You have a great logo, a solid elevator pitch, and a website you’re not embarrassed to call your own.
You feel like you’ve checked all the right boxes when it comes to creating a brand for your growing small business.
But when was the last time you stopped to think about…you?
Setting boundaries
When I talk to small business owners about social media, we often discuss boundaries – identifying up front where they set their discussion topic limits.
Family? Hobbies? Volunteer activities?
For what I call personality-based businesses – like real estate agents, life coaches, or mortgage brokers – the need for these boundaries are perhaps a bit more obvious because they work with people on such a personal level. Building a rapport with the people they work with is central to their business.
But my work happens largely behind the scenes: writing, training, strategy.
I didn’t want my personal interests to distract from my business, which I’ve seen happen, so I decided to keep my brand relatively separate from who I am as a person.
This theory worked well enough – in my mind. In practice, however, I soon learned that I’d really missed my mark.
Can’t spell business without “U”
It shouldn’t come as a surprise that relationships are important in business. Good networking revolves around making meaningful connections; whether you’re talking to potential clients, referral sources or colleagues, you rely on more than what you do to make an impression.
You are at the heart of those connections, not your business card or the services you offer. It’s what you offer beyond those foundational services that differentiates you from the competition.
It didn’t take long for me to realize that those relationships went beyond networking to being the core force that helps move my business forward; I discovered that my business’s brand has me and my personality squarely in the middle.
You are your brand. (No pressure.)
In an article from Forbes, George Bradt reported that there are just three questions a potential employer client wants to know:
- Can you do the job?
- Will you love the job?
- Can we tolerate working with you?
The first point is all about skills and experience. But what motivates you? And for goodness sake, are you likable? Your CV can’t answer those questions – but you can.
The question is, how?
Presenting: You
“The indispensable element is in the connection…The hard part is in earning trust, in making a difference, in being human.” – Seth Godin
Injecting your personality into your business doesn’t mean sharing details of your life at every opportunity; boundaries still matter very much.
But how can you start to build a connection with potential customers? Here are a few of the lessons I’ve learned over the past year.
- Leave your footprint on your website. This may seem like a tip from Captain Obvious, but it’s the primary reason behind my own web redesign. My website works great when I’ve connected with someone directly and refer them for more information; on its own, it falls flat.
- Use social media to be social. It’s easier than ever to stay in touch with people you meet and reach out to new connections. Twitter has been indispensible to me as a way to connect with other professionals, and many of my clients have connected to me through that network – not directly, but through referrals. Work on being relevant to the people who’ve connected with you, but leave room for your personality and enthusiasm for your work shine through, too.
- Get more face time. Even when your wit and charm come through, text can only get you so far; even in our hyper-connected world face-to-face communication still offers a huge opportunity to build long-lasting relationships. I’m looking forward to some great conferences this year, and I try to regularly connect with people over coffee; tools like Skype and Google Hangouts also make bridging the gap a little easier.
I’m still figuring out what works best for me and my business – these are just a few of the things I’ve learned.
But branding isn’t one-size-fits-all: Does this match what has worked for you and your business? What have you done differently?
Related articles
- Melinda Emerson: How to Build a Social Media Brand (huffingtonpost.com)
- 3 Steps to Building Better Relationships with Email and Social Media (blogs.constantcontact.com)
- The Next Frontiers in Social Media (grasshopper.com)
About Amy Sept
Hi Amy, I love this post – I think what you said here: “You are at the heart of those connections, not your business card or the services you offer.” sums it up perfectly!! I think many businesses feel fear at the thought of being too human in social – what’s the “line” in sharing..? How much of “me” do I reveal..? Where exactly is that ‘line’…and how do I know if I’ve crossed it..!? I always say, use your gut, the same gut that guides you in your offline life. Customers are savvy, and they’re human. Just be human yourself and you will usually do just fine!
@belllindsay Thanks, Lindsay – great point! I’ve spoken to so many people who learn the mechanics but are still so concerned about “doing it wrong”.
The more we get technology everywhere the more we miss the personal and human side of life which is important not only for business but for everyday life. At the end we can’t forget that everything worked more or less as well even before the advent of pc right? So being human always pays.
We have to set boundaries so that work doesn’t take all 24 hours and to separate family life from business because every addiction is dangerous and boundaries help to keep everything in its place and to have time for everything. Imho.
@Andrea T.H.W. Thanks for your comment, Andrea. The need for real boundaries with your time in addition to your social activity is spot-on!
Forbes released ‘@Work State of Mind’ in April, a report that looks at the increasing blur between work and personal. Among other things, it notes that people who are most comfortable with this overlap are those who feel most in control — those who can most easily switch between ‘work mode’ and personal time.
@amysept @Work Hi Amy, nice to meet you and thanks for the reply. It makes a lot of sense as years ago when the biggest part of population was self employed and mainly worked at home even if they worked longer they were less stressed as they could shift in seconds from work to family and dealt successfully with both. Artisans, farmers, merchants…. They knew the meaning of starvation and little money but not of rat-race.
@Andrea T.H.W. Nice to meet you, too! That’s a great point – I’ve never thought of it that way. You may find this BBC article an interesting read: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-16964783. In short: It seems that until ~17th century people didn’t follow the same sleep patterns we have now, either. I don’t know remotely enough to have any opinion which living habits might be “better” or not, but the differences do make for some interesting comparisons.
@amysept Well, the best habit in every field of life is always the one that brings you happiness and keeps it there. All the rest is simply fluff, imho.
I’ll have a look at the article, thanks and have a great week.