What is brand positioning? When it comes to personal branding, it starts with your bio. Are you sharing your story, your passions, and your journey to attract clients?
Brand positioning
Let’s dive into brand positioning and how you can use it to book yourself solid without getting so stressed and burnt out that you lose yourself.
Elizabeth suggested that as you get older, think of your personal brand as a pirouette instead of a pivot. If you have to make changes, do so gracefully and gradually versus a jarring shift.
People often think of a personal brand as needing to be on a stage speaking, writing books, famous, and vocal on LinkedIn, but that is not necessarily the case. Who you are and how the world perceives you should always align. It is important to build your personal brand on who you are, not what you do. Our career is really a blip of our life and isn’t what defines us. Time goes by very quickly, therefore it is important to know what brings you joy and makes you happy and to align your personal brand with your purpose. But, keep in mind this is always going to change based on circumstances and people around you.
When you are doing what you love, you make more money and it doesn’t feel so hard.
Joy comes naturally when you are following your purpose because you are aligned with your values and passions. When you are in a positive flow, you will be more open to abundance.
Two additional episodes mentioned by Robyn:
Episode 150 – Living with purpose with Tayna Dalton
Episode 130 – Become a limitless entrepreneur with Nicole Laino
Your brand position begins with your bio
Your bio is how people find out about you, it describes who you are, therefore, change the first paragraph to share something you are passionate about. The first intro of who you are should feel authentic to you. Find things that you have a very strong opinion about but are grounded in something you love.
Unless you are an expert on certain topics, don’t talk about them. Don’t jump on the bandwagon because others are doing it or talking about it, You have to be genuine and stay aligned with your values, visions, and passions. Also, think about how your hobbies are helping you learn to be a better leader or help define your personal brand. Elizabeth gave examples of coaching your child’s baseball team or learning to make sourdough bread. There are ways that you can take everyday things that are interesting to you and make them relate to your personal brand.
When you are talking about something that is truly authentic to you, you have no fear of saying the wrong thing.
When you have something that is relatable, there is so much fear around sharing it, but there is also community and support when you share it. People will be grateful that you shared your story, no matter how small it seems, because they will connect with you if they’ve experienced it too.
Vulnerability is key to discovering your brand positioning
You are on your journey. Every experience we’ve had has given us the authority to be able to help someone else. Robyn shared her story about anxiety and how sharing her journey, allows her to help her clients.
We often question whether or not people will care about our stories and the things we do and love, but people appreciate these things. There is freedom in sharing without worrying about what other people think.
In the search for your genuine self, are you more afraid of being accepted or rejected for who you really are? Elizabeth thinks it’s more about acceptance because then you have to be that genuine you and we’ve lived lives where the rejected you has been accepted so it’s easier to be that person. At least we tend to believe it is easier to be that person.
What if people accept us for who we are with all of our flaws and imperfections? There is fear around this. Once we get past the fear, it will be easier to live as our genuine authentic selves. It gets very exhausting to live as inauthentic.
Brand positioning involves vulnerability. Vulnerability is a step we have to take to find out what our personal brand looks like. It is also important not to cater to the whims of everyone around us.
There is something unique about you that you can be vulnerable about. It can be anything, big or small. You are brave to share it. The positive and negative things are what your personal brand is at the core. These all help determine how others perceive you.
There is an audience for everyone.
When you are vulnerable and share your story, if there are people who don’t like it, they aren’t your people.
There is an audience for everyone. Our job isn’t to make everyone love us, but to attract those people who will love us in return.
What is brand positioning and how does it help us build our personal brand to attract clients?
Elizabeth recommends starting with your bio. That is who you are, how people find you, and how people learn about you. It is the first thing people ask for.
Switch the first paragraph around to tell who you are, not just what you do.
Then dive into 2 to 3 things that you are comfortable diving into. Things from your life experiences and your story that are relatable and worth sharing.
Elizabeth recommended the book Essentialism. It is about the idea that we can’t do everything great, and focus on the 1 to 2 things we are really good at. Instead of trying to do it all ourselves, know what you know and what you don’t know, and delegate it.
For people who want more of a public appearance, choose a social network. Whether you use LinkedIn, Twitter, or Instagram, pick one and go with it.
When thinking about your personal brand, think about what happens if you die tomorrow. What will people say about you?
This may sound very dark, but you want to leave a legacy that is beyond the work you do. What can you do right now to make sure that what you want people to say about you, they are saying right now?
Work backward, what is that feeling you want people to have about you, and then start doing and living the way you want to be remembered?
About Elizabeth Rosenberg
Elizabeth Rosenberg is the founder of The Good Advice Company, a marketing and communications consultancy that coaches agencies, brands, and C-suite leaders on global messaging strategies, brand positioning, and thought leadership. She is the embodiment of a true new-era global PR and marketing executive, standing for resourcefulness, creativity, and effectiveness in a time fueled by heightened social and cultural awareness. Elizabeth is currently working on her book and speaking about her health and wellness journey while maintaining a high-profile position working with some of the best-known and innovative brands in the world.
Listen to episode 141, another example of burnout and how to recover from it.
Connect with and learn more from Elizabeth:
If you are struggling to find clarity around your personal branding efforts, differentiate yourself, and attract your soul mate clients, schedule a discovery call with me. I’d love to help you not only find clarity but build a personal brand that stands out so that you can make an impact.
