So let’s start by asking what is a personal brand? “Your personal brand is ultimately how you make people feel in a one-to-one setting, when they discover you on social media, how you communicate,” said Kelly Lundberg.
The personal brand strategist, best-selling author, TEDx speaker and multi-award-winning entrepreneur spoke to Campaign Middle East editor Justin Harper for a podcast, to be published soon.
“The biggest myth, and I see it all the time when I’ve done masterclasses and workshops, I’ll ask people, do they have a personal brand. I would say less than 10 per cent of the room put their hand up. Or we get the ones in the middle that are not sure.
“But the reality is everyone’s got a personal brand. But what you don’t have is maybe an active strategy to being more visible, building your credibility, or just being known for what it is you want to be known for.”
Authentic
Authenticity is a buzzword that has been around for a while, but still remains crucial to a brand or content creator. It has actually become more of a concern in light of all the AI-generated content, which often lacks any emotion or human touch.
There’s currently a huge push now on LinkedIn for video content. The reason is that AI and tools such as ChatGPT are creating quick and easy long-form content that is just being cut and pasted onto social media platforms.
“While that might give you some inspiration, it’s also not entirely authentic,” Lundberg added.
For those who don’t think they need to worry about a personal brand, the business mentor and brand expert says that there are always people watching.
“You think your promotion, that the HR team have not scanned through your Instagram or your LinkedIn, or they’ve not done an extensive Google research and gone through past page three?
“I think that comes with naivety. I think you’re naive if you think you don’t have a personal brand.”
Deseed the lemon
Lundberg has written a new book called ‘Deseed the Lemon’. She shares stories from high-profile clients and her own life, and introduces seven core elements of personal branding you need to master to truly stand out.
But what exactly does Deseed the Lemon mean? “It is a bit of a visual metaphor. And it was this sort of understanding of the small things make the big difference.
“And that’s ultimately what Deseed the Lemon is, a metaphor for the small little things that you think people don’t notice actually have the biggest impact in what it is that you do.”
Personal brand might start with your physical persona, but our online presence has becoming increasingly important.
“Coming for 15 years in the fashion industry and styling, that’s really where personal branding for me became so apparent that it’s the small things that make the big difference.
“You think people don’t notice your shoes or that you haven’t cleaned them in the last 10 months. They tend to, so it’s the small things, the accessories, the small touches. And then I moved into understanding that personal brand is way more than just style.”
Lundberg equates your personal brand to a long-term savings account. It may be boring to keep putting money away every single month, but the compound effect is huge.
“Okay, I’m scheduling my posts on a Sunday morning. I’ve got three going out on LinkedIn.
It’s done. I’m showing up consistently. That’s Deseed the Lemon.”
