Doug's Awesome Article On Personal Branding - and Whether You Should Do It
I’m a fan of Madalyn Sklar’s #TwitterSmarter which is a weekly Twitter chat on Thursdays at 1PM EST. Lately I’ve been a little buried and haven’t been able to participate in all of them, but the last one I chimed in on was about Personal Branding and I felt I had a lot to say about it - enough for a blog post so here we are.
Let’s start with what IS a personal brand exactly and whether you should have one. You can google “Personal Brand Definition” and you’ll get a bunch of them. So I just did it now as I’m writing this and the one I like best is from Sprout Social:
Personal branding is the process of defining and promoting what you stand for as an individual.
So should you have one? I say……
Maybe.
Who should and shouldn’t have a personal brand
I think a personal brand is most important for those who see themselves as entrepreneurs. For everyone else it’s optional at best, and if you work for a big company it might actually be risky to have one. Anything that you’re putting out there personally that doesn’t tow the company line can potentially ruffle feathers in a corporate America where some companies have traditionally frowned upon endeavors that take away from you DOING YOUR JOB or not aligning strictly with defined values of the company.
Now if you’re an entrepreneur I say you absolutely should have one. As I said in the #TwitterSmarter chat it's important to tie together your approach to business including brands you own, causes you support and your expertise and here’s why:
Why should you have a personal brand
Ventures you are involved with in any way may come and go, but YOU will remain so it's a good idea to establish your position, your standards and your style with a personal brand so people can trust the things you support or launch. If you own a business that fails (happens to the best), create content for a business that gets sold (just happened to me a little over a year ago), or part ways with a client for whatever reason and you have no content of your own then you’ll risk having no digital footprint to point to to help you land your next gig.
How to start a personal brand
I say start with authenticity and stick to it. Don't say what you think people will want to hear or merely be a trend follower. Say what YOU believe. People who are worth a damn can spot B.S. and this is your PERSONAL brand we're talking about. No one else's. Be YOU. As for where to do it and how to execute it? Well you’re reading this on a blog on my website right? I recommend starting with an owned online asset like a website just like I recommend to all brands, and then mix in some social media which is a whole other discussion. Now granted, my digital marketing brand isn’t dougcohen.com - it’s M10 Social, but M10 Social is all me (in this case I wore number 10 when I played football at Michigan so M10 is actually me to a degree) and I share things from this site as me on various platforms from time to time. There are different ways to approach your branding. Hey, reach out to yours truly if you want me to help you (shameless plug)!
And here’s a solid list of essentials for a successful personal brand from the #TwitterSmarter guest on the topic that day, Kendra Losee:
How to GROW a personal brand
Once again this could be a week long course but some of the basics here are universal. Consistent quality content and engagement is the way. Show up and help - be friendly, be social, contribute to the discussion and add value where you can. These rules haven't changed for growing any audience online at the core. For me personally I like to teach, challenge, troll, and cajole! I’m opinionated and I like to have fun - you know this already if you know me… Hehe...
So what do you think? Thoughts? Anything to add? And do YOU have a personal brand you want to share? Put it in the comments below!
M10 Social is owned by Doug Cohen in West Bloomfield, MI and provides social media training and digital marketing services from the Frameable Faces Photography studio Doug owns with his wife Ally. He can be reached there at tel:248-790-7317, by mobile at tel:248-346-4121 or via email at mailto:doug@frameablefaces.com. You can also connect with Doug on Twitter, LinkedIn and Instagram, and/or M10 Social on Twitter or Facebook, and check out his other biz www.VirtualPetcations.com while you’re at it!
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