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You were born with a personal brand

Posted by Lisa Hoffmann in Blogging, Family, Inspiration, Marketing, Personal branding, Social media, Twitter on 11 14th, 2008 | Comments

My friend and I were having lunch on a restaurant patio the other day when a lime green Lamborghini roared past. “Your son would have gone bananas if he had seen that,” she said with a chuckle. She knows my teenager loves classic rock, skateboarding and expensive cars - and that he’s intense, artistic, quick-witted and wants to be everybody’s friend.

My family and close friends know they’ll find my daughter by my side as I roll out the crust for Thanksgiving pies, that we’ll have to call my middle-schooler three times to bring him back from the worlds of “Spore” when dinner’s on the table, and that their normally vigilant mother will look the other way when they forgo green vegetables “because it’s a holiday.”

These are our personal brands. We were all gifted with one. You may know them by a different name: personalities.

I don’t read blogs by Jim Storer, Jason Falls and Connie Bensen because of the colors they chose or the companies they represent. I read them because they consistently dish out good information – and they’re friendly, humble and approachable online. I follow Suzanne Tobias, Kelby Carr and CalamityJen on twitter because we have a lot in common, and Geoff Livingston, Peter Shankman and Gary Vaynerchuk because we don’t. Frank Martin has boatloads of marketing expertise, but I remembered him because of his culinary enthusiasm.

I smile whenever I see Amber Naslund, Beth Harte or Mack Collier pop up on twitter when I’m playing catch-up at 10:30 at night because I’m probably in for a couple good laughs. I found Ike Pigott by searching “communications” but follow him because he’s clever. I know Ryan Squire is a visionary, Darryl Parker is a shrewd businessman and Scott Hepburn will change my perspective.

I’m a 42-year-old mother of three who loves to write things in a way that helps people understand them and hates caviar, despite viewing food as an adventure. I spent too much time pursuing a biology degree (who was I kidding?) and not enough playing with my toddlers. I’ve always struggled with my weight but rarely have trouble making conversation. I’m bad about staying in touch with friends and family. And I love purple. Some of you will like me and some will not, but I’m the same person online as I am “IRL.”

Who else would I be?

Photo credit: Michael (mx5tx) via Flickr

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Comments to “ You were born with a personal brand ”

Lewis Green says:

November 14, 2008 at 3:26 pm

Lisa,

You pretty much say it all. It isn’t what we say or do, it is who we are as people. Thanks for sharing.

Beth Harte says:

November 14, 2008 at 3:35 pm

Love your perspective on this!

Here’s the thing…I don’t think we have a personal brand. The best we can do is control or manage our reputation.

Perfect example, your description of me up above in your post, it could imply that I am humorous or fun. You’re right, we do get a bit ‘off-the-cuff’ late at night on Twitter…but what your experience of that is and what I meant it to be are two different things. Also, there’s a chance that someone might take offense to my comments and consider them inappropriate/unprofessional. That’s *their* brand of me and I can’t control that. (BTW, glad you appreciate my antics!)

Just like any company’s brand…they can’t control the experience a customer has with the brand or the aftertaste left by that brand.

This personal brand meme that’s been going around reminds me of high school. Not in a bad way…just that we’ve all had those those thoughts in HS “why doesn’t he/she like me?!” Well, who knows why. Perhaps they had a bad or indifferent aftertaste for whatever reason. It’s uncontrollable, no matter how hard you try to say “but THIS is my brand, not what you think.”

Hope this makes sense.

Thanks for including me in your post. I’ve enjoyed our Twitter conversations and glad that I’ve made you chuckle over my BOOTs.

Matthew T. Grant says:

November 14, 2008 at 3:36 pm

For some reason this “personal brand” stuff still gets under my skin. A brand, in the cattle sense, was a way of marking property. I don’t like to think of myself, my personality, or my friends’ quirks that way: property.

Am I just out of touch? Old fashioned? A maverick (ie, someone without a brand)?

Peace,

matt

Juliann Grant says:

November 14, 2008 at 3:37 pm

Another great post Lisa, well said. It is true, we are who we are. I like that SM allows us to express all the sides of our personalities. The old way was more one-dimensional, based on what we were doing/who we were with. SM allows us to express all sides of who we are, and follow folks we find interesting for different reasons, as you so eloquently shared here. With you being one of my “first” SM friends, I have come to trust your suggestions and follows and will certainly look up these folks mentioned here to see what they are up to. More connections, every day. I love it. Thanks, Lisa you are the best!

mack collier says:

November 14, 2008 at 3:40 pm

I think you are right, Lisa. What we call ‘personal branding’ is really just our natural personalities shining through! Good reminder!

Jim Storer says:

November 14, 2008 at 3:41 pm

Well said Lisa. So many people are racing to build up followers on Twitter or amass friends on Facebook… I’ve chosen to instead find new people based on what they’re saying or what they’re interested in. Like you, social networks are multi-dimensional for me, and I let both business and personal flow freely.

It’s not for everyone, but it makes for some very interesting conversation and you never know who’s going to surprise you. And that’s the fun of it.

Jim | @jstorerj

Suzanne says:

November 14, 2008 at 3:47 pm

Wow, I really love your take on this. We *do* have a lot in common, and I still think it’s weird and magical how something as bizarre as Twitter brought us together.

I like purple, too!

Marina Modlin says:

November 14, 2008 at 3:47 pm

Regardless of what I think of personal branding, the last paragraph (”I’m a 42-year-old mother of three… “) was beautifully written.

Marina Modlin

Darryl Parker says:

November 14, 2008 at 3:49 pm

I’ll take “shrewd businessman” Albeit just a small business…

I read a good quote the other day: “your blog is your resume” – that really resounded with me. It also caused me to pause and consider my own path within the social media space. I’ve had a blog for years that my family has enjoyed, but it was a sideline thing for use by our family and friends.

My wife, a teacher for nearly 20 years, has always had an awareness of her actions in public. I came from the mindset of “I’m me – take it or leave it”. However, as my reach expanded within my own town – we have over 300 clients in the Charlotte area and we are members of several Chambers and local organizations – I have begun to come to grips with the responsibilities of public life. I’ve watched a single statement from me on the direction of my company flame like wildfire through an organization and become a liability to my company because it was taken out of context. I’ve seen statements from past business partners cause near mutinies within the ranks of our then 400 employees. Once you have people listening, you must become aware of what you are saying. Absolute freedom of speech with no filters is for those in a vacuum, not in the public eye. Filters always apply.

I’m not saying you must remove your voice. It makes you who you are and that is the appeal. I am saying, however, that especially if you choose the personal brand route with it comes an hefty responsibility to grow and maintain. I think recognizing this responsibility is why those closer to the center of the spotlight talk less about their day-to-day lives, their families, and their idiosynchracies. They’ve accepted the mantle the spotlight bestows and are thriving in it, filters and all.

Damien Basile says:

November 14, 2008 at 4:49 pm

I just had a conversation yesterday about finding our true purpose in life. Who we are is not what we do. It defines a part of who we are but is only a small piece of the puzzle. To find your “personal branding” ask yourself what drives you, what makes you passionate. Then ask yourself what is the core value behind that. For example, making art is only a device- creating beauty and sharing it is a core value. Personal branding emanates from the core of our being which is projected to others. It is instantly identifiable.

What type of personal branding are you sharing with others?

Ryan Squire says:

November 14, 2008 at 5:15 pm

we’ve been over this. you’d be @lisahoffman

but you’re not, you’re @lisahoffmann. I think YOUR brand is so in demand because it IS you. It’s not something you are trying to be. You live it, you breathe it, you tweet it (for our viewing pleasure). Your example is that you are your brand, there’s no need to yell it to everyone, and that’s why it works.

Esteban Kolsky says:

November 14, 2008 at 10:38 pm

let me say, well said… and that i disagree in part. sure, part of who i am shows in my professional, work persona. but there are lots other parts that won’t be shown in that arena and constitute a private persona. maybe i am old fashioned, but i think that you manage different personas for different purposes (work, play, home, family) and that some traits do show through… but there are also other private traits that don’t “bleed” from one to the other.

at least that is they way I, probably erroneously, see myself.

thanks
esteban

Amber Naslund says:

November 15, 2008 at 4:35 pm

Lisa,

Well hey, I’m so glad I can make you laugh. (And sorry I’m so late getting here to thank you for the mention).

I’ve said for years that a brand isn’t what a company says it is, it’s what the rest of the world says it is. And I think Beth makes a good point that a brand is in the eye of the beholder. A brand is a promise – a set of values that you communicate to someone about what makes you/your company/your product significant. But that set of values can be a bit different for everyone.

And what one person sees in my brand (funny, sarcastic, a bit outlandish at times ) another person may see me as serious, overt, or even intimidating. And few of those people know what makes up the fabric of “Amber” underneath.

So whether you call it personality, brand, reputation, or some smooshy combination of all of the above, the beauty of the social web is that we’re all unique, and being so is what draws people to you.

And I thought I was the only one that hated caviar.

Zara Green says:

November 17, 2008 at 5:26 pm

What a great post! Never met you, but glad to know you…you understand who you are to the point of descriptively introducing yourself to others (strengths & weaknesses), and the same for your kids; a level of understanding self and others for who they really are, temperamentally…each person’s “real” identity, Congratulations!

Unfortunately for most they live chameleon lives, never understanding that their personal brand is already established.

The origin of Psychology was based on temperaments. Too bad for all of us that, today, it’s gotten so far away from its intended purpose that most are guessing at their individual design, and for most of their lives are still in search of their identity.

I don’t know how alike we are, Lisa, but I know I can learn from you. I’ll be following you on Twitter now

Again, great post!

THINKing » Born Branded? says:

November 19, 2008 at 1:06 pm

[...] Hoffmann got me thinking the other day when I read her blog that declares we are born with a personal brand, also known as personalities. Yes, I agree that we do have some “branding” at birth. [...]

Connie Bensen says:

November 23, 2008 at 3:41 am

Hi Lisa,
And like Amber, I’m also sorry for getting here late. Thanks so much for the mention.

I’m not sure how consistent I’ve been recently, but I do try for the friendly & approachable. I love helping people!

Your idea of being individuals is awesome! I think that may mean that personal branding may be harder for some if they’re introverts. But it’s not impossible.

Thanks for the great insights!
Connie | @cbensen

Connie Bensen says:

November 23, 2008 at 3:43 am

oh my! I just noticed that I’m in your blog roll with some amazing people! I am truly honored (seeing that still gives me a little shiver). Thank you!

Leo Wurschmidt says:

December 6, 2008 at 10:51 pm

Lisa,

That is great. People never really think about a true personal brand; however, each one of us has one.

The interesting thing is that as we continue to embrace authenticity in social media marketing our personal brands will come out along with our business brands.

Great blog post and some great thoughts!

Triune Designs, Inc. Blog » A Couple of Good Blog Posts says:

December 9, 2008 at 6:29 am

[...] You were born with a personal brand by Lisa Hoffmann (@LisaHoffmann) Lisa is a local Charlottean and she is doing her best to put the Queen City on the social media map. Essentially, her blog covers all things social media. [...]

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You were born with a personal brand

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