Comments on: Personal Branding Is A Bunch of Crap…

By: Jay Thompson

Jay Thompson — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 23:50:48 +0000

A-freaking-men.

By: What’s in a Name? Not Much, Only Anti-Marketing — GenuineChris.com

What’s in a Name? Not Much, Only Anti-Marketing — GenuineChris.com — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 23:23:21 +0000

[...] the buhjeezus out of people. And I don’t have the pull or desire to brand something. Personal branding is worthless, [...]

By: Kristi Daeda

Kristi Daeda — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 21:41:41 +0000

Great thoughts. I’m with you on the idea that personal branding isn’t about being known. If people focus on knowing themselves — what they love, what makes them tick, where their great value and contribution lies — personal branding is about taking that clarity and understanding and packaging it in a way that a potential client or employer can understand.

It’s about setting expectations. “This is the essential me. When you get me, this is what you get.” It’s up to the client or employer to decide if that message resonates with them.

By: judyofthewoods

judyofthewoods — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 18:48:47 +0000

Agree totally that providing value to your readers/customers is paramount, but it does not have to be an either/or situation. Look at PB as the gift wrap, making the experience a little more memorable, entertaining or whatever your personal touch adds to it. People like to be entertained by personalities as evidenced by the popularity of programs like Big Brother or Hello type magazines, which is really a bunch of nothingnes filled with personalities. PB has its place.

I can think of a number of bloggers and IMs who give excellent value, but who also have such great personality, that you remember them, and look forward to their latest offering for more than just its content. In a crowded world it is also useful to have a hook by which to remember someone, as, fortunately for those of us who consume information online, there are quite a few folk who give excellent value. That little extra helps me to remember who is who more easily.

By: Reputation Management Case Study: How Not To Be Westerville Dentist Susan Stalnaker

Tue, 28 Jul 2009 13:31:53 +0000

[...] feed. I also welcome calls at 614-312-1941 about just about anything. So I talked a little about personal branding yesterday. It’s a different concept than Reputation Management. I want to make that [...]

By: Louise Mowbray

Louise Mowbray — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 05:08:44 +0000

Great comments and I couldn’t agree more. PB is not about image, its all about adding value and the end result is you become known for what you do and how you do it well. So many people think that its all about the label on the tin, but its really all about the contents!

By: Michael

Michael — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 04:53:32 +0000

Well said, my friend. I posted a while back about making sure the value proposition was obvious in the websites we build, but I think I may have missed (or poorly communicated) a critical point. Value isn’t value for me. It’s the value you provide to others. It’s almost too simple – that’s possibly why so many miss the point. Good job.

By: Ryan Robitaille

Ryan Robitaille — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 20:20:50 +0000

Exactly. Who cares about the “brand” if the product sucks or is all smoke and mirrors… Be good at what you do – and you’ll be known for THAT, not the other way around.

Great stuff, Chris.

By: Rachel Happe

Rachel Happe — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 15:36:40 +0000

I’ve always felt a bit conflicted about the term ‘personal branding’ – I think you hit the nail on the head. I’m only interesting as a person to a limited circle of people. If I can serve a market with interesting content, ideas, or services – that makes me valuable. And it’s those ideas/concepts/services that I want people to talk about – not me.

Humility wins.

By: Pamela Weir

Pamela Weir — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 15:21:35 +0000

I run into this a a lot with clients. The “make the logo bigger” mentality. Branding is about your service, the experience people have with you and what they’ve come to expect from you.

Don’t get me wrong, I think it’s important to appear professional and have the right elements in place to portray your brand and what you represent, but don’t let it overshadow your customer’s needs.

Talk to your customer first, make them feel comfortable and let them know they’re in the right place. They’ll get to your fancy logo on their own time.