Don't be embarrassed when building your personal brand online: Claire Kenny
Are we really going to let idle scorn from someone who played goal attack on our school netball team stop us from showing up online?
The more I share content online, the more people ask me about it offline. And many have something useful and often profound to say but they’re either invisible, or posting as watered-down versions of themselves.
Why? Usually it’s about not knowing where to start, imposter syndrome, or a combination of the two.
Because the only thing scarier than being ignored is being judged, not by family and friends but by people we ‘know, but don’t know’.
Like the Facebook connection you played netball with in 1987.
I get it - the world has entered its ‘peak mean’ era, and social media is the mothership.
Even those with privilege are giving ‘pulling up the ladder behind me’ vibes, like the wildly successful entrepreneur who recently complained that ‘Everyone wants their own brand now’.
But the reality is that we all have personal brands whether we’re intentional about using them or not. And as a business owner, it’s the only thing you have that’s truly unique.
So use it!
As well as preparing founders and execs to use their platforms, I have a talk on imposter syndrome which I’ve delivered to Yorkshire Businesswoman members, and a workshop for aspiring public sector leaders facing additional barriers to career progression.
My advice?
You’ll never have thick enough skin, steely enough resolve, or calm enough nerves to start.
But being visible is like a muscle – the more you flex it, the stronger it gets.
Where to start?
We have more free tools at our disposal than ever to facilitate visibility.
But furniture doesn’t assemble itself, so unless you use them, they stay wrapped in an oily cloth - shiny but useless.
First, get clear on the value of your offer, the reason you’re passionate about it, and what you stand for.
Then think about where your clients are, show up there and start talking about it.
Whether it’s on social media or at a conference, if people see you, like you and align with you, they’re far more likely to buy what you sell.
Let’s use a networking metaphor: in the same way that the conversations which have nothing to do with your role and everything to do with your soul can lead to the best, most fruitful connections, posting about who you are as well as what you do can be the difference between a client choosing you over a competitor.
Sound exhausting?
I know many business owners are knackered and questioning the point of that post, pitch, or networking opportunity.
But if there’s a calm, certain part of you underneath everything that tells you this is what you’re meant to be doing, that is the point.
So keep going, invest in help if you need it, and don’t let the threat of idle scorn from someone you went to school with in 1987 stop you.