Since last Thursday’s post, “I Don’t Care About Your Personal Brand,” there have been many conversations about why personal brands are or are not valid marketing models (image by Nirav Mehta). There have been some threads that unite to form general arguments for the personal brand, which deserve some discussion. Why? Because they fail to serve social media communicators who work with actual companies.
1) Self-centeredness: I’ve heard self awareness and self fulfillment as reasons to cultivate personal brands. Why don’t we just call this category self-centered since it’s the personal brand using excuses about self worth to cultivate a personal brand.
How does ego-centric branding help a corporation? Why would deploying self-centered brands positively help them affect change, stop contrived messaging and engage in real conversations?
Like the personal brand, companies have been too self-centered, and not market centric. This is the heart of the Cluetrain Manifesto. Any social media consultant needs to read this book, otherwise they will not understand the underpinnings of the social web.
Companies need to stop BS, and start conversing in real dialogue, as opposed to employing rock stars who may or may not offer value in conversations about larger products/solutions and market needs. Social media requires a human voice, not a rock star personal brand. Just a real person with a real voice reaching out in a genuine conversation.
I will say the two can coincide if the personality adheres to the company role. Consider Scott Monty and Shashi Bellamkonda.
2) Personal brands work for consultants: True. It works for the person. That’s great if you are an author or an independent “Army of One.”
See, the problem is an individual consultant’s model – personal branding – is being sold to companies, and it doesn’t work on a large scale. It does not work for corporate communications – my primary focus. Companies by their very definition are more than one person.
If you are Microsoft do you really want another Robert Scoble to come and go? Further, personal brands and rock stars undermine teams and the kind of collaborative cultures necessary for corporate success.
It’s about we, not me. This is a universal facet of all successful life relationships — personal or business. Look how $200 million worth of all-stars have benefited the New York Yankees. Zero rings since 2000.
3) Social Media: But it’s social media! Really? I don’t think there’s anything social about a contrived personal brand. I think being genuine and allowing your personality to come through in a conversation is social. Social media implies more than one (as does communications) in a conversation, and conversations offer genuine dialogue between people, not personal brands.
Personal branding is all about the individual. So when we communicate personal brands in social media spaces we’re messaging at people, rather than engaging with them. That makes for a pretty bad conversation, IMO. See Cluetrain again, and spare me the personal brand BS.
If you are over-cultivating an intentional personal brand, it’s contrived for business (or vanity) and does not equate to a real conversation. Conversations become a notch in your belt towards achieving your self-image rather than a meaningful, sincere two way conversation.
4) Personal branding is about building value: Really? Maybe. The way I was taught branding is that a brand is a promise about a service to the marketplace that’s communicated through visual and verbal communications, as well as the actual product/service experiences.
Building value is about selling stuff to people. Trust me, I do it everyday when I send emails to prospects that contain links to valuable articles related to their business.
So is personal branding promising to deliver something to the market, or is it salesmanship? If that persona is a consultant or an author then I would say a personal brand. But if not, I might argue the latter — it’s selling in the classic Jeffrey Gitomer sense.
And if building value is really branding an individual vis a vis thought leadership, how does that personal brand translate to a company’s brand and value proposition? It doesn’t do so very naturally, and I don’t see it as a smart social communications strategy for a company.
5) You need personality online: Yes! This is true. That’s why we recommend Rohit Bharagava’s book to clients who struggle with this. But there’s a difference between being yourself, and manifesting contrived “Flair” online. Sooner or later BS like this gets called out, or loses attention from the community.
The most successful individuals with thousands of followers on Twitter (the home of the personal brand) are those that just let it hang out in a natural way. They don’t monitor Qwitter for optimal following, etc. Instead, they do what they do, and share what they want. There’s no real formal strategy.
6) But you yourself are a personal brand: Am I? Umm, until someone else besides me gets Now Is Gone tattooed on their body, I’m not buying it. It’s gotta take more than a couple thousand friends and followers to become a brand. That bar is way too low. No, I’m just another mouthy blogger. Search Technorati, you’ll find we’re a dime a dozen (image by Shashi Bellamkonda).
No one comes to this company because I ride a Ducati. Or because I am particularly vocal on Twitter and on marketing issues like this one. In fact, one could argue that while my personality online rings through and I am genuine, that these aspects of my personality turn away some business opportunities. Clients come to us because of a proven, award-winning track record of social media successes.
Further, Geoff Livingston, the individual, is not Livingston Communications. There is more than a handful of people operating under this masthead, all with their own personal brand identities. In reality, promising me as Livingston Communications would be bad branding because it would be a lie. I can’t do all or even most of the work. That’s why we are a company, and one that hopes to add ownership partners in 2009.
I made this same point to personal brander Dan Schawbel. For the record, if you are an individual seeking to build a good consulting brand, I do think Dan’s blog offers great value..
Geoff, I spelled your name wrong on that blog post and now you returned the favor (just like everyone sadly) of spelling it “Schwabel” instead of “Schawbel.” I can’t shake this branding mistake, unless I’m on Twitter, where people have to spell it right.
Anyways, I applaud your perspective on this topic, even though I think a bit differently. You’ve certainly generated some great buzz through your previous post, as well as raise a lot of eyebrows in the community.
As long as people don’t cross the fine line you’ve drawn (being too selfish), I think it’s acceptable to be apart of the community. By building a strong voice, you are in a better position to “announce” your corporate brand to others. For instance, Rohit works for Ogilvy, yet his brand helps Ogilvy get their name out there and get more customers (ie him speaking at 1000 conferences and having thousands of RSS subscribers). Is he also doing this for himself, I would assume so.
OK, I’m going to sleep. Thanks for making me think, as always!
Dan: Thanks for your insights. I appreciate your balanced point of view, and consider the dits made.
I have always found that being true to oenself is a great starting point for creating something that people may call a “personal brand”.
Sometimes people find my mix of being vocal and having opinions a turn-off (I rarely sit on the fence on matters – you get too many splinters in your arse…lol).
However, it is what my friends say “keep me real” and my clients like my no BS views and ability to cut through clutter and help them make the correct decisions.
Mike Ashworth
Marketing Coach and Consultant
Brighton and Hove, Sussex, UK
Boosting Sales for Small and Medium Sized Businesses by
helping them find, attract and keep Customers.
http://www.linkedin.com/in/mikeashworth
http://MichaelAshworth.wordpress.com
If there is coherence and consistency between what a person is and does, how they project themselves, and what people think of them, then that is a valid “personal brand.” Every attempt to project a “brand” that isn’t reflective of the real person and the real value he/she brings is just smoke-and-mirrors. It’s impersonal brag. (And, btw, I am a solo consultant and building a personal brand is central to my market strategy. Hopefully, I’m eating my own dogfood as I go about it…!)
@Dan Schawbel – Rohit is one example. Another good one might be Jeremiah Owyang who has at the very least led one person (me) to Forrester. But none of these really contradict Geoff’s original point that it is contributing value that is seminal and the personal brand that is concomittant.
Geoff – Very good post, and great insight. There’s an echo chamber of everyone building personal brands – and then there’s the whole other world out there using sites like Twitter just to communicate and carry on a conversation. As a marketer, I shouldn’t be as concerned with the echo chamber or becoming a “rock star” – as I should about listening, engaging and having a conversation with those outside the echo chamber.
Point 3 particularly stuck out to me. You’re right, two-way communication is what makes the internet so powerful. And I too have seen too many people take that two-way model, and just turn it into a megaphone on steroids. The great thing about the internet is not that it’s a vehicle to get your message out to the masses – there have been other vehicles to do that before. What’s different about the internet is that it lets the masses get their message to you. That information is invaluable, and I think a lot of people are missing that. (Though, obviously a lot of people also understand this.)
Anyways, thanks for the insight…great post.
Geoff
Another thought provoking post to add to the conversation. You have some very valid points regarding personal brands and whilst I refrain from using the word (because I think it has been over used and lost its real meaning) personal branding is about being ‘authentic’ to yourself first and foremost and not creating false images or personas.
I believe that many people were ‘personally branding’ themselves way before Tom Peters wrote about it over 10 years ago. They used it to overcome potential career disadvantages or to maximise what they were good at to advance themselves – perhaps doing it unconsciously a lot of the time but still offering ” a service to the marketplace that’s communicated through visual and verbal communications, as well as the actual product/service experiences.” – ie. doing what they said they can do and producing measurable results.
The interesting shift with personal branding over the last couple of years has been that large corporations are embracing the concept of personal branding as an employee engagement and development initiative and myself and a number of other personal brand strategists are involved in several such programs with F500 companies to help them do that.
Whilst I agree people may not want to work for you just because you ride a Ducati, I would offer to suggest that it might be a deciding factor for someone weighing up whether they want to work with a ’suit’ or a ‘leather jacket’ !
Even you identify that “There is more than a handful of people operating under this masthead, all with their own personal brand identities.” – exactly the reason that other companies are embracing this approach to stand out, perhaps you have been ahead of the curve, or just did not put the personal brand ‘label’ on it until now, but I think its personal branding just the same.
Thanks again for the continued discussion, I look forward to tracking this conversation as avidly as the last.
Geoff,
Great work here. When I traveled with a rock band each of us worked diligently to create a personna, which we eventually grew into, losing our selves. Works great in a band; not so much in real life. It took me two decades after leaving rock ‘n roll to rediscover the real me. Now folks who choose to read me or have a conversation with my do so because of who I am, not what I am.
Geoff,
I wrote a post a few days back titled “Personal Branding is Your Interview Suit.” I almost subbed the term “Online Profile” for “Personal Branding.” Unfortunately, PB is the term these days for one’s online profile. I think the term is sullied by the many hucksters that think social media, by itself, is a means to great success. Smart people with passion rise to the top of any field, right? No “personal brand” can save you if your product and/or ideas are flimsy.
Anyway, thanks as always for the great post.
@sean and @ lewis By it’s very nature, the term “personal branding” assumes a level of hucksterism as opposed to genuine, authentic character. A brand is managed, and contrived, intentional in trying to evoke an outcome. People just are. Great comments from both of you.
Geoff,
Thanks for initiating and continuing this great debate. I worked as a career counselor in higher education for many years, prior to starting my own private practice. As part of my transition to independent work, I participated in the Reach 360 program with a Reach certified brand strategist. It was a good experience.
One of the biggest benefits I’ve experienced from the process was unexpected: I emerged with greater self-knowledge and clarity on how to describe myself. It has helped me better articulate my strengths and weaknesses: I can more easily define who I am, and who I am not–and that makes it easier to communicate and present myself with authenticity and decisiveness. (If I were actively seeking employment, I think it would also help me in evaluating suitable roles.)
In a nutshell, regardless of how you look at the external value of personal branding (i.e. whether or not it should be valued at all), I think Paul’s point about knowing whether you want to work amongst a “suit” or a “leather jacket” is spot-on.
Again, thanks for creating a forum to think about these issues.
Really good points.
And besides, a “brand” is determined by the market/people, not by the company or individual. A company creates some content (logo, videos, text, site etc…) and the market determines the brand over time.
Same with an individual. People either accept your brand as you’ve positioned it, or not.
It is a tough call to make. I do agree with the fact that personal brand can be more seen as selfish and a way to better oneself. But why not? What’s wrong with that and if your reputation and production can back that up, whatever personal brand you are striving for can work.
At the same time I completely agree that you can’t BS. Whether in person or online, you have to be yourself. I have talked with other online bloggers who have said they would meet bloggers in person and their personality is a complete 180 degrees. That could be the minority but let your personality come out and people will respect you more for it, and it will help separate you from others.
Craig
http://www.budgetpulse.com
Great contrarian, sarcastic, entertaining take on this. But personal brand is more than whether you’re a dime a dozen, its the modern fact that before or after someone meets you they can learn all about you through Twitter, LinkedIn, My Space and your blogs. That’s your brand, it doesn’t need to affect millions to still be valuable.
Branding gives a constant message, the same visual or logo and talking points or slogan, forever and ever (yawn) Lawyers get involved in most branding (sharks) The markets shift and then re-branding makes it new and improved (costs more) People aren’t constant (robot) at least interesting people with a personality aren’t the same forever and ever (amen) The best pop stars reinvent themselves (madonna) I think personal branding is more of an alter ego (crazy) a super empathic personality (liberal) an internet hero who knows everyone and everything (sage mcgreen) When was the last time you updated your image? (dorky picture)
Personal branding isn’t always an all-encompassing perfect marketing strategy. However, it can be a great way to establish a relationship with potential clients and colleagues who may be drawn to the personal touch that social networking sites offer. This is a really great post, and I’m looking forward to reading more about what you have to say!
Geoff,
As you know, I agree with you, especially because the concept has gotten carried away with itself. There are plenty of people who are misrepresenting themselves and they are destined for brand failure (if people have brands, as they say).
However, I am concerned that people are hijacking and misdefining terms that have fed this discussion. If we define personal branding as synonymous with personal image as many, if not most, people online do, then this argument is spot on, timely, and needed.
However, if we define personal branding as the net sum of all negative and positive impressions, then it doesn’t work as well because it reinforces the erred definition of the term. Or, if we consider that sometimes our personal image can have a negative or positive impact on reputation, then we have to consider it as well. Of course, there is always the best way — be yourself and make that your brand, which is what I think you are saying.
In addition, I also don’t think that a personal brand has to be managed and contrived or intentional as much as it can serve people as n individual guide of sorts. For example, several months ago, there was a CEO who wanted to totally transparent in the recruiting industry. But when his company faced layoffs, he hinted at layoffs, then rebutted layoffs, and then laid people off. In the end, his actions were contrary to his reputation, brand, and image. A reminder might have helped him out so he could have made better decisions and retain what he once valued as essential. (Or our favorite Whole Foods CEO example, for that matter).
My point being is that there is nothing wrong with someone reminding you of what you said or aspire to be. Heck, it might even be needed for those who profess to help others.
For example, I still cannot figure out how some social media experts can celebrate Starbucks on Twitter (a brand that engages the community, managed by numerous faceless online people) and at the same time demand for others to be transparent (to the degrees that even having an editor is questioned). Or the notion that bloggers need to identify themselves if they accept pitches while the same people preach that you never pitch unless you know someone (thus negating the need for badges). If social media were said to have a “brand,” such polar opposite examples are killing it.
Anyway, keep up the good fight. The core of your presentation is spot on: people are people and we ought not to forget it.
Best,
Rich
Hi Geoff,
In this post, and in “I Don’t Care About Your Personal Brand,” you make some outstanding and valid points about personal branding – especially concerning personal brand as a contrivance disassociated from any real value. In this post, you assert that companies need real people with real voices reaching out in genuine conversations. I agree.
Yet, having spent years in business organizations, I find it is the rare person who can have a genuine conversation about their business. So many people have drunk so much of the Corporate Kool-Aid that their conversations are even more contrived than some of the personal branding messages I see. It’s just not uncommon to find people in corporate life who appear to lack the authenticity that generates human conversations in the spirit of “The Cluetrain Manifesto.”
By contrast, I’ve seen personal branding as a process help people discern who they really are, and what they want to achieve for themselves, their companies, and the world. Although I use the term “personal brand” as a way to define the outcome of the work, the result is rarely a self centeredness that strangles real connection and service. In fact, it’s typically the opposite. Frankly, a good portion of work that gets done under the heading of personal branding is actually not about cultivating a brand as much as it is about leveraging one’s unique attributes and skills to connect with a specific audience and make a difference for them.
Thanks for starting a lively and interesting discussion. Glad to be a part of it.
Hello Geoff,
This post does an excellent job in highlighting the potential pitfalls of personal branding. The discussion you initiated is valuable and fascinating.
I would like to focus on your caution to companies about the challenge of having employees with strong brands. As I see it, personal branding and corporate branding are complimentary not conflicting.
Companies realize that their employees will come and go (tenure is decreasing in most industries). They need to get the best (not the most) from their employees while they are there. This means helping employees maximize what makes them valuable. When employees can understand their strengths and skills and apply them to corporate objectives, they and the company move forward.
I work with many companies who integrate personal branding into their talent development programs. These programs enable employees to bolster the corporate brand in ways that are authentic to them – resulting in higher employee engagement, reduced attrition and increased brand value.
Thanks for creating this discussion!
Best.
William
@Paul and Chandlee: Since I wear both suits and leather jackets, neither is an accurate picture. Personal brands are not accurate pictures of real people.
@Rich: I think the core issue is the word brand. And most people don’t know what it means. It should not be used in this context, IMO (everybody’s got one).
@Walter: Making it OK for people to be “personable” is one thing. Adding a contrived personal brand to the mix is another.
Hi Geoff, apologies for being late to the personal brand funeral…I totally agree, we don’t have a personal brand or at least one that we think we can control. Our brand, just like a company’s, is in the eye (or aftertaste) of the beholder. The best we can do is try to manage our reputation, how we treat people and how we behave. Thanks for such a great conversation around this topic.
The weird thing is that all of those people who are proposing the “personal brand” as the way forward forgot that this isn’t even anything new.
Tom Peters wrote “Brand you” in 1999. Indeed its a great work as its not really about “branding” as something that may be false or misleading or not authentic, its all about excelling in your field and doing great work
Perhaps a new term is called for, “personal bland” maybe, for the people who would seek to turn us into automatons all preaching the same thing about how authentic we are.
Mike
@Mike
Tom Peters was certainly the first to talk about personal branding as a term. Since then there have been a number of excellent additions and lead ons from his work where the great work and excelling in your field continue to be encouraged.
Most of the person brand practitioners I know are doing just that. It’s those that are choosing to jump on the social media ‘brandwagon’ without looking at clarifying their brand foundation (or those of their clients) who are clouding the issue and generating many of the misinformed anti-personal brand mantras that think all personal branders are just advocating building false personnas online or elsewhere.
Great to get your perspective and see the debate is still alive and well and willing to be discussed openly and cordially. (well most of the time! ;))
Geoff,
It is unfortunate that you think we’re about “self awareness and self fulfillment as reasons to cultivate personal brands.” But no harsh feelings of course, everyone is entitled to their own opinion. I just wanted to inform you that once again you have inspired us to write another article and would like to share it with you. You can find it here http://tinyurl.com/6xsztq.
“People don’t like being sold, but they love to buy”
Best,
Trace
The recruiting world has been pretty clear about the intent of personal branding. It may not be the thing to say, but a personal brand is the strongest thing you have going for you in the employment market.
It may not be so great for the company, but it sure helps you land that next gig.
Jim,
If selling is part of their roll with the company then it could help the company too. I’ve shared this blog and a few others with my sales staff, since even more so in thsi economy, personal brand, is what sets the products apart. There is risk of them finding a new employer offset by the potential gain of finding a newe client int heir current job.
Greg – I actually typed out the sales role, but figured it was off topic to my main response.
I couldn’t function as a salesperson without a personal brand, and can’t imagine trying to sell without social media tools.
I even have a training DVD and a presentation based on Sales 2.0. The evidence is now incontrovertible. You make more sales and easier sales with social media.
That scares a lot of manager/owners. But they have to decide if they want more sales now from a great salesperson who may leave, or less sales from a mediocre salesperson they may have to fire.
And then of course, there’s the question of contacts, and who owns them. Social media erases the advantage of database and client lists.
Jim,
That’s exactly it! If companies live in fear and don’t support and develop their people because they don’t want to lose them, they will get long-term average employees. If they are willing to let their employees be their best, sure, someday the employee will leave, but they will ensure they are getting great value from them while they are in the company. And when the employees leave, they will do so with a positive image of the company.
I work inside companies helping people build their personal brands and I have found that their are companies who wholeheartedly embrance it and others who have no interest at all in my personal branding programs. The ones who embrace personal branding also happen to appear on lists like ‘The best companies to work for’ and ‘the world’s strongest brands.’
Thanks for your post!
William,
I like to use flash cards.
If a salesperson can bring in $1,000,000 in revenue in the two years that they are with the company, isn’t that better than the salesperson who takes 5 years to bring in as much? And if you have a fair comp plan, you tend not to lose the person.
Of course, that’s sometimes the problem.