A good personal brand is a clear projection of you, what makes you an individual and what makes you different from others. Done well, it will consistently convey your unique personality and approach to those you encounter. It will help you stand out from the crowd, and hopefully mean that people think of you first when they start thinking about becoming a customer or partner.
Hopefully you don’t need to spend too much time formulating what you stand for before embarking on a mission to establish your personal brand. I believe it works best when rooted in authenticity. People have a sixth sense for what is credible and what is not. The contrived approach will ultimately smell a little bad if you’re faking it. The good news is that being yourself should be easier than working to a script—which is what you’ll have to do to some extent when inventing a corporate brand.
Fame can also be a benefit. It’s a two-edged sword for sure, but who’s going to deny that it’s nice for your ego to have a personal fan base? Who out there doesn’t enjoy a little bit of attention? Before you tell me that it’s not your thing, how often to you check Google Analytics to see how many people tuned into your last post! If you’ve never had your name on the door at an exclusive party, I’ve heard that it feels great to walk past the queue.
How you structure your brand... either as a personal brand or a more corporate feeling can have huge ramifications on down the road.
For instance, it is impossible to sell a personal brand. Don Giannatti has no value other than to me. Lighting Essentials can be something I could sell at some point down the road. Thinking through these and other questions are a good practice - especially if you haven't nailed down your branding strategy.
1 comment:
Great question! I think an artist can do both! It's good to build the "corporate" brand, which is an extension of your personal brand, and use your personal brand to promote the corporate brand. The big distinction I see with it is that people's expectations change with a corporate brand, especially when it entails selling and customer service. But you can successfully brand both symbiotically. Good luck!
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