to help you redefine your shine via channeling and curating your personal brand in your business, online, or in everyday life! Let’s dig in.
What is a Personal Brand?
Lynda Peralta, a marketing professor featured on an episode of NPR’s Life Kit summarizes a personal brand to be what people hear about you, what they see you doing, and how you make them feel (Tagle and Peralta 3:15). Another way to think about it is that we all have that one person we go to for ______ (fill in the blank with whatever niche area that fits). What is the thing that people know you for? For instance, in college, I was the friend that people went to if they wanted to know anything about Shakespeare (I am probably still this friend, honestly).
That being said, everyone has a personal brand. It’s whether someone chooses to tap into it that will determine how they market themselves and connect with others for potential opportunities — personal or professional.
How to Tap Into This Perception
There is a five step method that Lynda Peralta suggests you can work through if you’re trying to hone in on and craft your personal branding for your social media or your small business.
Do an Image Audit
It is helpful to do an inventory of yourself to understand how you feel you’re projecting to the world, but that of course comes with limitations. There is no way for us to grasp a full picture of how we are being perceived by others because there is no way for us to get outside of ourselves. As fun as that Freaky Friday-esque reality might be, the best way to audit yourself is to turn to those you’re close to and trust.
A good strategy to uncover how to craft your personal brand is to ask your circle to give you 3-5 words that they would use to describe you. Once you get a few responses, look over the list of traits or adjectives given and provide another entry for a few words you would use to describe yourself as well.
Reflect!
Hopefully the people who know you best provided you with some useful insight to solidify your first step to personal branding for you or your small business to get your journey started. This next step comes down to what you feel resonates not only with who you already are, but more so who you want to project to others in your small business venture or social profiles. Choosing what feels genuine to you and who you want to be is of the utmost importance.
Find those 3-5 words you want to embody, and start to associate yourself with those words or ideas. In theory, there should be traits that multiple people associate with you, so take note of instances of overlap as well — it is probably something you readily and regularly project.
Repetition is everything! For example, I did this task with my friends when I first listened to this podcast episode. From this exercise, they said things like: personable, driven, honest, smart, resourceful, creative, and passionate. A few of these were repeat offenders, so I took note and decided that the words I most resonated with were the ones that showed up again and again. Driven, honest, smart, and passionate. Be intentional about how you want to represent your small business or personal brand, and lean into it heavily.
Position Yourself to be That Person
Embodying your perceived self is all about closing the gap between who you want to be and who you actually are as a result of this intentional shift. For instance, let’s pretend one of the characteristics that you are aiming to lock in for your personal branding is someone/a small business that is thoughtful. To embody this, you can practice being consistent in follow up and remembering details based on your interactions. If you have a friend that mentions they have been dying to try a certain kind of wine the last time you went out, take a mental or physical note and then show up with that wine next time you see them. If you have a client that loves the color palette you use in your branding and wants to embody that for their business, replicate it with a twist that is unique to them.
Another component to this is actively combatting any imposter syndrome that tries to sneak its way into the back of your beautiful mind! Recognize that there are shifts occurring and that you are actively working toward being your best self every day. Understand and believe that you deserve the success that is already on its way to you. You are not an imposter, you are creating this life for yourself and you should be proud!
“The Five Friends List”
Lynda Peralta calls step 4 “The 5 Friends List.” Essentially what she recommends is that you envision your list of five friends that you admire (that you already have or ones that you would like to have) who have qualities you would like to adopt. An example could look something like adding Cher to your list because she is confident, outspoken, and iconic or including your friend Jess from college because she is always so creative, unapologetic, and inspirational.
This step is all about channeling the energy or embodying the traits of those around you in your personal brand to expand your growth and reach in your small business. It is akin to the philosophy “fake it ‘till you make it,” but we would more readily call it a “grow it ‘till you know it” mentality. Where you know what you’re ultimately capable of achieving, and you use the inspiration of others to act as a catalyst to your budding ambition for obtaining your goals.
The Most Important Step: Have Fun!
Of course Radiant thinks this is the most important step, being that fun is one of our core values, but it is truly such an important part in the process of discovering your personal brand. Approaching branding your small business with fun-colored glasses on will make this task translate as a choice coming from a place of passion rather than a chore to check off of your to-do list.
Creating a positive association between yourself and accomplishing your branding will make it easier for others to create that positive connection as well. Emotions play a huge part in our social psychology, and that translates across the page (or screen in this case). Lynda Peralta mentions this in reference to a psychological term known as the “recency effect,” in which your brain overemphasizes the most recent effect or encounter you had with something. For instance, if you scroll on someone’s social media page and it puts a smile on your face because their personal brand is uplifting, lighthearted, and hopeful, then you are more likely to develop a positive association with their brand permanently. The opposite is also true, and it is often harder to break a negative association with someone.
No matter what, it is important to do an inventory of your emotions and understand how the personal branding process is making you feel. If you aren’t passionate about the behind the scenes or aren’t having a good time, that’s where people like Radiant Media come in and provide you with the finished product. We exercise our creativity and implement strategy to help you create the foundation of your small business branding!
Social Media for Social Beings
Social media plays a large role in implementing personal brand strategy for you and your small business. This covers everything from the aesthetic of your Instagram grid, to monitoring your engagement via analytics to see what kind of audience you’re attracting, to creating a bio for yourself across your platforms that stands out beyond the standard “who you are and what you do” formula that we’re used to. An easy way to get started with this is to post the things that you are already doing at work, home, in your hobby, etc. that you identify with or you want to be a part of what other people associate you with (i.e. your personal brand).
Because humans are inherently social beings, there is a psychological component to personal branding that we don’t want to overlook. Yes, there is the association aspect that we mentioned above; but also, being consistent in your branding creates a sense of trust between you and your audience over time. This trust will allow others to become invested in your success as well as the traits/values they have in common with you. Who knows, you might end up on someone else’s “5 friends list.”
The Benefits of Branding
The more obvious benefits of personal branding for your small business are the ones that are external. It allows you to have a consistent presence online that is aesthetically and practically congruent, it makes you more relatable and trustworthy with your target audience, it can help you grow and scale your business, etc. However, there are several internal benefits that not only help your brand and business, but you as the owner and operator!
For those who might not naturally have the proclivity of marketing yourself or your brand, this is a great way to get out of your comfort zone — the only way to sustainable and long-lasting growth. Remind yourself that everyone has to start somewhere, and everyone has a brand! Taking on this endeavor also will require you to get comfy with being vulnerable — yes, that can definitely be a good thing. Authenticity is important, and allowing those parts of your identity to shine via your personal branding will allow you to deepen your relationship with others, and most importantly yourself. Momentum begets momentum. Small, calculated decisions compound into waves of development.
Lynda Peralta summarizes it best in saying, “Personal branding is really just a framework that allows you to live the life that you want to.”
Solidify your personal brand with Radiant Media, your go-to digital marketing agency for small businesses and beyond. Elevate your online presence with our fun and effective strategies that captivate audiences and drive results. Let us illuminate your path to success through tailored marketing solutions designed to make your business shine in the digital landscape.
Kommentare