It's shocking, I know. If you help others with "their personal brand," how exactly do you tell people how you help without discussing personal branding tactics?
First of all, this is already a contradiction as I a) help people with their brand and b) am talking about it right now, and I need to give myself a hall pass on this one to get my point across. I say that because, well, I believe this is critical for those of us who "want a personal brand" and have no idea where to look for help.
It's simple, and no one needs any help building their personal brand. After all, they already have one. Your personal brand is who you are, and although some may say it's your online reputation (I would add that it also has something to do with what you say about the topics you share), you can't just decide one day to make it up.
That would be, what's the opposite of authentic? Oh yeah, it's fraudulent, and no one trusts a fake.
Seriously, if you want to help with your brand, specifically how to build one, then let's look together at two things (In no particular order):
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What content can we create to express who you are?
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How does the world see you (Meaning, how do you show up?)
If you want help with the first "thing," call me, but if you want help with the second, try this exercise out and see what happens:
Answer these three questions about yourself, and don't share them with anyone:
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Who am I?
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What do I do?
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How do I help?
Now, ask a stranger to look at your social media, answer those same questions about you, and compare the answers. If the answers don't align, well, then you've got some work to do, or you're lying about who you are (not cool).
Lastly, when you finally do decide to enlist the help of a "so-called expert," do some research on who this person or firm is before hiring them, asking yourself, "Do they share who they are, or do they just tell people how to have a brand?
One of these is a sign to hire them; the other is a red flag.
