Who are you? What do you stand for? What do people know you for? What are your top 3 defining characteristics? If you don’t know the answers to such questions, I encourage you to reflect deeply on them.
Let me start by my making the following disclosure; branding is not about what people think of you, but what you want people to think of you. There’s a big difference. The reason my skin is tough and I care little about what the majority of people think of me is because the majority don’t really know the real George Khalife (unless I make the choice to showcase who I truly am on social media platforms). Instead of allowing people to make judgements about who I am and what I’m like, I transparently present my narrative and leave the rest be. If they decide to still think negatively of me, well…I truly don’t give a shit.
So there you have it friends, step 1 in developing your brand is knowing who you are – sounds easy, but trust me step 1 is where 90% of readers are going to spend 90% of their time.
Now that you understand your story, you have to communicate it. To do so, you have to categorize who you’re speaking to and through which platforms.
content+ audience + platforms = effective communication of brand
I’ve had good friends tell me outright that my content is just not for them (they don’t get much out of the motivational videos or inspirational blogs) and that’s fine! Look, reality is not everybody drinks lemonade, but make sure you have the right ingredients for those who do.
Every time I write a blog post or make a video, I truly give it my all and leave nothing behind because I understand the value of time. You’re giving up your time (or investing it hopefully if this article benefits you) to read my content. So, I have to make sure that you receive value from every second you sacrifice – that’s how important this is to me and why I keep improving my content.
I won’t spend too much time on platforms, because I’m assuming you’re familiar with social media. However, I will make the point that each platform has (in my opinion) a specific use and can be leveraged to your advantage if deployed properly. Here’s a quick example: I’m a car fanatic and know a lot about cars. Instagram: sexy car pictures with detailed descriptions about the model, year, value, price, engine etc…. Snapchat: behind the scenes view of car shows, dealerships, auctions etc… YouTube: rants about different models (keeping it funny, snappy, and exciting). I just gave someone who’s a car lover a detailed “HOW-TO” blueprint of building a brand.
Keep in mind; not all platforms work for everyone. Personally, I don’t fully get Twitter or Pinterest…never been a big fan and honestly don’t know how to use them very well. For others, they are great venues to capture their audiences attention. I have been doing well on Snapchat, Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube – that’s enough for me and I find that my content doesn’t overlap by using these platforms, but is rather complemented by being transmitted differently. Point being; you don’t have to be on every app, just the ones that work for you.
And for those of you who just skip till the end to get a summary…
…be yourself, talk about what you love/know, and keep things interesting for people
Class dismissed.
