Your personal brand is not about you (surprise!)
Mark Schaefer
Top Voice in Personal Branding, Marketing strategist, keynote speaker, university educator, futurist, and bestselling author of "Marketing Rebellion," "KNOWN," and "Belonging to the Brand."
In a coaching call this week, I was reminded about an important lesson about personal brands.
A passion is about you.
A hobby is about you.
But the sustainable interest behind a personal brand is about how you serve others. What is the problem you solve? How do you uniquely solve it?
I was working with a guy who wants to work with CEOs to “raise the consciousness of the world through ancient wisdom.” But if I’m the CEO at Nike or Amazon, am I worried about the consciousness of the world, or my company, or even myself?
Am I thinking, “I wish I had more ancient wisdom in this company?”
Ultimately, the personal brand is not about you and your passion. It is how you choose to apply your skills to serve an actionable audience in a meaningful way.
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And the website …
This self-centered brand usually carries over to the website.
Many entrepreneurs and small businesses load their landing page with plaudits. This is how good we are! Look at our awards!
But this does not move the sale along. You’ve worked so hard to bring people to your site. What they need to see is: What is the problem you solve? How do you uniquely solve it?
There is a place for the plaudits deeper in the site … maybe the About page.
But upfront, let your web visitor of the problem you solve and then back it up with customer testimonies that assure them that they’re in the right place.
I appreciate you and the time you took out of your day to read this! You can find more articles like this from me on the top-rated {grow} blog and while you’re there, take a look at my Marketing Companion podcast and my keynote speaking page. For news and insights find me on Twitter at @markwschaefer, to see what I do when I’m not working, follow me on Instagram, and discover my RISE community here.
Illustration courtesy MidJourney
Business Development Manager at Calder
5moThe focus should be on how you can make a positive impact on others' lives. 🙌
Website visitors subconsciously are asking these questions when they go to your page: Is this for me? Will this help me? The answer should be a resounding Yes. Consider your page as a bridge that connects your products/services with the desires and requirements of your audience.
Professor, Author, Researcher
5moMark. Yes. A personal brand is explaining how you can help make others great not how great you are.
Philanthropic Advisor @Jewish Federation Detroit | UMich Faculty | I help people & organizations turn connections into community. | Check out *How to Network: Leading Yourself to Lead Others* course on Coursera.org
5moI say that personal brand is what people think of you when you’re not in the room. (Jeff Bezos’ definition really.) Your personal brand is the value people think you add in the marketplace. Thoughts?
CEO @Tigon Advisory Corp. | Host of CXO Spice | Board Director |Top 50 Women in Tech | AI, Cybersecurity, FinTech, Insurance, Industry40, Growth Acceleration
5moWell-said Mark. Your personal brand is about creating that connection with your target audience in a special way that nobody else can.