What is personal branding?

When I first heard the term "personal branding", I thought it was the topic of another cringe LinkedIn post. And taken too far, it totally could be. But despite the questionable name, it's not a new concept. But it is something that can help you succeed in business.

ChatGPT says that personal branding "is the intentional way you present your skills, values, and unique perspective to the world." That's AI word salad for caring about your image. Or more specifically, caring about what your potential clients or customers think about you.

The basic principle of sales says that people buy from people they know, like, and trust. That's why your local car salesperson dressed in a suit tries to be your new best friend the minute you walk on the lot. There's a reason they've been doing it for ages -- because it works.

The reality is that you can influence potential buyers of your product or service with your image. And odds are that you've got stiff competition in your market. But if you present yourself the right way, you can get ahead of them with a little personal branding.

A specific example

Let's say you're a newly independent accountant who just opened an office in your local town. And a couple of streets over is another accountant who's been in business for a long time. They have a lot more experience than you do, can charge less because they have monthly retainers, and keep busy with a steady stream of referrals. How can you compete with that?

The other guy has a website but it hasn't been updated in ten years. And they have one image of themselves on their website -- a cell phone image taken in harsh sunlight while they were playing golf.

But on your newly designed website, you have an image of you in your office dressed in a suit with a slight smile. You look professional and friendly like you were about to greet me at the door.

If I need an accountant to do my taxes on April 14 and I don't know either of you, who do you think is going to get my call?

The cost of a personal branding session has just paid for itself with that one new client.

My example is contrived and exaggerated, but you get my point. Your image matters.

Authentic, not cringe

Odds are you're a nice person. You enjoy what do working with your customers. That's not being cringey, it's being authentic. There' nothing awkward about showing that off a little, especially if it helps you move your business forward.

Personal branding doesn't have to be business formal. It's just you doing you. If your business is taking people on deep sea fishing trips, branding shots would be things like you captaining a boat or working with guests. Of if you're a personal trainer, it's you in the gym.

You can even let people get to know you a little more personally with images showing you doing a hobby or other activity. Going back to know, like, and trust, it's about your audience getting to know you in an authentic way.

Fundamentally you're just marketing yourself, which isn't new. But it can be hard, especially with social media, if you don't have good content that's sending the right message. Let me know if you need help. I'd be happy to chat about how personal branding can help your business.