Chesney Hawkes. Whilst I never thought I’d be opening a business article with those words, the man has a point when it comes to embracing your own unique qualities. Whether you’re trying to make it as a model, an artist, or a village hairdresser, there has never been more information available online about you as an individual, which means that cultivating your own personal brand has never been more important. Take a look at my suggestions for giving the right impression to existing and potential customers, and improving your status as a public figure. Nobody I’d rather be.
- Check your positioning; keep asking yourself where you fit in the market, what your strengths are, who else is already out there, and who your target audience is.
- Avoid aligning yourself to negativity, which in turn will form a strong negative connection to you for your audience. Even posting something sad or angry on Facebook can have this effect, so if you’re not well, or not happy, avoid social networking for a brief period. This is especially true if you have online ‘fans’, who will be quick to bombard you with their sympathy and advice… whilst this is a nice gesture, and many crave the attention negative posting brings, ultimately you want to remain aspirational, not pitiful.
- Think twice. Everything you say and do online will be seen and interpreted by somebody, so make sure every action gives out the right message.
- Don’t air your dirty laundry in public. If you’re a public figure, and use your social networking sites for work, never post about personal topics and relationships. 5,000 friends need to know about your new website launch… they don’t need to know that you caught your boyfriend cross dressing. Keep an eye on your openness when blogging, as the medium tempts you into treating it as a diary. A diary that anyone can access and send to a friend. And then print out.
- Make sure you have a set of professional head shots, whatever creative sector you’re in. If you’re not attractive, wear a bag over your head and make a feature of it.
- Even though you’re actively trying to promote yourself, don’t throw basic privacy precautions out of the window. Never disclose living, family, or financial details, and if you can, use a dedicated email, phone number and PO Box for work matters. A good way of scaring yourself silly is to ask a friend of a friend to find out as much as they can about you online, and report their findings, so that you can adjust what you’ve put out there accordingly. Better them than an identity thief or stalker.
- Google yourself on a regular basis. Just make sure you take yourself out to dinner first.
This has, of course, been a general overview of personal branding; if you’d like to read detailed information and advice on how to self yourself correctly, Sarah-Jane will shortly be releasing a set of immensely helpful business E Books, covering this, and many other topics of interest to young creatives, in depth. To receive news of when these guides become available, please send your details to sarahjane@sarahjaneadams.com, or join her on Facebook.
