Are You Diluting Your Personal Brand?

In one of my business groups, someone posted a new video series that was the complete opposite of their normal work with the question, “Does this dilute my personal brand?”

They’re in tech and software, but the videos are all about their farming adventures in starting a homestead with their family.

Someone in the comments section replied, “I think the best personal brands include all of you. It’s about melding who you are and your varied interests into something uniquely you.”

And I couldn’t agree more with that.

In small businesses, and even in personal endeavors, people often get so caught up in curating everything to fit their “personal brand” and we begin to pigeon-hole ourselves in a container that doesn’t include all facets of who we are.

Think about a well-curated Instagram feed. How much of the content strays from a person’s projected brand? How many people do you follow that only post about the same 2 or 3 things? While it’s possible that some people are so passionate about a select few topics, there are aspects of ourselves that we tend to hide from the public if they don’t feel “on brand”.

So I say, go “off brand”. See how it feels. Step outside of your comfort zone and outside of your personal branding box. We are the creators of our own life, our own destiny. And we can’t fully commit to create if we leave out pieces of ourselves.

Every aspect of you, living and expressing yourself wholly is a direct reflection of your uniqueness. That’s what really sets you apart from the rest. And this is important during a day and age where most of our connection happens behind a screen.

As a branding strategist, this got me thinking: How does this translate to branding a business? In the work I do at SuperBrand, we talk about this a lot in our process. We are always searching for the things that make your brand unique and that set you apart from everyone else in your industry. Especially if you’re in a saturated and competitive market.

Believe it or not, your personal story is part of your brand. Not leveraging your uniqueness is what actually dilutes your brand, not the other way around.

Your personal brand is ALL OF YOU. So think about it…Are you expressing yourself fully in your brand? And, if not, how can you go “off brand” to express yourself more fully?