What Personal Branding is Not.
Fabrice Gaullier aka Om Bule ??
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TL;DR: Personal branding is not about being fake or self-promotional. It's not a one-time effort or solely about social media. It's not defined by your job title or manipulative tactics. Instead, it's about authenticity, providing value, ongoing commitment, a holistic approach beyond social media, and genuine engagement with the right audience.
What Personal Branding is Not
Understanding what personal branding is not can help clarify its true nature and avoid common misconceptions.
Here’s a detailed explanation:
It’s Not About Being Fake
Inauthentic Representation: Personal branding is not about creating a false image or pretending to be someone you're not. Authenticity is crucial for building trust and meaningful connections.
Masking Flaws: It’s not about hiding your weaknesses or pretending to be perfect. Being honest about your challenges and growth can actually strengthen your brand.
It’s Not Just Self-Promotion
Shameless Self-Promotion: Personal branding is not about constantly bragging about your achievements or promoting yourself without offering value to others.
Ego-Driven: It should not be driven by ego. Effective personal branding focuses on how you can serve and provide value to your audience.
It’s Not a One-Time Effort
Quick Fix: Building a personal brand is not something you can achieve overnight. It requires ongoing effort, consistency, and dedication.
Static: It’s not a set-and-forget process. Personal branding needs to evolve as you grow professionally and as industry trends change.
It’s Not Just About Social Media Presence
Social Media Only: While social media is an important tool for personal branding, it is not the entirety of it. Personal branding encompasses your reputation, the quality of your work, and your interactions both online and offline.
Metrics Obsession: It’s not about the number of followers or likes. Genuine engagement and meaningful connections are more important than superficial metrics.
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It’s Not a Job Title or Resume
Titles and Roles: Your personal brand is not limited to your current job title or the roles you’ve held. It’s about your overall professional identity, including your skills, values, and the impact you make.
Resume Duplication: A personal brand is more than a list of qualifications and experiences. It’s about how you present these elements in a way that tells your unique story.
It’s Not Manipulative
Manipulation: Personal branding is not about manipulating others' perceptions through deceit or insincerity. It should be built on genuine relationships and transparent communication.
Sales Tactic: It’s not merely a tool to sell yourself or your products. Instead, it should focus on building trust and credibility.
It’s Not for Everyone
Universal Appeal: Personal branding is not about appealing to everyone. It’s about attracting the right audience who values and resonates with your unique qualities and expertise.
Generalization: It’s not about being everything to everyone. Niching down and specializing can often be more effective.
Key Takeaways
If you understand what personal branding is not, you can then avoid common pitfalls and focus on building a genuine, impactful, and sustainable personal brand.
Any question or comment? Please, do not hesitate.
Let's start a conversation in the section below.
PS: I can help you improve your brand with proven strategies and tactics. Would you like to talk about it? Send me a DM to arrange a free initial consultation. Or email me at: [email protected]
Love this article. All were explained firm and briefly. I want to share a little bit about what happened to me lately. Actually few months ago, I planned to expand how to deliver the personal branding in more video visual way just like nowadays content trend. Apparently it really made me exhausted and got nothing as well. So lately I was just realised, that I shouldn't force myself to maintain my personal branding using social media content production which is not comfortable for me. Even though it might be the best and fast way to achieve my viewers reached goals when I do it consistently, but I got tired and pressured even before I can continue posting regularly. I evaluated and analysed which proper and comfort way for me to deliver my message rather than follow the crowd. And just like what you mentioned above : just being yourself (like I did before and succeeded), means not only show about your true self personality but also how you show it in your comfortable and manageable posting method. Suddenly I was being reminded that personal branding also set up us as trend & positioning setter, so I don't have to be worried about other people's social media content trend style. It is also my personal thing and choice ??
Helping companies create engagement and retention through experiences || Community builder - Co-President of La French Tech Indonesia || Connector || Contact me!
4 个月Great article! It's a powerful reminder that personal branding is all about authenticity and providing value, not about creating a fa?ade or shameless self-promotion.? Thanks for sharing Om ??
Jobsite Solutions Spesialist
4 个月Artikel maupun postingan berupa video gambar, baik komentar dan semua aktivitas pada platform media sosial ini sangatlah penting bagi kita membangun reputasi atau personal branding process.. dan sangat lah penting bagi audience yang menyimak , dan bisa melakukan interaksi positive.. dan perlu dipahami proses apapun yang disampaikan hendaknya mengedepankan professionalisme yang tinggi, tanpa tendensi negative Sara, ekploitasi, ujaran kebencian dan mungkin kekerasan serta muatan negative yang bahkan tidak terpikirkan sebelumnya. Salam hormat.
Linkedin Accelerator | I teach you how to get visibility, credibility and trust to maximize your impact | Zero headache ?? | DM to get started
4 个月?? Do you like to read articles, or do you prefer posts? I am trying to find the right format, not to long, not too short. What do you think of this one? Patricia Setyadjie Dr. Abdul Ghoni ?? Bambang Haryanto Herwan Ng Ir. Muhammad R.
Preparing for a new life. I don't reply DM and connection requests. Maybe later.
4 个月I like articles, when they are not too big, when they are clear and structured, easy to understand. ?? Thank you, Om Fabrice Gaullier Can't wait for next one. ??