Last week, a huge event unfolded on Twitter.
Here’s the scene:
A friendly rivalry, I’ll call it.
On one side, Apple Inc.
On the other, none other than Apple’s CEO, Tim Cook.
Both unveiled the new Apple Vision Pro 🕶️
The crowd went wild.
But, the plot thickens.
At least for a brand fanatic, like me.
Apple’s tweet:
3,482 retweets
23.2k likes
Tim Cook's tweet:
32.7k retweets
163.4k likes
By sheer “thumbs-up” alone, Cook’s tweet outperformed the corporate giant’s tweet by 839% in retweets and 604% in likes, illustrating the power of this:
→ Building a Personal Brand (and in fact, the Executive's Brand)
In an era head over heels for AI, algorithms, and augmented reality, I saw this as another reminder that we’re still hungry for genuine, human-to-human interactions.
And sure, your corporate brand still has its seat at the table.
But I’m increasingly convinced that a leader’s personal brand has evolved from a nice-to-have to a must-have in many industries.
My thought on why:
Trust is the new currency.
And nothing builds trust quite like authentic, human connections.
Now, this isn’t a strategy exclusive to corporate giants.
If anything, small businesses stand to gain the most here.
Because when a small biz takes the bold step of polishing up and leveraging the exec’s personal brand - it creates a more down-to-earth connection with their customers and their community.
And this is often something the traditional corporate marketing strategies don't touch.
Small business, big impact?
Absolutely possible with this.
So today, I’m pulling back the curtain on the process I use when designing a personal brand strategy.
A Lesson on Building a Personal Brand
1 / Start with WHO
Dive deep into your target market.
Understand their aspirations. Their obstacles.
Then, study:
Where do they hang out?
Whose wisdom do they lean on?
What groups or associations do they belong to?
2 / Define your WHY
This is your north star.
The cause you champion.
The core values you hold dear.
The stand you’re willing to make for your market.
Get crystal clear on your core purpose.
3 / Establish your unique POV
I find the most captivating personal brands sport a clear-cut point of view.
This is where your expertise intersects with your unique take on the industry.
The sharper your POV, the deeper you’ll resonate with your audience.
4 / Build out your personal brand plan
I like to chunk marketing plans into three sections:
Goals / Objectives (What’s the aim?)
Strategies (Your roadmap to your goals)
Tactics (Your to-do list to bring your strategies to life)
5 / Create your tech stack
Once your strategy is in place, cherry-pick the tools/tech that will help you execute it.
This might include:
Social media platforms
Content creation tools
Website/email platforms
… and other useful resources to keep your brand process tight.
6 / Build a system for implementation
A foolproof system or process for deploying this strategy is key.
Plot it out on a timeline to give you a handle on the time commitment required.
Find a rhythm that you can keep up with to ensure consistency.
__
And there you have it.
Gift-wrapped and ready to go.
Remember, it’s not about pushing your corporate brand to the side.
Instead, it’s about giving your brand a heartbeat.
Tim Cook’s Twitter post is just one of many prime examples that, no matter how “techy” we get, we’re wired to connect with other humans, not logos.
To make it easy, I’ve put together a simple 6-step checklist you can use to build your personal brand strategy.
Think of it as your map to humanizing your brand.
→ Download the Personal Brand Strategy Checklist Here
Oh, and as a little bonus, it comes with a link to the workbook I use when drafting a personal brand strategy (...a notion template. Nothing fancy, BTW. But feel free to duplicate this and make it your own.)
That’s a wrap! ✌️
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