Written by Tamara Schweitzer
It was evident by the amount of lively discussion and participation taking place in Saturday morning’s session on “Building Your Personal Brand,” that this is a hot topic for SVN members. No matter who you are and what you do, whether you are the CEO of a company, an employee, or an independent professional, in the age of internet connectivity, personal branding is a concept we all confront and — to a certain extent — grapple with.
The panelists convened for the session represented a wide range of personal branding experience from public speaking, to social media and traditional PR and communications. Before the discussion kicked off, facilitator Andy Shallal, the founder of Busboys and Poets — and a champion of personal expression through public outlets — asked the audience about their own challenges in creating a personal brand. Here’s the discussion that took shape and some reflections on the intersection of your personal brand and your core beliefs.
On becoming a personal brand:
Panelist Josh Baran, seasoned PR and communications professional, addressed the topic of how to create your personal brand by telling the story of his work with the Dalai Lama. When Baran first started working with the Dalai Lama in 1985 he was known and defined by his Buddhist teachings and leadership in that niche community. It wasn’t until the late 90s that the Dalai Lama emerged from that identity into a personal brand when he began exploring his own ideas about happiness and wrote the book “The Art of Happiness.” By sharing his beliefs and convictions outside of Buddhism, the Dalai Lama widened his brand and became more relatable to the mainstream.
Baran says it is the beliefs and convictions you hold that are at the foundation of your personal brand. Expanding upon that, Amber Rae, another panelist who does communications and social media work with the Unreasonable Institute, says the key to personal branding is in being yourself and unlocking your personal story.
On separation:
One area of concern for audience members was how to separate their personal brand from their company brand, and what exactly the differentiators are between a personal and professional brand. Addressing this, Rae said separation between the two is the wrong thing to focus on. Rather, she encouraged us to focus on where we can find alignment between our companies and ourselves. Ultimately, our personal brands are an extension of our companies.
In fact, panelist Marta Flynn who is working on launching “Speaking for Good,” the first speakers agency for leaders bringing about social change, says that increasingly customers want to know the person behind the brand. By sharing your personal story and flare, you are only helping to enhance your company brand, and in doing so gaining supporters of your personal brand as well. And, when it comes to sharing your personal beliefs and interests, Baran says at a certain point, “you have to make a decision about how far you want to go online, and what you’re comfortable sharing.” To that point, it’s all relative. There are lots of people who put very little boundaries on their online presence, while others might feel queasy about the idea of revealing aspects of their personal life. Some members of the audience shared their experience maintaining two Facebook accounts – one that they use to represent themselves professionally (separate from a company page), and one that they maintain solely for personal interactions with close friends and family, as one way to approach the issue of separation.
On modes of expression:
Many audience members expressed apprehension over the pressure they feel to build their personal brand through presence on social media. Rae says the key is just to start and choose an online outlet that you are most comfortable expressing yourself through. She says the technology doesn’t matter as much as the content, and by communicating your story, you will organically build a following around others who connect with that message.
For those who aren’t big Tweeters, or may not even have a Twitter account, you can still have an online presence through a personal website or blog. The panelists all reinforced that the impact of your personal brand doesn’t hinge upon your number of Twitter followers or how often you update your Twitter account. However, if you enjoy using Twitter, that’s a perfect outlet for expressing your motivations and interests. By interests, we don’t mean your favorite laundry detergent or the funny thing your cat did. But, if you’re running a marathon to raise money for a cause, or you are passionate about a certain kind of coffee because you support the story behind their roasting process, those are the kind of personal details that make you stand out and represent who you are. It also makes you someone interesting who others would want to follow.
Rae says people like to follow other people on Twitter more than they like to follow businesses. That’s because people are intrigued by what makes up your personality: they want to hear about other human experiences and challenges, the mistakes you’ve made, and the advice you have. Laura Flanders, a leader in the independent media world who was also participating in the conversation, offered her wisdom on the subject: “When you express your core curiosity or motivations online, you are creating an outlet for others to latch onto,” she said.
On the importance of substance:
There are so many opportunities for people to get their message out now, but it’s just as important to express yourself effectively as it is to put it out there, says Baran. With so many competing messages, it’s definitely challenging to be completely unique, and that’s why Baran emphasizes that the more concrete and direct you can be, the better. There are thousands of blogs out there, and lots of noise on Twitter and Facebook, but just because you’re communicating through those outlets doesn’t mean anything. He says too many blogs are poorly written and don’t say much, and the same goes for posting messages on Twitter and Facebook. Before you say anything representing your personal brand, you need to think more deeply about what you want to communicate, then write tightly and simply, and always write something of real substance.
On finding balance:
When all else fails, take a technology Sabbath! Sometimes it’s much easier to get clarity and feel revived about your brand when you allow yourself to step away and shut down for 24 hours, or even just an evening. Remember, sharing your core beliefs and your passions shouldn’t be overwhelming, so do what feels right to you and stick to it!
2011 Social Venture Network Fall Conference Interactive Workshop “Building Your Personal Brand” with Josh Baran, Baran Communications, Marta Flynn, Speaking for Good and Amber Rae, Unreasonable Institute; Facilitated by Andy Shallal, Busboys and Poets
Written by Tamara Schweitzer – Executive editor of Socialbrite.org, and a contributing writer for Dowser. Follow her on Twitter at @tschweitzer.
Photos courtesy of Nancy Jo
Let’s start with this: have you ever seen a Rhodes Scholar cry? I hadn’t, until Friday night’s Innovation Award Winners ceremony. One of the honorees was Eric Greitens, a man with list of credentials so long and impressive, including a Rhodes Scholarship, that he sounds more like a superhero than your ordinary mortal. Among his credits: Navy SEAL in charge of a team charged with tracking down mid- and high-level members of Al Qaeda in Iraq. Greitens is the founder of The Mission Continues, which helps wounded and disabled veterans reintegrate into their communities with a sense of purpose. There came a point during his brief speech, as he was thinking back on wounded veterans he has known, when this strikingly poised man choked up and couldn’t find words. It was an unlikely and moving moment, a raw and pure display of the passion beneath the poised and professional package. Thousands of years ago, Plato wrote about the “good, the beautiful and the true.” It was all on display in that moment.
And then, on Saturday night, the legendary Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield of Ben & Jerry’s shared the stage. For much of the time, they told war stories (of the entertaining, not Iraq, kind) and were their usual genially avuncular selves. But they had a trick up their sleeves. Towards the end of their allotted time slot, Ben pleaded sudden illness and left the stage, only to re-appear moments later dressed as an Indian swami and carried aloft by acolytes who during their off hours, I believe, were doubling as conference attendees. After much silly ado, Ben was laid between two chairs, a cinder block was placed on his exposed (and impressively fit!) belly, and Jerry brought down a sledgehammer and smashed it (the cinder block, not the belly) into smithereens.
2011 Social Venture Network Fall Conference Plenary: Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield, Ben & Jerry’s Homemade, in conversation with Deb Nelson, SVN
