Branding.
It’s something Lauryn has always been passionate about.
Branding matters, your story matters and your product matters, too. But your product is nothing without proper branding, passion and a story.
We’re so lucky, because today Camille Moore is on the blog to talk to us about personal branding and brand stories AND why they both matter.
If you have yet to meet Camille Moore, she is a marketing expert and CEO of Third Eye Insights, a boutique agency specializing in creating powerful brand identities and strategic storytelling. And today, she’s here to talk about just that.
This post is useful to anyone and everyone, especially if you’re on the brink of an idea, about to launch a business, or just out of school getting ready to show the world who you are.
With that, let’s welcome Camille to the blog.
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Is your personal brand holding back?
When you think of The Skinny Confidential, I guarantee it’s Lauryn Bosstick’s name that comes to mind. This connection is no coincidence; it results from a carefully crafted personal brand that Lauryn has created for over a decade. The connection between TSC and Lauryn’s name demonstrates the power and potential of personal branding done right.
Lauryn’s personal brand has become almost inseparable from her business. Her success lies in being unapologetically herself – she’s funny, controversial, straight forward and bold – and that’s what makes people want to follow her.
Creating a strong association between your name and certain qualities or areas of expertise is how you build a personal brand worth remembering. Lauryn has done this exactly, and it’s what you need to do to stand out.
In today’s digital world, having a powerful personal brand is critical to survival and success, and too many are neglecting this area without focus or effective messaging.
Today, I will share my insights on the importance of a personal brand so you can have a following that believes in you and opens up opportunities you never thought would be possible.
Pause for a second and think… When your competition, past clients, or the general public hears your name, what words and feelings come to their mind?
It is important to be aware of this because this is how your story is spread. Consider for a second how you refer people you believe in to others, for example:
- “You have to see Nicole—she is the best hair colorist on the planet. My gosh, does she know how to create a great blonde! She trained in LA under the top stylists and she does Taylor Swift’s hair.”
- “My lawyer is a total killer. He speaks on TV about legal matters. He was a D1 tennis player who attended the same Law School as Robert Kardashian.”
- “You have to try the new restaurant [name], the chef trained in Paris and lives in Europe half the year to improve his recipes and suppliers for the top ingredients. They change the menu weekly, and I’ve never had a bad meal.”
We sell through stories. We create micro-brands for the people we refer to in our lives, but we need to give stories to tell. Without a story, you are not interesting, and you won’t be remembered. Most people think they don’t have a story. This is wrong. Everyone has a brand and a story; you just have to invest in crafting your own narrative.
Myth: Personal Branding Is Just for Entrepreneurs or Influencers
Contrary to popular belief, personal branding isn’t solely reserved for entrepreneurs or influencers. Everyone, regardless of their professional background, possesses a personal brand. Your online presence, from social media posts to professional profiles, shapes how others perceive you.
You must ask yourself if your online brand is helping or hurting you. Chances are, it’s probably hurting you without you even knowing it.
No matter where you are in your career, it’s time you start investing in yourself and creating a personal brand online. Whether you are finishing school, employed, starting your own business, or are job-confused, the best way to stand out and win is to have a strong online digital presence that captures and presents your personal brand.
You’re Missing Out Because No One Can Find You
The online world has changed. We no longer buy from influencers or faceless brands—we crave education and digital verification through human beings. We buy through our phones, and the competition is tough. The person who wins in the education war invests the most time, energy, and money to appear like the best person for the job. The catch is that the person who is best at marketing is not always the best person for the job– as often, the best is the worst at marketing themselves. Being humble holds you back. Your perfect job, client or business opportunity will never be realized because you can’t be found.
Anything you sell, whether it’s yourself or a product, becomes intensely more valuable when you wrap a personal brand around it.
Here is a story that will teach you a critical lesson about personal branding:
Take Arrae. This gut-focused brand, known for its bloating pills, has transcended product status to become a household name among millennials. And what catapulted Arrae to this level of success? The personal brand of its owner, Siff Haider. Siff Haider’s personal brand allowed consumers to connect with Arrae on a deeper level. By peeling back the curtain and sharing the highs and lows of running a business, Siff made Arrae relatable and authentic.
Without a personal brand, a business can only go so far in its educational efforts. When product-focused content is perceived as an ad, its impact is limited. However, when a human, like Siff, educates on broader topics such as gut health and health and wellness, in general, her message transcends advertising and becomes genuine education.
Consider how you get to know the brand– Lauryn and Michael interview Siff on The HIM & HER Show. As podcast hosts, the group can collectively speak on gut health, and Siff can show that she is a subject matter expert without directly selling her line of products. Without a personal brand, the business can only achieve so much with how it educates– and how willing someone is to listen.
When you listen to that podcast, what do you immediately think of Siff? How does she look, sound, and dress? What details did you take from her? What opinion did you form? All of these are data points that your brain collects and sorts from your internal perception of Siff’s personal brand.
Trying to capture someone’s attention for an hour without a personal brand or explaining your product’s benefits is nearly impossible. Without a personal brand, no one cares, and you will spend multiples higher on marketing because you’re hoping to convert on an ad alone. But by investing in a personal brand, you can have a more organic conversation about what you sell—it creates customers without them realizing they are being sold to.
If Siff hadn’t invested in a personal brand, Arrae would likely never have become the brand and business it has. The two arms of her marketing and branding strategy complement each other and work to make the brand stand out in a sea of sameness.
Without a personal brand, your business is just a business, and you will have to spend way more resources on ads to get new potential clients. Not only is this expensive; but it’s also dumb. You developed a product or service because you are passionate about the category you are in. Showing your passion through a personal brand works, period.
The Takeaway
What you can learn from this story is that the power of a personal brand is universal, and it’s how you stand out. Siff’s investment in a personal brand not only allowed her to sell more Arrae products but also launched her speaking career and a platform on which she could grow and evolve. You don’t need a product line to see the importance of a personal brand. Whatever your career goals are, they can be achieved better and faster by focusing on presenting your brand online. We all need personal brands because we all need to stand out.
Take Control of Your Career
Your personal brand is your professional reputation. It’s not just about selling products or services; it’s about:
- Establishing trust and influence
- Securing thought leadership
- Opening up more doors and opportunities
- Allowing you to make your mark in your industry
Whether you’re climbing the corporate ladder or building your own empire, a strong personal brand in 2024 is non-negotiable.
Crafting Your Narrative: Stand Out, Be Seen, Be Remembered
Your personal brand is your story. It’s what makes you unique, valuable, and indispensable.
My personal brand is what has changed my career and my life, but I hated video in the beginning. When I first started my agency, I told all of my clients to be on video but didn’t make time for it myself. My partner told me to get a grip and start creating content, and it was the best decision I ever made.
Creating video-based content was uncomfortable in the beginning. I feared judgment and criticism from all the people I knew–not only did I fear looking stupid, but the bigger fear was that I didn’t feel like an expert or that I was good enough to share my opinion publicly. The success didn’t happen overnight; the videos compounded, and without excitement, you realized that people started to recognize you by the brand you display.
Reaping the benefits of a personal brand takes time, but its power is evident in those unexpected moments when strangers recognize you as the ‘branding girl’ or whatever your equivalent will be. Or when business owners or past connections, who have been silently following you on social media, come out of the woodwork wanting to hire you because they see you as the only person for the job. Or when your dream client slides into your DMs and says their CEO wants to meet you ASAP.
Moments like these make you realize that having a personal brand is the only way to get the most out of life.
By embracing personal branding, you’re not just shaping your reputation; you’re shaping your professional career.
If you want to learn more about how to build a personal brand as an employee, business owner or thought leader, leave a comment below. I would love to come back for a Part 2!
~ Camille
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There you have it: the importance of a personal brand whether you have a business or not.
Do you have a personal brand? How has it helped your business or your professional life? Let us know everything below.
Should we get Camille to come back for Part 2? We think so…
x, The Skinny Confidential team.
+ Check out these tips for female entrepreneurs.
++ 10 ways to skyrocket your productivity.
BRAND BOOKS:
