"PERSONAL BRANDING" VS "INFLUENCER" and How You Must Know Your Aims When It Comes to Your Singular Work

The pitfalls of confusing “Personal Branding” and “Influencer”…

I see so much poor advice around these topics, which set major traps.

And many of them keep people f*cking broke — financially, emotionally, creatively, & existentially.

Just as this woman shares in the article below.

“When you’re an influencer, you become the product — you’re selling yourself to the world,” Warling, 26, from Los Angeles, explained to The Post. “And when you’re the product, you can’t stop. You always have to be on all the time.”

“You’re constantly updating your socials, making videos, taking on brand deals because your livelihood depends on it,” she added.

“Living that lifestyle can be extremely difficult.”

The perks of being a trailblazer aside, Wolfermann began feeling “brainwashed” by the unrelenting pressure to post and perform for social media’s pleasure.

“I feel like since [becoming an influencer], I haven’t done anything with my brain.”

I have watched some “Magnetic Marketers” try to tell their audience that the brand starts with You.

And they post endless posts about their life, lunch, lifestyle, yoga wear sex-pot pics (men too), vague something something about believing in yourself & manifestation, regurgitated (insert industry) tip from whatever “best selling” book, a wispy transformational Abraham Hicks like platitudes & posts…. (Whatever floats your boat)

Except they never really share much about their work (I won’t say Your Singular Work because they’re nowhere near recognizing what that is), how they actually help their clients (if they have them & a service), what they actually do & how, or their stance & philosophy regarding any of it.

They do videos, livestreams, reels, podcasts, YouTube, have a funnel, IG accounts, maybe a book, pictures of themselves on stages, as they cover every medium to disseminate content imaginable, except it’s primarily all about their story and journey (if that) which, once again, rarely connects back to any work, how it informs their work, their approach & ideas, and how it serves their client, industry, field, or future aims.

ME ME ME ME

They are the center of attention.

They are the main character.

They are the highlight.

They are the product.

This is the definition of what has become “An Influencer”.

Except, if you actually have sophisticated, high touch work, which you could likely say is highly conceptual & abstract, following this guidance & focusing only on YOU and your story, daily life and lifestyle will be a huge deterrent & distraction from the aims of Your Singular Work, while also positioning it & yourself as an authority as a true, distinct, and actual influence in your industry, field, market.

(Singular meaning exceptional, rare, unique — not one)

This woman in the article discovered the trappings of making herself & life the product and focus.

I, too, started to experience the pitfalls of what so many of these “magnetic marketers” & “attraction marketers”suggested & spout, many which later admitted struggling and even quitting, when I first brought my business online.

I was sharing my work, while also following this guidance in the first year, sharing many confessional stories, personal life, etc, except I soon learned I was attracting people who thought I was cool, who only wanted to be my friend, some wanted to be my boyfriend or lover (thankfully I’ve never received a

pic), or simply a person to entertain & “inspire”, and a lot of these same people had ZERO interest in addressing their money or representing remarkable work and business.

I will never tell someone THE way to do something, especially when it comes to Your Singular Work & business, but I will inform you what to expect.

I always want to know what my client’s work is, starting with their process & approach, which is typically not linear, especially with the professional creatives & critical artists.

It’s not a framework. It starts with how my client “sees” and how they organize & apply information & concepts in order to deliver superior results (if they have a service/product). It’s typically nonlinear but there is a philosophy behind what & how they are approaching a “problem”, concept, idea, which is important to recognize.

The funnel, the YouTube channel, the book, the podcast, reels, videos, livestreams, are simply mediums.

They are NOT Your Singular Work.

They are not your branding & marketing, which is communication of your philosophy, content, messaging, and concepts.

Except, I see this getting very confused, especially by marketers who intentionally mislead their buyers into buying the medium BEFORE a person really knows and understands what must come first: Your Singular Work.

This also why many of you continue to spin your wheels and invest thousands of dollars , DESPITE doing all the work and “doing everything right”.

Your Singular Work comes FIRST.

Before branding: content, marketing, messaging.

Before pricing.

Before structure.

Before strategy.

Before the medium to disseminate: reels, livestreams, videos,YouTube channel, podcast, funnels, book, speaking.

Before your client & context.

Am I saying you should not share the personal: your stories, opinions, likes/dislikes, life(style), selfies, etc?

Absolutely not.

I’m simply saying you must be mindful of what you lead with and how.

There is a way to connect those things back to Your Singular Work & client which serve your higher aims.

Einstein, Picasso, Oprah, Gary V, Musk, J.K Rowling, to name obvious mainstream figures, each had work, which created influence and brought them notoriety,

Their work is not separate from their name, but it led first.

Name any well known public figure you respect, especially creatives, writers, scientists, business mavericks, artists, performers, musician, etc. and then consider their work & contribution.

Your Singular Work is that which comes FROM & is OF you, which has the potential to lead to radically transformative and influential changes in your industry, field, and/or community,

CONSOLIDATE.

Integrate your singular gifts, lens, experiences, expertise, education, and ideas so you can finally give them the form & expression they deserve, rising above “expert”, and instead finally be the creative genius & master.

Otherwise, choosing to only be “An Influencer”, selling other people’s products or services, or making it only about you & representing yourself that way, you risk never answering the deeper existential question of what you are actually here to share and represent through Your Singular Work.

Catherine xx

https://nypost.com/2024/02/22/lifestyle/gen-z-millennials-are-deinfluencing-giving-up-for-9-to-5-jobs/?utm_campaign=nypost&sr_share=facebook&utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social&fbclid=IwAR2Nlb1LfqtdqTbCI3cSSh-9XDSjPJKuEZoGKYEthTYZDDUW3uVbsPLofbI