When coming into our personal branding program, one of the biggest concerns for our clients is that they don’t want to appear egotistical or narcissistic. They want people to view them as helpful and serious about their profession. But they don’t know how to build a brand that doesn’t make them seem self-serving.
That’s because building a personal brand is not as simple as it seems. Sometimes, there’s a fine line between those things. If you don’t build your brand correctly, it can appear that you’re boosting your ego rather than building trust. It’s not what you want, and it’s not what any of our clients want.
Luckily, there’s a simple checklist of questions you should ask yourself to determine whether your brand is self-serving or of service to others.
Are You Calling Out Who You’re Actually Helping?
If you don’t know who your ideal customer is yet, it may seem like you’re preaching. But if you know your ideal customer and your brand reflects that, then it’s obvious you’re speaking to the people you’re seeking to help.
For example, we specifically help people like us. Michael is in the real estate business, and as a result, we help a lot of real estate professionals. The two of us are also in the coach/thought leader space. We’re both speakers, authors, and podcasters, who share our coaching expertise through those platforms and more. Those are the two industries we serve, so when people know that we specialize in those areas, it helps us gain credibility because we are those two areas.
We’ve built personal brands for ourselves in those arenas. If we couldn’t articulate that, our clients would never feel like they landed in the right place. As a result, the brand would be more about us than the people we help.
Are You Telling Them Exactly How You Can Help Them?
When you can articulate this, it takes you from showmanship to true professionalism.
For example, we’re known for sharing simple formulas that help people understand what it takes to build a solid personal brand. One of those formulas is our 3-D Formula. Another one is our HEAP Code. In other words, we simplify the process for our clients.
We don’t just talk about the fluff — we give you the formula to make your brand-building journey as simple and authentic as possible.
Are Your Photos Done With Your Mission in Mind?
If you haven’t finalized your mission or kept it in the forefront during your photoshoot, your photos are probably just attractive photos. Unfortunately, though, attractive photos do not make a brand. But if you consider who you’re trying to attract and what you want them to know and feel about you, then the photos of you become purposeful.
Aside from making sure your wardrobe coordinates with your personal brand colors, consider the following strategies.
One of our clients is a veterinarian and an international speaker who talks about the common sense care of animals. She wore a lab coat in some of her photos and dressed for the speaking stage in others. She also had some animals in her photo shoot. Another example is a voiceover artist and coach who used a microphone as a prop because she’s known for her voice.
Think about the image you want to portray through your photos and whether you’ve successfully done that for someone seeing your brand for the first time. If a potential customer can look at your photos and know your focus just from that, you know you’re on the right track.
Are You Living Your Brand Every Day?
In other words, are you consistent with it? If not, people will see you as a flash in the pan, as someone just trying to gain attention for attention’s sake, and not as someone serious about their craft.
When you are consistent, however, they will not only view you more seriously. They will remember who you help, how you help them, and why you help them.
The Takeaway
Many other things will help you achieve a credible and reputable brand, but here are the main four. There is a fine line between building a personal brand that makes it all about you versus one that connects with your customers. People can feel it when you’ve identified your mission and considered who you can genuinely help. And when you are consistent in your brand message, image, and action, people know they can truly trust you to help them with what they need.
Take some time to think whether your brand is building trust or simply boosting your ego. If you’re thinking about a brand makeover, schedule a free call with us today to help your brand deliver your desired message and image.
Are you a Coach, Consultant, or other Expert with a life-changing message to share? Make sure to download our free ‘Ultimate Guide to a Freedom-Based Brand’ to learn how to position & present yourself and your offers differently in order to maximize your time and dramatically increase profits.
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BrandFace LLC is a personal branding company for coaches, consultants and other experts who want to STAND OUT from their competition and attract their ideal customers so they can become recognized and sought after authorities in their industry. Tonya Eberhart & Michael Carr are international bestselling authors and the partners behind BrandFace. Their mantra is, “People don’t do business with a logo. They do business with a person.”