Personal Branding
ONE WORD, 7 LETTERS: CONTENT
a short horror story
How can we navigate this f* ocean of content, and learn what’s best for our personal brand?
1.
Communicating your personal brand means you HAVE TO get personal
Communicating your personal brand online involves more than just showcasing your professional accomplishments. To truly connect with your audience and stand out in a crowded digital space, you have to get personal. Let’s take a look at some examples:
GET PERSONAL
Esther Perel is a well-known psychotherapist and author who specializes in relationships. Her approachable and relatable personality sets her apart from others in her field. Rather than focusing on direct selling, her content is geared towards educating and empowering people. She places a strong emphasis on authenticity in her messaging, striving to connect with her audience in a genuine way.
"Why is this particular post so successful? It's because it has the perfect mix of authentic, unfiltered photography and genuine storytelling in the caption. Esther talks about feeling guilty for taking a vacation, which is something we can all relate to at some point, right?
Here’s the recipe: “Unplanned” Photography + Storytelling + Talking about a real pain point (relatability)
2.
Talk about your HOBBIES
Hobbies provide a glimpse into your personality and interests beyond the professional realm. They help humanize you and make you more relatable to others. Sharing your hobbies allows people to see the multifaceted aspects of your life, making you more than just a professional being.
HOBBIES = HUMANITY
If Michelle Obama, the former first lady of America, can talk about her hobbies & passions, what’s your excuse? (great use of photography, btw - professionally made yet very relaxed)
Having common hobbies is a wonderful way to start a conversation and connect with others on social platforms, too. When people have shared interests, it can create a feeling of friendship and make interactions more pleasant.
Hobbies can open doors to new networking opportunities = exposure, and more cash flow down the line.
3.
REACH OUT & COLLABORATE
Don’t be afraid to REACH OUT & COLLABORATE (yes, even with your COMPETITION).
By collaborating with other personal brands, you can tap into their existing audience and reach new people who may not have been exposed to your brand otherwise. This cross-promotion can significantly expand your reach and increase your visibility.
No! That doesn’t mean you need to collaborate with Michelle Obama.
Collaborating with someone who has a similar audience to yours can be very beneficial for your business. For instance, if you sell cookies and your collaborator sells cakes, you both target people who love sweets. This makes it easier for your audience to shift towards your collaborator's business and vice versa, helping you both gain more exposure to potential customers who are likely to love your products or services.
Consider the current most popular pastry chefs in France. Despite appearing to compete with each other, they each have a unique niche in the food industry. By creating this excellent product and post, they were able to gain exposure and generate real-life sales.
We all want a HUGE following, right?
Here’s the secret: collaborate with people.
When you're just starting out, it's normal to want to share some awesome content. But sometimes, there might not be anyone around to check it out yet. Instead, why not try collaborating with others and creating content that will benefit your audiences? It's a win-win! However, ensure that whatever you choose to do is genuine; otherwise, it will be a waste of time and energy.
4.
YOU ARE NOT HERE
for YOUR FRIENDS
As a personal brand, your online presence should not only be limited to selling, convincing, and entertaining your long-time friends (who probably aren’t your customers). Your mission should be to get discovered, inspire, educate, entertain, and reach out to people who would benefit from what you offer.
Take Marie Forleo as an example. Sure, the real reason she’s online is to sell, right? Buuut she motivates people to take action and makes them believe they can achieve a better life. Moreover, she writes her captions in a way that makes it feel like a personal conversation.
Your online presence should be an authentic reflection of who you are, while also serving others meaningfully.
5.
THE ART OF BEHIND THE SCENES
Almost everyone can create content polished to perfection.
Behind-the-scenes content fosters a sense of community among your audience. When people feel like they are getting an exclusive look into your world, they become more invested in your brand and are more likely to become loyal followers and customers.
we’re humans, we’re naturally curious to see what happens behind closed doors
Adam Mosseri, the CEO of Instagram, recently shared a photo of his work desk with the world. Surprisingly, it looks pretty normal, which is unexpected for a big CEO. You would think he would have a luxurious workspace, but that's not the case. His down-to-earth setup makes him even more relatable.
Jennifer Aniston shared real moments from her life in a recap of her year, proving that she experiences normal moments just like the rest of us.
Everyone, from big celebrities to smaller content creators, needs to master the art of being present behind the scenes.
How you ask? You share those exact moments that you DON’T WANT TO SHARE. There are far more valuable that your professional headshots.
6.
CREATE A SERIES
Just like a binge-worthy Netflix show, your audience is bound to stay engaged and keep coming back for more when you create a multiple-part series.
Plus, users get a sense of comfort in knowing what to expect from their favorite creators.
Danielle Brown is a food blogger who turned her passion into a successful business by creating healthy recipes, using stunning photography, valuable content, and engaging videos.
Moral of the story? You don’t have to do something new every time. Consistency is truly key. Stick to 1 BIG SUBJECT.
TIP: Upload them to your TikTok, and create a series in a playlist to keep all your videos in one easy-to-watch place.
Sometimes, the most important question we can ask ourselves is “Would I watch/binge/interact with my own content?“
If the answer is NO, perhaps there’s room from improvement. Heck, we even made content that we regret now (but we learned from mistakes as well).
7.
While we’re all (& by all, I am thinking about Romanians) sleepin’ on LinkedIn, others have invested their time & energy on LinkedIn with far more better ROI (return of investment than Instagram ever got us/
BEYOND YOUR ZONE
LinkedIn may be more focused on the professional aspects of a personal brand, but that doesn’t mean we can’t show our human side, too (like Brandon here).
And educational content wins as well. (See Sophie’s post.)
As an entrepreneur or solopreneur, we understand that managing everything can be extremely difficult, including creating social media posts and creating good content. There may be days when you don't have the mental capacity to do so. However, one simple thing that you can do is to seek inspiration. This is the first step towards overcoming the hurdle.
One simple thing that you can do is to seek inspiration. This is the first step towards overcoming the content creation hurdle.
If you need help making your personal brand look more visually cohesive and consistent, Ioana’s got some tips for you. Check out this video.
RECAP
STEAL THE RECIPE
“Unplanned” Photography +
Storytelling +
Show your hobbies +
Pain point (of yours and your clients) +
Collaborate with others +
Behind-the-scenes videos
=
A great ingredient list can help your personal brand stand out online.
BONUS
WE FOUND THIS INFOGRAPHIC ONLINE THAT MIGHT HELP YOU WITH SOME IDEAS