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Why there's still value in examining your personal brand (even if you hate the name).
Q: What do Ed Hardy and the term "Personal Branding" have in common?
A: They were both played out before they hit the market.
Okay, these are fighting words, I know. But hear me out: whether you love the idea of personal branding or you hate it, one truth remains: people make snap judgments about us all the time. These days we are not even there for those first impressions - they are happening online when we're not looking. Someone hears your name, sees you mentioned or receives your resume and immediately makes judgments about who you are based on little more than a tiny Twitter photo, your last two blog posts or a quick scan on a Google search results page. Call it what you want to call it - personal branding is still a timely topic.
Having a strong personal brand does NOT mean you have to stop having a personality
I am a big proponent for just being yourself. Too much time spent on personal branding takes attention away from who you are actually becoming - personality quirks and all. Read my recent post, "Stop Auditioning for Other People's Lives," David Stehle's "You're Branding Yourself as a Narcissistic A-Hole" or Carlos Miceli's "To Hell With Personal Branding" for notes on authenticity and why too much effort can backfire and come across as superficial or as shameless self-promotion.
Now that you get the hint about how important it is to be genuine and be yourself - there may still be value in examining the messages you're sending to the world. Are they scattered, impermanent and miscellaneous? Or do they represent who you really are?
Before you brand: Get to know yourself so you can BE yourself
"Who am I?" is a question I will be asking for a long time - I'm sure you will too. Right now the more appropriate question seems to be “who are we” to the World Wide Web and it’s millions of users? To our bosses and co-workers? Of the abundance of available information about us, what is the central message that captures the core of who we are and who we strive to be? To help you answer these big life questions, I've compiled a sampling of resources on how to understand and convey a powerful message about who you are and what you can deliver to this world.
Blog: Paul Williams at Idea Sandbox runs a consulting business focused on creative problem solving and branding. Two great posts worth reading: “Elevator Pitch: YOUR TV Show Opening Narration”, is about boiling down messages you deliver about what you do (or what you are working on). The second is a FANTASTIC resource called “Pave Your Life Roadmap” that walks you through simple exercises for identifying your passions, finding themes to arrive at core values, articulating what is important to you and what you want in your life, and bringing it home with action steps. This is one of the most simple (and fun!) approaches to life planning I’ve seen in a long time, and I no matter how many times I think, “I’ve already done that” – I come up with something new.
Article: The Brand Called You (Fast Company). A classic, well-written tome on the topic of personal branding. If you read only read one article on this subject, read this. An excerpt: “Big companies understand the importance of brands. Today, in the Age of the Individual, you have to be your own brand.” The author, Tom Peters, breaks his advice down to address the following key questions: What makes you different? What is your pitch? What’s the real power of you? What is the future of you? The article is detailed and thought-provoking – definitely worth a read.
Podcast: Authors Christine Hassler (20-Something, 20-Everything), Alexandra Levit (They Don’t Teach Corporate in College), and Lindsey Pollak (Getting From College to Career) recorded a Podcast about “how to establish and communicate your personal brand, why a strong personal brand is essential in the 21st century work world, and how to effectively self-promote without bragging.”
I hope there were no personal branding enthusiasts harmed during the reading of this post. My intention is not to insult the work people are doing, but rather to encourage all of us to take a healthy dose of "let loose a little bit and just be yourself" medicine amidst our efforts to put our best foot forward.
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Comments
12.16.09
I am no trend prediction expert, but I think socila media tools and personal branding are here to stay. With that in mind, I now require my students to sign up for Twitter and follow me at my @compscholar signal.
At first, I thought they would love it. Even if they were Twitter-haters, they would now have the excuse to join! I am still surprised by the disinterest by some and by one who refused to join, begging for an alternative assignment. Really? Wake up!
Don't hate the tool, hate your fear.
(Good news: most like it; most "get it" that I encourage it; many come around after using it.)
12.16.09
I'm a Sun Tzu enthusiast... and a serious student thereof as well. To me, "knowing yourself" has a very broad but detailed meaning. Truly, you have to know yourself in a no-blinders, honest way to be able to present yourself as you are and "keep it real," because authenticity is very important in this world... precisely when so many people are gumming up the works with image over substance.
12.16.09
@Jeremiah Good comment - love that word: authenticity. So far, for me, a positive affect of social media transparency has been for people to drop masks and reveal their real presence. That is, of course, a work in progress. I think when people realize they are a work in progress that they can accept who they are now and show it.
Don't get me wrong, I see a lot of posing and affectation, too. But with the world watching, don't you think people will get the message from someone to be real?
12.16.09
@ Jenny, I read this post as a "the anti-brander" disguised as a pro-brand post written under the personal branding sponsored niche. There's a few mixed messages there. I personally hear the biggest complaint about personal branding is that it is the latest version of the 1950's image consultants. There's nothing new about it and once people master new mediums, it will drop in popularity until the next change in medium.
What are the credentials of a personal branding expert? I would expect them to at least have worked in branding for a company for a while but most have written self-published books.
@ Eric, Forcing your students to follow you on Twitter sounds like boring homework at best and extremely arrogant at worst. Why wouldn't you use an approach like demonstrating the value of Twitter and following you on Twitter rather than make it mandatory? I'm sure it would take one tweet about what might be on the test to get their attention.
Twitter is a tool, not a silver bullet.
12.16.09
I embrace the hate of one Jenny Blake and bow down to this post. :)
Ok, you're not really "hating" but strongly encouraging people to be authentic. Or as you said "let loose a little bit and just be yourself." I couldn't agree more. The biggest problem with Personal Branding is it comes off so insincere and planned out. Sorry, but they all look like fakes and phonies to me.
PS (I had to laugh at the Ed Hardy comparison - so true! And people judging you by your Twitter photo. Hmm, that sounds very familiar.)
12.16.09
Great post, Jenny. I think one reason personal branding is still such a controversial topic is that there is (and probably always will be) such a wide range on the scale - from people who tweet and blog about every random thought and feeling to those who are trying too hard to sell something. What I think this article says is that we all need to find our balance point, one that combines authenticity with a point of view. I used to tell my marketing clients (most of them get it now) that the best way to build a brand is to put down their bullhorns and strive to offer something of value. You did that nicely here - thanks for all the links to the resources, they sound valuable and I'll definitely check them out.
12.16.09
LOL @Dead I don't like the corner you paint me in: either boring or arrogant (and extremely so). Not very good guesses, though. I let the students decide if Twitter has value--by doing it. I'll accept a "boring" conclusion after a significant test drive.
But you are on to me. I do tweet incentives to get their attention, and we do talk about Twitter use that they might mimic if valuable to them (I also show them some idiotic and spammy Twitter use so they know). Not sure why you leapt to "extreme arrogance," but if it is because they must follow @compscholar, it might help to explain that @compscholar is used for them -- it's not my personal brand nor my attempt to get legions of followers. (That's @tweric.)
The goal, besides writing and staying in contact, is to clue them in to @Jenny's point: people will judge you. Whether called "personal branding" or not, people will judge how you present yourself in social media. And they will judge you if you are not doing it, too.
12.16.09
Hi Eric, @compschora, @tweric,
The reason that I used the word arrogant was becasue you "required" your students to become your followers on Twitter. That's different than requiring someone to read something. It sounds closer to supreme leaders requiring that their picture be on display at their subject's houses. For students who use Twitter you have mandated that you will be part of their Twitter experience without asking their permission or giving them an option. For students who don't use Twitter, you have mandated that they become your follower.
That's different than demonstrating value and letting students "choose" to have you as part of their Twitter experience.
I always like my professors who's only "requirement" was that I demonstrate mastery of the material and let me decide if I wanted to attend their class, read their material, or follow them on twitter. I called you arrogant because you mandated that you are part of their social media experience.
12.16.09
@Dead, fair enough. But supreme leader is a stretch. It seems based on a pre-twitter definition of "follower." There is no cult.
I like your perspective on controlling their social media experience by mandating that they follow @compscholar. When the students write about Twitter as a class requirement, it would be great if you could join the conversation and share your views--it will happen at http://www.compscholar.com.
If you just follow me on Twitter, I can get a hold of you...LOL, just kidding. I can send you a private message through Brazen Careerist.
Oh, and compscholar.com is soliciting articles and blog posts, so if you (and others reading this too) have other views you want to share, get a hold of me. You might find out I'm not arrogant. :-)
12.18.09
@Eric,
I just saw this message and yes, supreme leader is a stretch but more of an example to illustrate a point. I also realized the difference between your twitter accounts later on.
I looked at your websites. Compscholar is a bit specific for me and just not an area of interest (like twitter). I actually really liked Kidinudated. Really funny, good writing, and I am a recent father.
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