Is it just me? Or does it seem like there’s a heavy focus on personal branding lately?
Seems like most people are working hard at making their personal brands more professional. And most professional brands are trying to figure out how to become more personal.
There are people who believe you are completely in control of your personal brand and define it through everything you post/share/do. There are people who believe personal brands are the most important thing to success across a career. There are people who believe representing a personal brand and corporate brand are conflicting ideas. There are people who don’t even think they have personal brands – just reputations. There are people that don’t see the difference between the two.
Want to know what your personal brand is? If you even have one? Ask people what they think of you. Ask them to re-write your Twitter bio. Ask them to describe you in one sentence.
Here’s my twitter bio:
“Communications and PR professional. Photographer, athlete, foodie, musician, traveler. Chasing adventures.”
A few friends’ re-writes:
“Connector. Thinker. Curator of personalities and life’s little moments in frames of all sizes. Social media believer. Community builder. Honest communicator.” -Nate Riggs
“Armed with a quick wit and more honesty than you may expect, I’m a creative young pro who dabbles in everything from music to photography.” -Andrea Kerbuski
“Networking junkie interested in engaging with movers and shakers who make things happen. PR, social media & photography are my passions.” -Ryan Knott
“The first draft of a communications pro with a camera lens focused on the present and a watchful eye looking to the future.” -Ari Adler
“I view life through a lens. Connect images with people and vice-versa. Social media serves as my backdrop.” -John Hill
Totally aligned? No.
Describe all the facets about my personality I think are interesting? No.
Totally correct based on how each person knows me? Yes.
Every single human being you interact with is going to have a unique relationship with you. Everyone has their own assumptions, biases, feelings and interests and those are all going to play into how they perceive you. It’s going to affect the things they chose to remember about you and the things they decide aren’t relevant. So, really, what are we all so worried about? Freaking out about defining your personal brand isn’t productive.
- Be who you are.
- Let that guide what you pursue in life.
- Connect with other people you have things in common with.
- Have an opinion and don’t try to agree with everyone.
- Surround yourself with people you respect.
- Create work you’re proud of and let it speak for itself.
- Let your passions and interests guide how you interact with the world.
People will make up their own opinion about you. So, go do something interesting.
Great post Becky. I love the points you made. While I think it is important to be aware and responsible for your reputation, personal brand, whatever you call it – at the end of the day if you’re just yourself there’s nothing to worry about.
Thanks for another great post!
Thanks, Rachael. You’re right, we all have to be conscious of how we’re presenting ourselves. But, the only thing we’re in control of is the outgoing. Whatever happens on the receiving end isn’t something we’ve got control over.
Ultimately if we just do our thing, create something we’re proud of, we’re going to naturally be drawn to the right people to collaborate with in business and life.
Thanks Becky — We haven’t had the chance to meet yet, but you have no idea how much I needed this sort of message right now.
Getting back to work to let it speak for itself, now! Thank you!
Awesome. Glad I could help in some small way.
Well said Becky. But didn’t know you were a Junkie ‘Gasps’! LOL
I like that you had some people write your bio. That was daring. You have a very good view from above on things. It’s because of your photography. People tend to have Micro or Macro views. We need both. Macro sets strategy. Micro implements the strategy.
I think Social Media has over empowered people. You can tell who before Social Media was a show off, a brat, a braggart. But you can also see who is humble, smart, bright, witty.
If you view yourself a Brand then you are in for trouble. See what happened to Tiger Woods. It is a lot of pressure and upkeep. And it’s fake. But if you view yourself as a person I think your Brand will create itself through others.
Yeah, I reached out to quite a few people to re-write it. Those are the responses I got back. Truth be told, I had no idea what I was going to see, but I realized whatever came back was going to be important for me to understand.
Maybe I’m just a feedback junkie. But I like to hear what other people think. It fascinates me. It’s not always positive and every once in a while somebody gets under my skin. But, that’s human, right?
I really think the social media world would be a lot better if for one day all our profiles/bios/etc were written by other people. Then maybe everyone can calm down and understand that it’s okay to be the kind of person that is a work in progress.
Becky – I love this post. Thank you for sharing some of your insights. I love the idea of having others define you – adding to what you may, or may not, know about yourself. I did something similar for the “About Me” page on my website and learned much in the process. Keep sharing what you see through your personal lens; I know I’ll be paying closer attention to it now.
Agreed.
Nice post Becky. Good for you for not being afraid to tackle this topic since I’m sure not everyone will agree. But I agree with you wholeheartedly.
People disagree with me all the time. It’s okay. My friendship/employment/services aren’t for everyone. That’s totally okay.
I wouldn’t say people are “freaking out” about personal branding, but I do believe there are some loud people looking to capitalize on it to make a few quid. It makes it seem like people are talking about it more than necessary, which comes off like hype to me.
Today at #tweetea, we’re going to talk about dealing with what I’m calling “hype bubbles.” They are all around us. We’re always being told what’s the next big thing and I tend to ignore it, but I also never want to miss a good thing. In my own life, I would prefer to be the trendsetter than someone that follows trends, so I might miss a few quality nuggets. Thing is, it is tough trusting others that have so much invested in any one thing. That is why I prefer to keep a fluid brand that adjusts to the times and when I switch sides, people won’t be so shocked.
Great advice at the end though, Becky! It’s vital advice for anyone that wants to be a winner.
Thanks for weighing in, Hubert. Sounds like an awesome discussion for Tweetea.
I’ve always considered you to be one of those guys that’s plugged into what’s cool. So, even if it’s not the next big thing or it’s not popular or trendy…you seem to have a solid grasp on interesting stuff going on. I really like that about you.
I think you’re right about hype bubbles. And maybe with posts like this I’m contributing to it. And no matter what is popular, there are going to be people stepping up to try to make money off it. It’s just a natural part of business, but the people that really know their stuff and have the chops to stretch across more than one discipline in an industry will be the ones to stick around.
Hey Becky – great post! I would have to be in total agreement with you. Being someone you are not just ends up making things worse in the long run. The only problem I struggle with, and I’m sure others do too, is that people are uptight. I don’t think there is any other way to say it. Personal and professional lines are blurring and I just don’t think that some people can handle it. They think seeing someone having a drink at a bar means they’re a partier/alcoholic or speaking passionately against Obama automatically makes them the head of their local tea party organization. And unfortunately some people won’t get jobs because of this, and it’s a shame.
I dunno, I may be taking it to the extreme, but I feel that is why people are freaking out about personal branding and adapting their presence online to fit some type of “ideal” candidate profile.
Yeah, I think you’re right that’s why so many people are concerned about it. And you are absolutely right that the trail we leave online is going to play into job interviews and opportunities. But, look, I like to go to the bar with my friends sometimes. I like to tailgate before MSU football games. I’m 23 years old. I drink alcohol sometimes, even when there are cameras around (heck, I’m usually the one with it). Of course it sucks that potential employers or clients will make snap judgments about what they see/hear/read, but that’s going to happen no matter what. If someone doesn’t want to work with me because they think I have an alcohol problem for drinking some beers while tailgating, then honestly, they’re probably not a good fit for a lot of other reasons.
I know job seekers in particular struggle with this issue, but trying to seem like the “ideal” candidate online is kind of a waste of time. “Ideal” isn’t going to be the same for everyone. In my mind, it makes more sense to just be yourself and let your life/job/friends build around that.
Great post Becky! All points are spot on! One thing that I would add to your bullets at the end of your posts is to also connect with people that are different from you or have different points of view from you. It’s amazing what you can learn about others and yourself when you step outside things that you’re comfortable with. I can’t say that I do that all the time but it’s something that I’m more aware of.
I’m sure what I’ll find as my kids get older is that their viewpoints will differ from mine just like mine differed from my parents. However, if I can at least understand where they are coming from, I’ll be able to relate to them a lot better than just trying to force my viewpoint down their throats.
Have a great Thanksgiving!
Thanks, Patrick. As an “adult” child…I can tell you that the best thing you’ll possibly be able to do for your kids as they grow up and form opinions/points of view is listen to them, discuss their ideas and teach when you can. I don’t like to admit how influenced I am by my parents, but the way they raised me has a huge impact on who I’ve become and the way I think. I disagree with them all the time, we have heated discussions and sometimes we just have to agree to disagree. It works. We both learn from it.
I try to surround myself with people that have different viewpoints. My little brother is a chemistry major in college and I have him working on a guest post for me. Our brains could not function more differently. I can’t wait to see what he writes and feel totally incompetent that my little bro’s brain can handle math, physics and science in ways I will probably NEVER understand. Keeps things interesting
Becky, this post is great. Being confident with who we are is the best way to represent what we are about. I do think that branding has some merit when we think about what we want to be known for but we make that happen daily by the way that we talk to others and the way that we treat people. It is also a great idea to get feedback from those that you trust and that know you well on who they perceive you to be. I did this before I got married with some of the people in my wedding. I asked them to write down my strengths and weaknesses. Room to grow is a good thing and they made sure that I knew that I was still a work in progress but also they encouraged me with attributes that I may not have realized were perceived as strengths.
Great food for thought-can’t wait to chat about it tonight at tweetea. 
-Tara Michener
This is good Becky. I think the strategy part for personal branding comes from who you seek relationships with. Sometimes, surrounding yourself with the right people and building genuine relationships does more for your brand that any post you can write or media your can put out. Personal brands are somewhat outside in. What’s interesting is that nowadays, company brands are developed from the inside out. Organizations + online media tools + culture = brand. A very honest brand…
My bio from Twitter/Facebook/Blog are all over the place. Heck, I don’t even know what my personal brand is exactly. However, there is one thing I do know. My Internet personal is an extension of what I am in real life. WYSIWYG. Both are interchangeable and both are very much me. Put them together and you can get the full grasp of who I am.
If anything sticks out, it’s what my blog byline says, “I’m a nobody, but I hope to inspire somebody.” Whether it’s through my quirks, my videos, my adventures or just who I am as a person.
Amen sister. I don’t understand it and I’ve been saying it for months (since it became a hot topic), where does the line of creating your personal brand simply roll over to not being yourself? You tend to put things into better context than me though
As one who continually tries to take chances and push the lines of “good behavior” in my work, I believe that the only people who are getting offended at things are the ones creating it. Generally in my work that’s companies, but I think the same can be said of people and their personal brands. Many of the people you’re interviewing with, or trying to get a job with, drink. Many of them swear. Many of them tell dirty jokes… I don’t, personally, think that anybody is out there with a ruler and a stern look on their face waiting to deliver a strong slap on the wrist of the first guy/girl who slips up and says “shit” on their facebook profile.
When I brought this up earlier, the point of “common sense” was tossed back at me… sharing drinking pictures, swearing, too much information… my response was: “Please don’t tell me that all this personal branding stuff are lessons I could learn from Brett Favre’s penis.” (paraphrase) No one else thought it was very funny
Amen brother.
Love the idea of asking your fans/followers to rewrite your Twitter bio as a way to identify your “personal brand.” I can’t remember who, but someone (might have been Danny Brown) had some great tips around other ways to do this a while back. Namely, look at the Twitter lists people put you on. How are they classifying you? PR thought leader? Photog? I thought that was a simple, but brilliant, idea.
The list thing is a great idea too, I should look at that. I’m endlessly fascinated by human communication and what happens between the send-out message and how it’s received.
Truth be told, I’m a little annoyed with how much hype there’s been around “personal branding” as if it’s going to make or break someone’s future. It’s important to know how we’re coming across to friends, family, colleagues, employers, but as well all know, a person is much more than the sum of their parts and no one place is going to paint a totally accurate picture of who we are. I have friends I hang out with on a regular basis that will read something on my blog or a post on Facebook and say they never knew that about me. It works the other way too. Friends from online spend time with me in person and find out things they never knew.
We’re all works in progress. The best thing we can do is just be ourselves and trust that it will guide us toward the right people, jobs, places, opportunities, etc.
This post ruled for several reasons. But mostly it rules because I can relate to this at this exact moment and time in my life.
I took on a huge job when I came to the company I work for now. So huge, in fact, that I neglected my own Twitter account for about a month and haven’t written in either of my blogs in two months. Last week I was agonizing over this and thinking about how I wasn’t growing my “personal brand” because I was sacrificing all my time to my job. Of course, I still think that I need to hop back on these things, but I’m not as worried about it anymore. You’re dead on. Sometimes you just have to go with what is right for you. I’m being me by doing the best I can for my job and my coworkers.
After all, we personally brand ourselves to land that big break, right? Sometimes you have to quit worrying about yourself and settle into an opportunity much greater than your personal brand.
Good for you for jumping head first into the new gig and focusing on it. If anyone ever gave you crap about not tweeting enough, wouldn’t you love to respond with “Well, yeah, I started this new job and was rocking out by totally focusing on it for a few months.”
If at this point in your life your professional development is high on your priority list, then focus on that. I highly doubt any future employer would choose to focus on your lack of tweeting rather than what you learned by kicking ass in a new position.
I went weeks without posting anything on this blog because I was focused on other projects. Instead of forcing myself to publish mediocre content just because I didn’t want people to forget about me as a blogger, I waited until I had time to put something meaningful together. And judging by the comments on RT’s on this post and the previous one about Ford, I think I made the right move.
The online world allows for ambient connectivity, a concept Chris Brogan wrote about a few months back. Check it out, the post is called “Is a social crash coming?”. I think you’d like it.
Becky, good post on personal branding. I agree that you need to be authentic and be true to yourself at all times or you won’t enjoy the brand you’re projecting.
It’s an interesting post, Becky, I was particularly captured by your statement, “Seems like most people are working hard at making their personal brands more professional. And most professional brands are trying to figure out how to become more personal.”
Recently I wrote in a post this:
“I grew up in an agency world where PR was behind the scenes – becoming the story was a bad thing. Social media has changed this – especially when PR pros have more fans and followers than the journalists they pitch. It’s given rise to this notion of a “personal brand” a concept I find dubious, though I’ve personally struggled with where that line is drawn between work and personal interest.
Despite my roots, I’ve accepted that to some degree the two will intersect though I live by the philosophy the brand comes first. To the extent I can lend credibility to the brand, so be it, but avoid the vice-versa.”
I still believe that’s true, but even so your comment I cited above strikes me as both accurate and profound.
“Be who you are. Let that guide what you pursue in life.”
Becky: I love this and couldn’t agree more. Too often I think we get caught up in trying to be something we’re not (I’ve been there before). It’s usually because we don’t know where we’re going and what we want out of life. I’ve defined this for myself (to an extent). A previous mentor once told me the secret to success is:
1.) Clear Goals,
2.) Hard Work,
3.) Unwavering Focus
I try and live my day to do with this to guide me. I know what my goals are personally and professionally and I work hard at just being myself and delivering the goods when it matters (and even when people don’t expect it). People like me for me. I won’t always please everyone (a lesson I learned being in business for myself a while ago) and that’s ok. As long as I continue to do what matters, in my own way and it’s moving me towards my goals, people will shape their own opinions but it’s what I do that matters and moves me forward. All I can do is work on being the best me I can be.