Where does the personal end and the brand begin?
So, one question that seems to come up a lot with personal branding and social media is, “Where does the personal end and the brand begin?”
The truth is that you are your brand. You are your own USP. Sure, there are plenty of people doing the
same ‘thing’ as you, but nobody can do exactly how you do it because my friend, they aren’t YOU!
If you are your brand, then everything you say in person, everything you say online, everything you post, what you wear, every way in which you interact with your community and present yourself to the world is part of your brand.
Bombshell? If you’re now sitting there going, “woah, Karina! Why did you have to scare me like that? I’m never leaving the house again!” Don’t fret! Do you want to know the best thing? If you are your brand, that means you are in complete control of your brand, so you can CHOOSE how you want to come across.
How much better is that?
A personal brand is exactly that, personal. So if you are your brand, YOU need to be in there.
But it can be a difficult line to walk. What should you be sharing and what is just too far? I recommend taking a few minutes to think about what feels true to you. What are some of the key themes that run through your life and business? You can share what inspires you, or a few of your favourite things, and of course, the odd cute dog photo doesn’t go amiss either. If it’s a part of your world it’s part of you and your brand.
For me, I like to categorise different central themes – music and books that inspire me, photos from my travels, glimpses of my other creative outlets, the occasional photo of my precious lion dog, little hints of desert and dustland dreaming, and of course, ALL THE TEA!
Don’t go sweating thinking we need to know everything about your life. Just ask yourself what you’re happy to share. What would you like us to know? And maybe what would be better kept quiet?