Here’s what your personal brand can learn from your personal dating choices. When it comes to dating we all have a no-go list. Sometimes it’s a physical thing, or a personality thing, but we have trained our minds to instinctively spot and notice our type vs. people who are not our type.
It’s not just a dating thing. We pick who our friends are, our partners are and in which company we want to be a part of. That’s a good thing, and something your personal brand can learn from. Professionally though that’s a different ballgame. We don’t want to shut down any possible opportunity that comes our way even if we may or may not be the right fit because we are scared we might miss an opportunity. I think we need to borrow fa lesson from our dating lies, our brand does not and should not appeal to everyone. If it does not appeal to someone we should not feel the need to water t down so it can fit. Sometimes it just won’t click, and that’s ok.
Why do we feel the need to water down our personal brand to appease everyone?
Whether you use it to grow your career, or business, your personal brand is your identity. It comes out in different ways via blogging, the language you use on social networks and even in your resume. Truth is you’re probably not interested in just about any job you can get or you don’t want a career in just anything. You have a dream or a passipon in a field that you thirst to make a name for yourself (otherwise your personal brand would not matter all that much). Yet, we are almost driven to tone down the things that make us quirky, or different so we can appeal to the masses.
Forget the masses, embrace your quirks
This is my rallying call. Don’t water your brand down by trying to make everyone happy and hit all the right notes. Focus on your niche whether it’s an industry you want to be a part of or a type of customer you want to attract. Focus on them and learn who they are, learn what they read, what language they use, the insider code they communicate with and even what their world view is. Focus on your type and just like in dating eventually you will come to a happy medium.
How to make your personal brand unique
Your tone
There’s a reason teenage girls would read Seventeen magazine, and anyone past the age of 21 would not want to. it’s not written for them. Likewise is your messaging targeting your main audience or is it too wishy-washy that just about anyone can hire you? Do you speak the insider language of the group you are marketing to (every group or “tribe” has their own narrative and common terms they use to identify themselves). If you learn and speak authentically to the group then people in the group will take notice and welcome you.
Your core values
“Dance to the rhythm of the madness in you.” If you have core values and are passionate about something chances are it might not gel with everyone. That’s OK. You are not trying to get everyone, just the people who see the world as you do. That’s your niche. That might not please everyone but it till give you direction and purpose. Ask your weeks why are you doing this? And remember that when the road gets a little murky, or your vision is a little jaded. Proclaim your core values the real reason you are doing what you do, think of it as a service to others, what value do you want your work to achieve. And use that to connect your personal brand with your niche, because other than that your personal brand statement is just a nice soundbite that is empty in value.
Be honest and upfront
Your audience will reward you for being who you are. Make connections with people by approaching them honestly. As you build your brand you are probably not starting at the top but somewhere in between, or on the lower rungs of the ladder. Be honest about that. You can make real connections when we allow ourselves to be a little vulnerable and admit we might not know a whole lot about our niche, target market, or how we will get from A to B, but we are working to figure it out. Give people a chance to root for your team and let them surprise you.
Daisy Quaker is a Badass 