Why is Personal Branding so Difficult?

I am fortunate to coach many very smart, creative, successful people. Yet, when it comes to personal branding and marketing themselves, they act like amateurs. Why is that?

1. Successful people have trouble marketing and branding themselves, yet they have no trouble selling a product or company. They fear they will be accused of being a braggart or self-centered.

   Another perspective: You have talents and knowledge that others need and want. By not communicating those to potential users who might benefit, you are actually being selfish and withholding.

2. They don’t know their personal brand. They have trouble telling others what they actually do without falling into specialty lingo or stating some generalizations that could apply to thousands of others.

   Another perspective: Don’t tell them what you do — inform them as to what you can do for them. No one cares about the chemical composition of laundry detergent. They only want to know it will make their clothes cleaner, brighter, and smell like a mountain breeze. Think about your end-use value.

3. They share too many details. Steve Jobs spoke of the power of white space on a page, in a product, and even in a conversation. Telling or writing every piece of information you can think of is flooding the listener, not helping them get to the core of your skills.

   Another perspective: Be a ruthless editor of your information. Narrow it down and craft it to its essence. Make it memorable, not overwhelming. Remember, the goal is to get the listener to say, “Tell me more.”

4. They fail to acknowledge most people are generally distracted and not interested. Most people are too distracted by day-to-day life to fully pay attention to anything or anyone they may not have a vested interest in.

   Another perspective: It’s your job to reel them in, not the other way around. The overture gets the audience to quiet down but it also encourages them to get into the composer’s mindset. Get their attention with a great opening line, a good resume headline, a notable achievement. Make them sit up.

5. They’re trying to be too many things to too many people. Would you go to a doctor who claimed to perform brain surgery, cure foot fungus, and take away your frown lines? Of course not.

   Another perspective: A personal brand has to be narrow and deep. It should make you special if not unique. Have the customer say, “she’s the best in her field” or “we’ll never find a candidate like him.”

6. Poor branders and marketers use too few mediums and outlets. They assume they know where the low-hanging fruit is and it would be a waste of time to try anywhere else.

   Another perspective: You don’t know until you have tested many avenues. Maybe LinkedIn is best for you. But what if your talents are best viewed on YouTube? Resume or bio? One-on-one networking or a large group gathering? Recommendations from those above you or those who work with you day-to-day? You’ll only know if you do your own market research.

7. They fail to sell their personal brand and focus only on skills. The adage that “they hire for skills and fire for chemistry” is only partially true.

   Another perspective: Whether you are looking to be hired, promoted, recruited, or selected, skills and talents will only take you so far. Your personality, your ethics, your perspective on work and life all have to be visible signs of your brand. Sure they are harder to measure but when it is right, the other side feels it.

To effectively market your personal brand, it is essential you understand how you sabotage your efforts and/or ignore some simple marketing techniques and replace them with some of the strategic efforts and actions I have listed above.