Your (Authentic) Brand
By Jon Michail
Having a personal brand is about delivering on your promises. It is about consistency. It means that people who deal with you know what they are getting.
Creating an authentic personal brand means that you create genuine followers rather than fans, and business connections rather than contacts. These followers and connections will believe in you and what you are doing.
Whatever your line of work, you want the people you work with to know that they can trust and rely on you.
You may be able to fool casual acquaintances with a showy persona, but you can’t fool people you work with for any length of time — and why would you want to anyway? I work closely with my clients and I don’t give them spiel, and I know from experience that people respond positively to that. The following is from a client of mine, Deborah Halpern:
“It’s definitely not just a superficial, you know, ‘we’re working on your brand’ type relationship.”
Developing a personal brand means learning some tips and tricks from the advertising world and the branding of products without being superficial.
Yes, personal branding takes image into account, but good personal branding cannot be just a surface treatment — your image must have depth, it must stand for something.
“I’ve been really moved by how he’s been attending to the way we tell the story of my life,” says Deborah Halpern.
Human beings like to package things up neatly. We make snap decisions about people and situations because of deeply ingrained survival instincts, and we are always looking for confirmation that our assessments are correct.
Therefore, every time a person we have decided not to trust gives off a negative impression, it cements in our minds that we were right about them all along.
Of course, this also works for the good impressions we get from people whom we are already inclined to trust.
It is no use dismissing other people’s judgements of us as superficial. The fact is we all do it, and that’s why working on your brand is so very important. It is always in your best interests that people get an accurate reading of you. Paying attention to your brand will also ensure that you want to be the best you possibly can be.
So, if you’re thinking that taking a look at your personal brand sounds like a good idea, here are some thoughts to get you going.
1. Branding is a promise.
We’re seduced into having expectations of our new whatever. The wearable tech that will make us fitter and healthier or the new car that will turn the daily commute into a pleasant drive and every weekend into an adventure.
Sometimes it is the very idea of that promise that brings about longed-for improvement. The new smart watch turns our focus to fitness, lending us a determination to achieve our goals that justifies its purchase. Brands are made up of tangible and intangible components, and the promise of a brand is one intangible that can lead to real results.
Of course, brands don’t always live up to their promises, but we should. If your brand is built on your authentic self, on the things you truly value and believe in then living up to your promises becomes easy.
2. Brands build repeat business.
We love to be part of a team, a great workforce, a cheering audience. We’re programmed to want to be part of a big group. Brands give us those groups. They make us feel good and they make us feel connected to the others who share our great taste.
3. Clever brands stay up with the play.
It’s no different to a politician planning to get elected or re-elected — we all have to learn campaign mode — this is careerism.
But remaining current and relevant requires that we are aware of the current trends without slavishly following every one of them.
It’s a fact that if you fall into the trap of letting online marketing become your full-time job, you end up wasting valuable time and creating nothing of value.
Our focus should instead be on showing our relevance in the current market. If you struggle with this then perhaps it is time to have a good hard look at what you are offering, and whether there is any demand for your product.
Isn’t that better than spending your valuable time writing instantly forgettable tweets?
Brands that stay up with the play see opportunities where others see threats. Many brick-and-mortar retail stores were terrified when Amazon announced its entry into our market. Others had long ago seen the opportunities that our global digital world offers and weren’t so worried as they were too busy making the most of it.
4. The best brands make money.
Remember the old saying — ‘Money makes money’? Indeed, it does.
If you want your brand to attract strong investment, you have to look as though you’re the kind of business that will make the best possible use of it. A strong and vital brand will build value far above its actual assets. Look at Amazon, Google, or the Virgin companies. They may have huge amounts of stock, vast buildings and lots of planes, but their perceived value — their branding — is where their real value lies and in truth it far exceeds the value of all the physical assets they hold.
5. Outstanding brands produce enthusiastic referrals.
Remember what I said about brands being a promise. When our brand is authentic and we live up to our promises then positive referrals follow.
Customers are always far more likely to complain about a bad experience than compliment a good one, so listening in to any positive feedback is an excellent way to know when our brand is living its promise.
6. People love to work for inspirational brands.
People love to be associated with the best brands and it’s the same for your workforce. Brilliant employer branding will attract the best and help to retain them. By building staff loyalty, you create the best possible atmosphere where ideas, enthusiasm and brilliance can flow unimpeded.
7. You are your own brand.
Remember, you are an ambassador for your business. You are a brand.
Do you add value to your company? Does your visual image confirm that you are an expert in your field? Remember, you are the face of the company, talented and professional, and your personal brand image should do you and your organisation credit.
Always do what you say you are going to do, live your promise. You will increase your colleagues’ reliance on your judgement and productive abilities and underscore your sound business ethics. In short, do your professional image proud. Plan and work for your future and increase your chances of making it a bright and successful one.
Seeing yourself as a brand is not always comfortable — it may feel unnatural — but leaving your comfort zone is no bad thing.
“Jon is your coach, he’s your mentor, he’s on your side in ways that, sometimes you don’t really want him to be. And I don’t mean that in a negative sense but I mean sometimes, you just wanna go, ‘Oh, I can’t be bothered doing that. That’s too hard. Let me just go back and, you know, shrink back into my small self.’” Deborah Halpern
If you want to make it in this big crazy world then there is no good in cutting yourself off and shrinking back into your ‘small self’.
Work hard on your personal brand. Be a person others can trust and rely upon, and above all… be authentic!
Jon Michail and his team at Image Group International partner with their clients to achieve breakthrough results with contrarian and disruptive ways to grow and monetise their personal and business brands. A veteran, multi-award winning coach and author with a Who’s Who clientele, Jon is the CEO and Founder of Image Group International, an Australian-based corporate and personal brand image advisory and coaching organisation that conducts transformational seminars, workshops and one-on-one coaching in over four continents. He is recognised as Australasia’s №1 Image Coach.
A version of this article was originally published as ‘Branding the New You’ in Issue 48 of Smart Healthy Women.
