One of my favourite things about my social media journey has been learning from my community and having opportunities to give learnings back to my community! AskDanRam became a staple of my social media channels and I’m bringing it back. The theme for this Q&A is personal branding, something very close to my heart! Let’s dive into the questions I’ve received!
Q: When trying to develop your own personal brand, is it better to be creative or consistent? – Lauren, USA
I think this is just like the tortoise and the hare story. It is so so tempting to put all your time and energy into creating the most epic viral video, but this won’t make people want to join you on your journey. Consistent, high quality content is always better. Personal branding is a marathon, not a sprint. Play the long game and people will get to know who you truly are.
Q: Should I post on a personal account or a business account? Or both? – Matei, Romania
I struggled with this for a long time! But when you think about it, a personal brand should be an authentic view of ALL of you. If you look at my social media accounts, I share all of my interests – traveling, work, music, my friends. They are all a part of what makes the DanRam personal brand. Bottom line, commit to a personal or a business account, not both.
Q: How would you brand yourself if you want to become a professional speaker? – Munir, Jordan
This question mixes my two favourite worlds right now! For me, they’re both about conversation. If you develop your personal brand well, you’re telling your story. If you do speaking well, you’re sharing that story. When I began sharing my story online through vlogs and blogs it became much easier for events to hire me. It’s a natural transition from camera to stage. I’d recommend developing your personal brand, sharing your story, and the speaking will come quite organically.
Q: What are you doing at events to develop your personal brand? – Brandon, USA
There are a couple of things I think of around my brand and events. Some of the smaller stuff would include always wearing my brand colours (especially #RedShoes)! It just helps me to differentiate myself visually. I’ve always been known to burst out into song on stage -kind of unusual for a speaker! But the main philosophy for me is about monologue vs dialogue. Tons of speakers treat the stage as a monologue or a selling opportunity. I use it to start a conversation. It’s why I encourage people to connect with me online, or to connect in person for a tea / coffee after the event. Two-way conversations are much more meaningful and do wonders for your personal brand.
Q: If I had a niche, would be it be better for my personal brand? – Florence, Ireland
This was an issue I had for years! Nowadays, I break this question down into three major steps.
Throw things at the wall and see what sticks. I wanted to be a classical pianist, a professional tennis player, I worked for the UN, for KMPG, did some consulting, then some investing. Professional speaking and entrepreneurship developed out of these more recently which is why… when you’ve found something that sticks, like public speaking has for me, observe & watch! Learn from the industry and the industry leaders. I consistently watch TedTalks and other conferences to see what is the norm, and to figure out how I can differentiate!
Build on it. I have developed a certain style, energy, look and delivery to my public speaking to differentiate myself from others. The behind-the-scenes social content I make is yet another differentiation from other speakers! This is me now building into my niche.
Bottom line, yes – find a niche and build on it!
These are just a few of my thoughts on personal branding. As always, this is a conversation and I would love to hear your thoughts – please comment below!
Dan Ram ignites the stage as an in-person event and virtual event MC/ Moderator & Speaker at over 100 events a year. He has shared the stage with international luminaries including President Barack Obama, Sir Richard Branson, Reid Hoffman, Nico Rosberg, and Grammy-winning artists and celebrities. He has also been recognized as a Top 40 under 40 leader 2020 as well as a Top 100 Yale Alumni in Technology 2021. Level up your communication skills through his course and mastermind “Speaking Success”. His passion is to inspire people with his motto ‘Start Now Start Simple’ in building a future we all want to live in.
Loved reading your answers to these questions Dan! I think my biggest struggle is that I have so many ideas I find myself being pulled in so many directions when I just need to focus on one niche. Thanks for this reminder!
Thanks Jeffrey. Start Simple and keep moving on that. All the best to you in your journey!!
Pingback: Become More Confident on Camera – Tips from an Introverted Emcee
Pingback: The Importance of Writing Skills in Personal Branding