“Personal branding is a concept that was abhorrent to me”
Patty Berg wrote this after attending a client appreciation event I hosted, and at which I spoke about personal branding.
Patty said this about her first impression of personal branding:
“[personal branding is] a concept that was abhorrent to me. I mean, who would ever want to reduce a personality that contains worlds to a few weak words and photos? You – a spark of the divine – reduced to fashion choices, desk accessories, makeup skills? Oi.”
The reason this resonated with me so deeply is that Patty articulated my own repulsion for the surface level personal brand rhetoric that feels all too common today.
As you will see, Patty has come around to the true purpose for understanding and articulating your personal brand… and that’s communicating the feeling of what people are going to get when they work with you. It’s NOT about what you’re wearing, or if you’re doing the latest TikTok trend correctly.
Your brand is what people say about you when you’re not in the room.
When Patty and I worked together to create her updated photos, I wanted to show Patty in her natural element: in the dirt, surrounded by nature and without any fuss or out-of-character clothing. We even got her truck in the photos, because that’s how Patty rolls: in her pickup, usually with gardening equipment piled high in the back.
Read Patty’s entire LinkedIn post, and see why I was applauding her all the way:
I know people here occasionally introduce or reintroduce themselves. Thanks to overthinking it, I never have. Didn’t want to say too much or not enough or inadvertently mess up our brand.
One day, a wise woman, Marcy Browe, told me that my brand is the promise of an experience.
She mainly meant “personal brand,” a concept that was abhorrent to me. I mean, who would ever want to reduce a personality that contains worlds to a few weak words and photos? You – a spark of the divine – reduced to fashion choices, desk accessories, makeup skills? Oi.
But people had already stopped reading more than a line or two (you still going? wow!), infinite scroll was born, talking heads grew more inane and I needed to reconsider (pod recco: ReThinking w/ Adam Grant.)
What brought me grudgingly on board with both kinds of branding was the realization that my own down-to-earth nature and the essence of what we offer at @The Wishing Tree Company promise essentially the same experience: making deeper connections.
I’d much rather meet up for a 1:1 than be in a noisy room with fifty “prospects” or on a zoom. I’m young at heart but too old for small talk, so I’ll likely ask questions that give us both more clarity. I’ll probably interrupt when a dog wanders by. And I’ll always find something we can laugh about.
It’s remarkable how many of those one-to-ones have created deeper, more valuable connections, even friends and customers for life. Some of them began here on LinkedIn.
With my business, the same down-to-earth promise creates a similar experience. But now it’s the magic of trees making the deeper connections. As this world gets more virtual every second and we lean into the single most impactful innovation in human history, people are craving the real.
Worth repeating: People are craving the real.
When someone receives a Wishing Tree, we watch their eyes light up. They tell us how meaningful it is, how well-loved it makes them feel, how much they appreciate the people who sent it. Tears are not unusual. That’s real too. Proof that the experience promised was delivered. Best part is that the trees keep those feelings going.
So, ok then, bring on the branding. No surprise that my fashion favors Levi’s, FELCO makes my favorite accessories and I’ve got that serotonin glow from working in the dirt.
Literally down to earth.
If you’re feeling like Patty did: reluctant to step into your personal brand, let me change your mind. When you work with me on a personal branding photoshoot, the first step is to uncover what your personal brand is.
And the good news is that you ALREADY HAVE a brand. You don’t need to invent it, or work with a guru to map it out, or spend hours workshopping this. You just have to allow me to get to know you and to see inside your heart and the mission you have for working with your clients. That’s your brand. That’s what I want to photograph.
Interested in the process of a branding photoshoot? Book a consultation with me today!
