Your Vibe Attracts Your Tribe - What Is A Personal Brand?

Personal brand is one of those buzzwords you hear a million times a day if you’re in the entrepreneur world. But what the heck does it even mean to have a personal brand vs. a business brand?

Let’s start with the two types of brands there are -- personal brands and business brands.

Business brands are those like Adidas, Apple, Microsoft, etc. Their brand is their business and the products they offer, like Adidas sells athletic wear, Apple and Microsoft sell computers, etc. And unless you do some further digging, that’s all you really get to know about them.

Personal brands on the other hand are the people behind the business. It’s who is running it and just as importantly...why.

Marike Williams of Mae We Help You has a personal brand based around motherhood. As a mommy blogger, she aims to help other mamas out there embrace the imperfections and mishaps of parenting.

People who use personal brands connect to their audiences using their own personalities rather than the product that they offer. They do this by consistently showcasing how their values, their characters, and their passions are unique. This creates chemistry among those who share the same values and character; it’s like making friends with your ideal clients before they know they are your clients.  

Both types of brands use the same basic strategy of trying to stand out. BUT personal brands stand out by putting a human in front of their product first. They are more prone to use messaging based on, “This is who I am, and this is why you should pay attention to me,” not “This is my product and here is why you need it.”

Because when building a personal brand, you identify who you are so much so that it almost doesn’t matter what your product is. As soon as your name is attached to something, people will want to buy it because it’s coming from you.

And here’s the real big kicker about a personal brand.

Even if you aren’t building one, it already exists.

From what you put on your Instagram feed or in your Stories to what you say in Facebook Groups and how you say it. Your website, your blog posts, to your LinkedIn -- anybody who comes across your presence on those platforms will weave their own version of your story. And if you’re not actively taking control over what story is being told, it may not be the right one.

Your personal brand already exists, even if you aren’t actively building one.

The other big thing to keep in mind is that you’re not creating something that’s not already there. This isn’t one of those “fake it ‘til you make it” tactics. Instead, it’s your own curation of the qualities you want people to know about you. You’re telling everyone the reason why you’re so awesome and why they should be buying from you.

You can clearly see how personal brands can even affect big business brands. Uber’s brand has suffered tremendously after questionable actions of its founder came to light a few years ago. The sheer concept of a business brand is becoming overshadowed by making sure main players maintain a positive personal brand.

It all comes down to YOU as a business owner. You ARE your brand and not the other way around.

If you’re wondering, “Well wait, is she a personal brand or a personal brand photographer?” the answer is BOTH. My success lies in your hands of trusting me and believing that I am the only photographer you want to work with. I am aiming to prove to you that working with me will not only elevate your brand, but it will do so because you feel aligned with me, my beliefs and my values. I want you to feel connected with me and EMPOWERED to bring your business from behind the curtains.

Ready?

Let’s go.

My personal brand as a Los Angeles personal brand photographer aims to show you that I am empathetic to the trials and tribulations of owning a business, feeling uncomfortable in front of a camera and becoming aligned with your true self so that you can do everything you want from a place of authenticity and not made-for-Instagram.