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Do you REALLY need to be in your brand? Like YOU as a person? Yes and no. In this episode I’ll share why you might want to embed you into your business plus we’ll dive into how to know how much of you to put in. If you really love pineapple, does that belong in your business? What if your favourite colour is lime green? Should your brand be lime green?

Understanding Personal Branding

Personal branding involves infusing your unique personality, values, and expertise into your business identity. As a small business owner, you are often the face of your brand, making it pivotal to determine how much of yourself to integrate into your business’s persona.

(You can choose NOT to be the face of your brand, but embedding yourself is often a far quicker way to build trust and rapport than without).

Practical Tip #1: Clarify Your Strategy

Whether you are crafting your branding independently or working with a designer, understanding the strategy behind your personal brand is essential. Consider the extent to which you want to integrate your personality, likes, and values into your business identity. Define what resonates with your audience and aligns with the overall vibe you want your business to exude BUT:

Identifying Relevant Aspects of Yourself

While it’s empowering to express your individuality through your brand, it’s crucial to discern which aspects of yourself are most pertinent to your business and audience. Not every personal preference or trait needs to be incorporated into your brand, but rather, those that forge authentic connections with your clientele.

Practical Tip #2: Discover Common Ground

Have a chat with your audience, past or ideal clients to discern shared values and interests. You can have informal conversations, conduct surveys, or even analyze past interactions to identify the aspects of yourself that resonate with your audience. This alignment will enable you to infuse relatable elements of your persona into your brand not just for the sake of it but to foster genuine connections with your customers.

Balancing Playfulness and Professionalism

Balancing personal authenticity with the professional image required by your industry is pivotal. Explore how to maintain your distinctive personal brand while fulfilling the expectations of your audience and industry standards.

Practical Tip #3: Define Your Brand Personality

A lot of my students get stuck in trying to find the balance between representing their fun, relaxed and playful side in the brand but still appearing professional. These aren’t mutually exclusive, however if your brand is targeted at more corporate clients you will have to tone back the playfullness in order to really attract your audience – this however does NOT mean you can have zero playfulness!

By strategically infusing your personal brand into your business identity, you can cultivate authenticity, establish connections, and foster trust with your audience.

Remember to embrace your multidimensional self, identify the relevant aspects that align with your audience, and strike a harmonious balance between personal authenticity and professional presentation. This approach will empower you to carve a distinct and resonant personal brand, elevating your business to new heights.

What aspects of yourself do you want to embed into your brand as you create it? Want to explore creating your own visual brand? I have a free video series that’ll be perfect for you! It’s called the Seriously in Business Challenge and you can start binging right now!

https://whitedeer.com.au/sibchallenge

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