Personal branding is so self-absorbed!

Does the concept of personal branding make you feel icky, suggesting shameless self-promotion or self-aggrandisement?

Well, even if saying the words makes you cringe a little, like it or not, you do have a personal brand.

It’s your image and reputation, your self-presentation. It’s what people say about you when you’re not in the room and what comes to mind when people say your name.

Don’t like the words ‘personal branding’? Think of it as reputation management instead.

I’ll admit, the whole thing can feel a little self-absorbed, especially amongst us Brits. As a child, I remember being told that you shouldn’t blow your own trumpet which, of course, is ridiculous. If you’re not, then who the heck is? Actually, don’t think about that — it’s unhygienic!

It’s not conceited to spread your message. Personal branding is really just a way of taking control of your story and how you present yourself to others.

Getting a handle on your personal brand can help with networking and building relationships, making it easier to communicate your strengths and what sets you apart..

It’s about understanding what makes you YOU and how you’re making a difference. This begins with knowledge about what you want people to believe about you and what, in fact, they currently believe. This isn’t to suggest you should pretend to be someone you’re not. Instead, it’s about determining what you want to be known for.

What do you want to be known for? How much of yourself should you put out there? What should you keep back?

If you want to share it all, go ahead. If you don’t, that’s okay too. While in some cases sharing too much might be seen as unprofessional or inappropriate, for others your transparency and authenticity could be the breath of fresh air they were looking for. To know for sure, you need a good idea of your ideal client — their interests, values, likes and dislikes.

Ultimately, it’s about being true to yourself and your boundaries.

I’m far from having it nailed - it’s a work in progress. And likely always will be. Things change. Having a clear idea of my core values, message and how people might experience me for the first time though, means that when they do change, I’m in a good position to adapt to that.

I’m far from having it nailed — it’s a work in progress. And likely always will be. Things change. Having a clear idea of my core values, message and how people might experience me for the first time means that when things do change, I’m in a good position to adapt.

Even though it’s something to keep working at, I’m reassured that when people seek me out, they understand the values I’ve built my business on and have a good idea of what it’s like to work with me.

As part of a personal branding exercise, I gathered anonymous feedback from previous clients and combined it with my Google reviews to create a word cloud of the qualities people see in me. Those are the words my customers use to describe me and associate with an image of me. That gives me a pretty good idea of my personal brand — how I’m perceived and what people might say about me when I’m not in the room. It also helps me identify areas I might want to work on, and where I might need to close the gap between perception and intention.

It’s obvious what I do (if it isn’t… I really am in trouble!), but the reason someone might choose me over another photographer ultimately boils down to my reputation.

Those words in the cloud above suggest that I’m making a generally good impression. They tell me that people have a good idea about the guy behind the camera — what I stand for, what I’m good at, what makes me different and what they can count on when they book me.

So while I know it can be hard to put the focus on yourself and it can feel self-centred, it shouldn’t. For me, it’s about helping future customers trust my attributes and understand what they can expect when they encounter me.

Have a go at a similar exercise to the one I describe above. While it might feel a little self-absorbed at first, that feeling is often outweighed by the confidence it can give you about your strengths (and thank you to everyone who took the time to feed back — it really does mean the world).

Whatever the outcome of that exercise, whether it prompts a change in direction or a renewed focus on what you’re already known for, photography can play an important role in how your brand is experienced.