I'm reading a fascinating book on personal branding called 'Platform'. It's written by arguably one of the most well known branding experts online - Cynthia Johnson.
And while this post could easily become a 1000 word article on how awesome the book is, I'll save that for Friday's @Dtube feature :)
In the first chapter of this book...A massive nugget grabbed my attention and I wanted to talk about it today...Rather than wait for Friday...
The topic of personal branding is often misunderstood and I loved this point that Cynthia made...And best of all, I can see how this message can be brought to your journey here on STEEM and help you...Build a better personal brand!
Did you catch that?
Personal branding is about making people...More authentic.
It's about growth, autonomy and being an individual that ATTRACTS others...Not by some fancy slogan or marketing message. But by being AUTHENTIC!
I've seen this play a vital role in my development way before I jumped into STEEM. I was a big fan of the 'personal brand'. I waved that flag wherever I went and screamed on the top of mountains that people needed to focus on building their brand.
My old slogan was...Build your brand and build your list (email marketing list).
The issue was that I tried to get people to come up with a fancy logo for their company or brand, and left it at that...I figured, as long as you 'looked good' and had a professional image, everything else would fall into place.
That is just not the case!
Personal branding, which I'm learning much more about, is developing an authentic image not for the sake of 'selling more fidget spinners'...But for building lasting relationships with people!
Here's what Cynthia had to say about that approach to personal branding...
No fake it until you make it! No empty promises...
Just being authentic and actually CARING about those around you.
Imagine if that was your personal brand and what you were famous for here on STEEM?
Someone who actually cares for others and their journey...
See this isn't just a good marketing plan, it's the right thing to do. When we focus on showing up everyday, delivering value and adding to others, our personal brand becomes what the author is talking about here.
Cool story Jon...But how does this relate to STEEM?
Community!
If you have been reading my blog or following my journey on STEEM for any amount of time, you will know that I'm huge on...People!
I believe that if we focus our attention on building the relationships with the PEOPLE here on STEEM, everything else will fall into place.
So that comes in the form (for my journey) in...
- Rewarding people that engage with me and the @SteemSavvy community with @SteemBasicIncome units. I believe that our hard work and engagement should be rewarded and if we can find a win-win scenario, we should support that. And SBI provides it in my opinion.
- Highlighting different members of the @SteemSavvy community in the form of featured interviews and articles
- Answering questions and working hard to grow people's Steem Power to 300 via the #RoadTo300SP
- Hanging out on Sunday and Tuesday via live streams and videos...Talking STEEM and sharing experiences with others.
But most importantly...Showing up every day and letting people know...I'm here if you need anything!
Is it working?
Who knows LOL
Seriously though, I'm not keeping score on what people think my 'personal brand is'. I'm too busy trying to add to others STEEM journey. And that's why Cynthia's points about personal branding are so important to me.
It's not about a logo...
It's not about an awesome web design...Or fancy marketing message.
It's about people. Community. Relationships.
And being there for others as much as you can. That's authentic to me. No secret agenda. No snake oil salesman tactics. Just being there for people.
That's how I feel we should be building our personal brands...Right along side each other!
Posted from my blog with SteemPress : http://plus1daily.com/the-issue-with-personal-branding/