Gone are the days where you have to either be in Los Angeles or New York to “be somebody.” We are living in a time where you are a walking brand and representation of yourself. The other day, as I was chatting with my colleagues about how they do not like The Kardashians reality television show. They went on and on about how The Kardashians are rich and how they think it’s a waste of time to watch other rich people. I chimed in and said “nowadays everyone has an opportunity to be ‘famous’.” They looked at me, the same way you’re probably looking at me reading this blog.
Hear me out. When the Kardashian reality show started, it was in a time where we did not have social media. TikTok, YouTube, and Instagram have quite literally made people go from “regular people” to worldwide fame. Some rose very quickly and some, it took time, but they got there. This conversation had me thinking that everyone is a walking brand. You represent yourself as a brand. That means three things:
- You are to define who you are
- Understand your audience
- Decide your footprint
First, defining who you are means that you need to understand who you want to be. I know what you’re thinking. “Of course, I want to be myself.” Yes, be yourself. But do you know what that is? Who are you? Understanding who you are will help you to understand who you want to talk to. Who is your tribe? What does your community look like? You can be a real estate agent seeking a community of mortgage brokers, agents, and others in your field. Or, you can show up as a mompreneur who is making her way through motherhood and entrepreneurship. Are you outgoing or an introvert? Are your people the kind of people who enjoy being on social media but get overwhelmed with seeing the aesthetically pleasing homes that are, dare I say it, unrealistic? Deciding who you are will help you complete the next step.
The next step is defining your audience. Who are you speaking to? Your audience wants to know and understand the real you. They want to understand if you mesh or not. It’s important to understand who you are so that you can know who you’re speaking with. When you know who your audience is, you can study them. If your audience, which they should, relates to you, you have an opportunity to study attributes about yourself that you can leverage.
Leveraging your audience, brings me to my final step, which is deciding your footprint. Your “footprint” is what you are putting out there. Essentially, it’s your content. What do you represent? Here at TRUE, we represent body-positivity and living your most authentic life. We are all different shapes and sizes and have been on a journey to self-love and acceptance. We encourage other people to live their best lives by being who they want to be no matter what the world says. With that being said, how are you inspiring people? What story are you telling? Everyone has a story you can leverage your own story for your personal brand.
If you’re thinking about building your personal brand, TRUE Image Group offers free consultation to help you create a strategy and a plan. Visit our website to book a call and let’s create and inspire!
