Building a Following vs Personal brand
We all see “personal branding” experts that promise to increase your followers. I can’t deny it, it is a good skill too.
But frankly speaking, it is not the best plan for a successful personal brand and your business ecosystem.
Let’s understand the differences.
Focus
Building a following centers on increasing the number of followers. It mainly focuses on numbers and they are usually like vanity metrics such as impressions etc.
Building a personal brand is about shaping how others see you. It focuses on your image and values.
Personal branding should prioritize your reputation, positioning, and relevant audience.
Method
To build a following, you might use trends, popular content, and “viral strategies. “ So those people usually follow all the trends to increase their vanity metrics. It's about maximizing visibility and attracting numbers quickly
For a personal brand, you use consistent messaging that reflects your true self and your professional strengths. So you prioritize value rather than popularity. It prioritizes meaningful connections
You have to remember this your LinkedIn account is strongly tied to your career.
Outcome
A large following doesn’t mean loyal or engaged followers.
A strong personal brand leads to trust and loyalty and it expands your professional network.
This loyalty can turn into long-term benefits for your business.
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Impact
Followers might come and go based on trends. It can bring you lots of short-term opportunities like paid sponsorship posts etc.
A personal brand stays with you. It can help you in many ways across your career and business life.
Conclusion
If you want popularity, and short-term results go chase every trend and increase the number of followers you have.
If you want a strong reputation, and sustainable business results, build your personal brand and forget about the vanity metrics.
They are not your goals, followers will be the by-product of the value and quality you deliver.
And that is what I teach here:
Task of the Week
Review your short, mid, and long-term goals and understand how your personal brand can help you to achieve those.
Question of the Week
Do you only want followers or have a good reputation as well?
Director at Vector97 Software and Service Pvt Ltd | Managing, Planning, Directing, Compliance
5 个月I totally agree with you Seha Okudan! I resonate with the aspect that reputation is a by-product of the value and quality one delivers. This is the right way to for a personal brand to be perceived.
LinkedIn Top Voice & digital strategist - I help craft unforgettable personal brands through authentic, strategic storytelling.
5 个月This is a great breakdown of the key differences, Seha. The point about focusing on value rather than popularity for personal branding really resonates.
Converting businesses into brands | Creating Insane marketing and sales systems for your brands to 10X your growth.
5 个月Personal branding is more important to attract the right audience, Seha.
Building AI Allbound Systems for B2B Companies & Founders | AI Allbound Expert & GTM Engineer For Early Stage Startups | Founder @Allbound OS
5 个月awesome, will take a peek Seha
I Help You Build High-Performing Teams | Heart-Centric Leadership
5 个月Well said, Seha Okudan. Although it's great when more people see and interact with our posts and content, they also need to be the right people. Chasing after vanity metrics generally means ignoring consistent and focused messaging. Building a community of followers takes time!