Personal branding, self-promotion, self-marketing: call it what you want, but sooner or later it turns into a doubt, something to think about, a step to face in one’s working life, especially if you are a freelance professional.
Here’s my “Lesson Zero”.
Is it an inborn talent or can you learn it? How is it done? Perhaps you already do it without even realizing it?
Let me share my viewpoint with you, that little know-how of mine and… even some doubts.
Sooner or later, for a blogger and, in general, for anyone whose work depends on personal thoughts and/or one’s face and/or a product you totally identify yourself with (like a book or a work of art), it is important to take personal branding into consideration.
Am I doing it? Am I doing it well? Do I know how to do it? Do I want to do it?
My doubt about what I do and how for this “personal branding” thing, just came to me for the first time when a friend I respect a lot, and definitely the best in her field (she’s a nutritionist), told me that she really appreciated my ability of self-promotion.
And it comes to my mind, lingering in my brain every time someone repeats the concept.
I recently spent some time with another friend I have a high regard for (she created the graphics for In My Suitcase’s logo); we were joking and having some white wine with taralli, and she even told me that making some short videos on this topic wouldn’t be a bad idea.
So, the question came back: how come it seems I am good at personal branding? How do I do it? Am I aware of it or is it just obvious to me, just like reading and replying to work e-mails in the morning?
Do you have to become a product?
You’ve been working for years on the difference between people and characters, on the real essence of people in a world ruled by marketing…and suddenly you end up questioning yourself whether you’ve turned into a product.
Wait a minute, is this for real?
I think the fear to become a product, something vaguely fake, is one of the main aspects that pushes people to curb their “self-promotion” attitude, that is talking about one’s activity and advertising it.
Then, an important role is played by stereotypes accumulated over the years, with sentences like “let others tell you if you’re good/handsome/intelligent [add an adjective]”.
Not to mention the old, yet constantly up-to-date, lottery of human virtues, among which modesty seems to have always a place of honor.
I don’t mean the last two points should be ignored, I’m not saying the judgement of others doesn’t matter (because it actually does) and I don’t mean to say modesty is not a virtue (even if I think so).
I’m just considering that when it comes to personal branding, in my opinion, you are not the product, so you might as well “promote” it:
The product is what you do
The difference is quite remarkable.
You are a person, not a product. You are made of a complex mixture of things, experiences, feelings and hidden aspects you will never tell.
You are both good and evil. You will hardly be able to talk about all this and promote it and if you’ll try, trust me, you’ll fail.
In personal branding and self-marketing, what you promote is not Yourself but what you do (and, maybe, how).
The way I see it, if you don’t promote it, you are actually wronging your work and efforts along with the efforts of your collaborators, more than paying a tribute to the virtue of modesty.
Based on a weird anthropological nonsense, it comes even easier to talk about and promote the company we work for than our individual work, what we write, our art or intellectual works.
I know people very close to me who can talk you into buying a particular phone, computer, lipstick or pair of shoes in 15 mins, yet who are absolutely unable to promote their extremely high (and I mean REALLY HIGH) professional skills. I believe that the deconstruction of old stereotypes is key even in this case.
Personal branding: lesson Zero, homework:
Order you t-shit “If love is blind, try with braille”, click here
Would you like to learn how to promote yourself?
Before registering to a course and attending lesson 1, do your lesson zero homework: repeat in front of the mirror (real or fictitious) that promoting your work doesn’t mean acting with vanity and conceit. Otherwise write it on a blackboard just like Bart Simpson.
Talking a lot and well about an activity you deeply believe in, even if closely connected to you, is just the first step towards getting others to believe in it too.
16 Comments
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Sabrina - In My Suitcase
Yes: being personal is so important when it comes to blogging. But it’s a business too.
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Umberta
Interesting post. I never considered myself a brand though… what about just write & share because you enjoy it & just remain honest & constant…
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Sabrina - In My Suitcase
true Umberta. How I wish being spontaneous and enjoy was enough to pay a life by blogging 🙂
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kristin mccarthy
awesome post. Nathalie Laitmon Suburban Misfit Mom founder) and I just released an E book on branding. blogging and social media.
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Kusum
This is such a great topic for discussion! As bloggers we are our own brand and yes, marketing our brand to succeed is so essential.
xx, Kusum | http://www.sveeteskapes.com
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Miss Kim @ behgopa
Enjoyed reading this insightful post. Makes one think. This is def a topic I’d like to learn more about.
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Lindsey
What a great post And one that’s opened my mind about branding and I think it’s the way forward
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diana
thank you so much for this post, have been thinking on branding since a while now. this will surely help in understanding.Of course one should know some tips of marketting here and there especially freelancers whose work is more of their idea and thoughts, agreed to it. thanks and cheers
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Борка Шаула
I definitely enjoy talking to people about my blog, I mean I always send my post to closest friends to seek for their opinion. I always explain them how do I do something on my blog and even encourage them to make their own.
BS, xx -
Ali Rost
Thank-you so much for your post. Branding is definitely something I’ve been thinking more and more of the past few months. I was thinking after reading that it’s hard sometimes for people to promote their professional skills .. Do you find that branding comes more naturally to men rather than women?
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Sabrina - In My Suitcase
Ali thank you so much for te question! In my personal experience I’ve noticed men have less attitude for the overestimated virtue of “modesty”; they’re aware of their value maybe more than women; the latter must overcome a series of gender stereotypes before affirming they are good at something. By the way the blogging world is showing us a fortunate change in this trend 😉
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Elizabeth O.
It’s important that we don’t oversell of sell ourselves the wrong way. Branding and self promotion can be a little confusing at times and you don’t really have to attend courses or anything like that, a little research goes a long way.
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Ana De- Jesus
Interesting point to make, working in blogging has made me realize that I have to promote myself as a product or brand to generate success. I would like to learn more about personal branding though x
Skye Boden
You’re so right about the person vs product distinction! It’s something that’s so easy to forget whenever I get jealous over an expertly curated instagram feed, or a completely beautiful looking pinterest.