Have you ever met someone in real life been and been kinda disappointed because they were different than you expected based on their online persona? I have. More than once. More than a dozen times to be honest. I hate being disappointed.
If you think your brand is just a logo or some colors or a clever tagline – you’re wrong. If you’re a blogger or small business owner, YOU are your brand. In addition to your logo / colors/ fonts, the way you speak, the way you dress, and the way you relate to other people are all part of your brand. Your personality should reflect in your branding – so if you’re funny, be funny. If you’re sarcastic, be sarcastic. If you’re boring, think about getting a personality.
Kidding. Sort of. Not really.
To me, branding is the key to differentiating yourself from the millions of people doing the same thing you are. It’s about providing a consistent experience and relating to your audience in a way that makes them feel like they KNOW you. Like they could be 62 weeks deep stalking your instagram feed and see a photo of a project you worked on (or a meal you ate) and think #ThisIsSoME – and that’s a good thing.
People LIKE people they can relate to.
People TRUST people that are consistently delivering the same brand message.
People buy things from people they LIKE and TRUST.
Not everyone is going to like you and not everyone is going to trust you. That’s also a good thing.
Developing your personal brand goes hand in hand with attracting your dream clients – because how they perceive you is just as important as how you see yourself! I like to think people aren’t ever surprised to meet me in person because I look and speak the way they expect from my presence online. I also make it a point to look on brand when I’m networking – chances are if we’ve met at an event, I was wearing black, white, and/or pink with bright lipstick and gold jewelry. That was intentional.
I’m not saying you need to wear your brand colors at all times, but I do think visual consistency matters – whether we are walking about your website, blog, social media accounts, or in person. If your brand is bubbly and colorful and in person you wear all black and have a dry, sarcastic tone, your clients are going to be confused… and probably disappointed. Don’t disappoint them.
If you haven’t defined your personal brand, do it now. Need help getting started? We can help, just shoot us an email.