In a Fast-Paced, High Tech and Noisy World, How Do You Stay True to Your Brand?

Staying true to my brand was a question I had to answer early on in my career. It sounds like such a simple question. But, I remember as a young professional it wasn’t that easy. I shared a story in my book, Answers for Modern Communicators, about my experience working for a company when I was a few years out of college. In all of my years of agency work, it was the only time I landed an in-house job doing PR and events. At the time, the company leadership wanted me to dress a certain way. As a matter of fact, they wanted me to look a certain way too, by using their makeup brand and skincare products. They also wanted me to have an avant-guard hairstyle. If you knew me, then seeing me with super short, red hair and orange-ish eye shadow clearly was not my brand. 

It was almost "The Devil Wears Prada" movie moment when I decided to leave the company. Do you remember toward the end of the movie when Ann Hathaway stepped out of Miranda Priestly's car and threw her phone into the fountain? From that point on, she never looked back. My departure wasn’t as dramatic, but I was still able to discover my own style, fashion, passion and how to be true to my own brand. That was the first step; learning to trust myself and that I would uncover the "unique me.”

I wanted to be a professional who didn’t have to look or act like anyone else. From that day forward, being true to my brand meant showing my authentic self, which often translated into wearing my passion and values on my sleeve. Who I was in person, whether at work or with my family and friends, was the same. Today, who I am online is who I am offline at events and meetings. I’m a marketer and storyteller, with a love for media, and an educator and mentor who wants to make a difference. I’m also a self-professed #ForeverStudent. 

Even my side hustle, my podcast show, Women Worldwide, is true to my brand. Every week the show interviews women (and sometimes men) who share their unique career journeys, offering tips and actionable advice. I like to say that every week we're helping professionals with their challenges and changing lives, one story at a time. And, even though every day I find myself embarking on a new adventure in business, marketing, and media, I still feel true to my brand.

Having answered the question, I thought it would be interesting to ask several women, from the Women Worldwide network, the same question. Whether it’s a sentence or two, or a full paragraphs, these women know how to be true to their brands too!

Susan Freeman, CEO, Freeman Means Business, Author, Speaker & Podcaster

Authenticity is very important to my followers -- and to me. It IS my personal brand. Staying true to my brand, valuing my followers, prospects, my clients, and showing that I care about more about the message than the money is as important to me as any of the services I offer. Creating equity in the workplace means more than any money ever will and sharing how we get there is meaningful. Realistically, I must know my value and charge fees fairly in order to sustain the good work I do. 

Being real -- and sometimes raw -- is key to my success because it is who and how I am. I don't just focus on the how. I focus on the "why" -- every day. I ask, "Why is it meaningful to do this, or why is it important to say or share that"? 

Identifying my core values -- like equality -- was my first step toward establishing and maintaining my authentic brand. From establishing my core principles to communicating my values, the key is being consistently authentic -- and sometimes even vulnerable -- while fighting for equity in the workplace.

Corina Manea, Digital Marketer, Brand Strategist, Blogger

It first starts with identifying your core values... what makes you, you? If you have a company, think about the values behind it. What drove you to start your company?

As you grow, as your brand grows, it's easy to lose sight of your core values. But before saying "yes" to the new shiny opportunity ask yourself, “Does it align with my values? Am I doing it out of fear and lack mindset or am I doing it out of love for my brand, my customers, the people who believe in me?"

When you answer truthfully to those questions, things become clear really fast and the answer reveals itself to you.

Stephanie Dalfonzo, Anxiety Expert, Coach & Author

To me, staying true to my brand is being the exact same person I am in my personal life as I am in business. We think we have a "work-life" and a "personal life" when we only have one life; so show up as your very best self!

Dolores Hirschmann, Founder of Masters in Clarity, Strategist, Author & Speaker

To be true to your brand, you need to have a clear understanding of who you are, what you stand for, and what impact you want to create in the world. The energy from that standpoint is what you want to communicate, both visually and with your words, as you step out into the world.

Donna O’Donnell Figurski, Caregiver, Author & Podcaster 

Since my husband’s encounter with a subarachnoid hemorrhage, an aneurysm, and an arteriovenous malformation in 2005, my life has revolved around brain injury, as I continually search for ways to improve the quality of life for survivors and caregivers and to make the public aware of this life-changing and often-invisible injury.  

My blog, SurvivingTraumaticBrainInjury.com; my radio show, “Another Fork in the Road” on the Brain Injury Radio Network; my writings published in both online and print magazines; and my book, “Prisoners without Bars: A Caregiver’s Tale” (a memoir many readers have called “a heart-wrenching love story”) are platforms I use to be true to my brand, by imparting knowledge to members of the brain injury community, as well as to the general public.

Sheila Murphy, President & CEO of Focus Forward Consulting & Career Coach

For me, the most important thing is that your brand must be who you are. If you are a brilliant and innovative change-maker-- do not try to position yourself as someone who brings calm to chaos.   People know if your brand is unauthentic-- and if it is unauthentic it is ineffective. To be true to my brand for me- is to be consistent and my authentic self in all my brand channels and no matter the audience. You cannot be everything to everyone and those who don't appreciate your brand- aren't your customers anyway. But if they know your real brand-- they may be able to connect you to the right audience. The nice thing about being the authentic self/brand it already makes you unique because there is only one you.

Now it's your turn to answer the question ... how are you being true to your brand?