How to Become Your Brand

While it may vary from business to business and industry to industry, these days the age of social media has turned the leaders of companies into a brand in and of themselves. Social media has not only allowed for businesses to get more personal, but it has opened up direct interaction between business leaders and customers. In recent years the public has eaten this up, loving the opportunity to get an inside peak at companies, see what’s going on behind the scenes and feel more involved with the products they love.   But it can get confusing when the lines between your business and personal life get blurred.

For example, I have a lot of different business: Fifteen Media, Glamtrepreneur, and this blog to name a few. Realizing I am the one thing that unites all of these organizations has me thinking more and more about personal branding. While each of my ventures has to have its own look and feel, I have to figure out a way to create and image of myself that encompasses all of them. The goal is to create individual brands, and yet be cohesive at the same time.

Here are some things I have been thinking about:

• Be Authentic

Trying to come across as someone you’re not will inevitably end up being more work for you in the long run and will more than likely backfire. If you’re a naturally serious person, don’t try to create a character of yourself that is fun and playful. It won’t work and consumers can smell the disingenuine from a mile away. Instead be yourself. People will be much more inclined to work with the person who isn’t trying too hard.

• Have Fun

You should have fun with your personal brand. Just because you own a business, doesn’t mean that you have to take yourself too seriously. Hopefully this brand will be around for a while, so you want to enjoy what you have created.

• Get Help

I often have a difficult time being articulate about my brand so I get some help. I hire outside folks to do my writing and branding when I’m working on a personal project. I find using someone else can help cohesively create an objective summary of what I represent overall.