The energy that makes your personal brand irresistible

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Transcript

Speaker 1 0:00

Welcome to today's episode of Dauntless PR Unfiltered. What we're going to be talking about today is the energy behind an irresistible personal brand. So there are some things that just make people attracted to a personal brand, and there are other things that repel.

Speaker 0:20

Isn't that right, Catherine? Absolutely. I think a lot of these things as well are things that you don't necessarily, they're not tangible things. They're things like whether somebody feels safe with you, whether somebody really gets on board with your message. So they're not necessarily things like having a great logo, or they're not necessarily things that you can tick a box off. They are having an amazing message, a consistent presence, and really building up a brand that people understand so they know when they land on your social media or they see you in the media, they know exactly what you're about, what you stand for, how you help people, what you say. And that consistency is hugely irresistible where people think, oh, I know this person, I get them, I get what they're about, and I really get on board with what they're saying. And I know that all the people that we work with who are amazing clients, the thing about them is that people, wherever they show up, whatever they're talking about, they have this amazing, irresistible consistency where people just get them. They could be talking about a solo travel trip, or they could be talking about how they built their business up, but that same energy is consistent throughout.

Speaker 1 1:50

It is all about the energy, and it comes from those who are purpose-driven as well, doesn't it? It's having that, this is my message, this is what people need, and it's knowing that you're doing it to help people, not like of course, like you're gonna make money from it, you're gonna build an amazing life, you're gonna get freedom and all of that stuff. But the main the per first primary thing that they think about is the message that that their people need, and being the person constantly showing up as the person that makes them feel safe and that makes them feel secure.

Speaker 2:32

Yeah. And it's something that you hopefully will have noticed with people that you follow as well. So I think everybody listening, you've built a business that's based on purpose. This is something you've built, and there will be other people that you without necessarily even knowing it, you feel that about them. So that's why you're attracted to them, that's why you follow them on your social media. And it's the people that make us feel a certain way, a positive way, like we feel invigorated, we feel energized. When so if I watch a TikTok or a YouTube from somebody who has an amazing message, I leave that wanting to take action, wanting to do something, wanting to watch more, wanting to be in that person's space, whether it's as a client or whether it's just as following them and seeing more, but it's that like wanting to consume more of their content, and you'll find this so with the media as well, that if you do a really great piece of media where you really get across your energy, your personality, the things about you, that people will want to come and find you on social media because they will love what your whole energy it's about how you go into something often, and if you're going in with that real willingness to share your story, to share your wisdom, to share what you have to say, then people want more of that. That's irresistible to people. So people will often tell us that they notice more people coming and following their social media after a piece of media, and it's because they want, they don't want to leave it just reading about you in a magazine. They're like, Oh, I want more. And it can be something that's not even about your business, but you just told a story in such a way that people are like, I want, I want more of this person. I want to know what they're all about.

Speaker 1 4:34

That's it, and they want to be in their energy, don't they? And I think like anyone listening to this will really, really understand that it is about the purpose and about really being true to themselves and who they are, and not putting on any sort of mask and just fully unleashing who they are and trusting that that's gonna attract the right sort of person in and repel everybody else, you know, and that that's completely fine as well. But it is rarer than I think a lot of people give themselves credit for.

Speaker 5:11

Absolutely. I often will tell people, so I find that the most purpose-driven, like enigmatic, amazing entrepreneurs are often the most humble as well. They often don't realize quite how rare the qualities they have are. So they'll kind of be saying, Oh, well, you know, I've got I've managed to build this up, but they'll be quite humble about it sometimes, or they will assume that everybody in their niche is kind of doing the same thing and also managing to do that. But actually, having a really good presence on social media, having a presence in the media that complements your social media so that the two of them are working in harmony with each other and they're highlighting each other, because that's the ideal. You want to be leveraging your media on your social media, and um when you're in the media, you want to be sending people over to social media so that they work in balance and they really fuel each other. That's really rare. I don't think people realize how rare it is, and you probably will get an idea of how rare it is if you actually just sit and think for a moment about some of the types of things you will see when you're scrolling through your social media platforms, and you'll probably you'll maybe roll your eyes a little bit, or maybe you might even think, oh no, I used to do this a long time ago, and now I've grown and I and I don't do this. But I think it's definitely worth like us digging into some of these like inconsistencies that have the opposite effect of of what you've built, like they have the making people feel confused or unsafe or maybe distrusting of what people are putting out there because there's a lot of people out there getting this wrong, and it's you really need to celebrate your own achievements in in building your consistent brand because it is not something that everybody is doing.

Speaker 1 7:14

No, it really, really isn't. I think a lot of people go for like shock, like because they want engagement, so there's a lot of conditioning, isn't there, in the business world that engagement is everything. So people go for engagement, and they can do that sometimes through shock, like shock headlines, and and this some do it in PR as well, you know, they want to go for the shock headlines and just anything that'll disrupt, but without thinking, is what's what effect is that going to have to do? Sorry, what effect is that going to have on the actual people that I want to bring in? Like I saw one just this morning, actually, right? I've been following this coach for quite some time, and I'd always had an interest in what in what she was doing, you know, it wasn't something I felt that I needed right there, right then, but it'd always been like, oh, that that's interesting, you know, I'm gonna follow her, and it might be something that I need at some point. But then this morning I saw a post by her, and basically she was saying, anybody who does this thing this way, I'm being vague on purpose because I don't want anybody identified or anything, but it was basically if you do this thing this way, then you're dumb. This is how you should do it instead. And I just thought, well, I don't want to work with somebody who thinks I'm dumb. I'm gonna hit and follow.

Speaker 8:43

And I'm sure I won't have been the only one. And it's such a common strategy, and I genuinely think maybe there's some social media gurus out there that are giving some really terrible advice because I I often see, I see what I I'm gonna coin success shaming. So somebody who has built up um what is, to all intents and purposes, a very successful business, but they are using their success to shame people who aren't there yet. And they are using their success to shame maybe even things they used to do themselves, but they're not doing it in a kind and consistent way. So, what I would call a kind and consistent way would be to reflect back on your where you've come from and talk about maybe how you used to do something, and then maybe talk about how you do it now and why that's better. That's fine. That's but when people do this thing where they say, I don't want to work with anybody who does this, that, or the other, or if you're doing this, like you said, if you're doing this, you're dumb. Or you're dumb. Or and it this is quite a common technique, strategy, but what it actually does is it alienates the people that need your help because by the very nature, if you are someone who is particularly if you're a coach, if you're a coach, you are coaching people in things that they know they haven't got it all right, that's why they need a coach. They're they're perhaps looking for guidance and support in the very thing that you're shaming them about. So that's one thing, but also even if they don't fall into the category of the dumb, stupid person that you're talking about, or that you know, these content creators are talking about, then people are still gonna be like, that's just not nice. I think that's the thing that it's just the wrong energy, isn't it?

Speaker 1 10:45

That's nobody wants mean girl energy, like mean girl energy as an adult is just cringe, yeah.

Speaker 10:53

Anything that makes you remember like high school in a bad way, like that. This is people who believe that they are better than other people, not in a like let me help you achieve this goal because I've managed to do it way, but in a I'm better than you way. That's it's really not the kind of thing to go for, and it is something that I do see a lot of, and it's it's strange because I the people doing it obviously can't see the issue with it, and maybe they get like you say, they get the engagement, so they think it's that's right, and they're trying to be edgy. I think they're trying to be edgy and cool, and I think you can go for the element of surprise without having to go for shock, so like you can certainly share content that is surprising to people, and that's amazing.

Speaker 1 11:52

Well, there's nothing wrong with shock either, is it? As long as it's not like repelling the wrong people.

Speaker 11:59

The thing, the thing with shock, and why I say surprise over shock is that usually shock has a bit of a negative connotation, doesn't it? Like if something shocks you, it's usually like whoa. So, like if someone tells you something awesome that you weren't expecting, that's like a really cool surprise. But if someone says something really negative, then you're like, Oh my god, I'm quite shocked by that. You know, there probably are some positive examples of shock, but like I think the element of surprise can be really cool in that you know, you maybe you go and you talk in the media about something that your existing followers don't know, like you tell a story that you've never told before, that's amazing. Yeah, yeah, and then you and then you follow that up on your social media and you you do some great story times, and that's really like a great way of getting people following you and on side. But if you're just throwing stuff out to shock and be like, everyone in my industry, this is a common one as well that I see content creators do, where they try and call out everybody else in their industry in a very negative way. Yeah, so they're not shining a light on what they're doing in a positive way, they're going like this is the thing that everybody's doing wrong. They're and sometimes as well, they can seem quite pointed. And I often think, and I'm sure all of you listening will have had moments where you go, Is this aimed at someone in particular? Like, is this a because it's so detailed, you go, wait, that's just happened. That you think, yeah, they've clearly got an issue with a person, but they're trying to make it seem like content rather than just addressing it directly with the person, you know. Maybe it's someone that is like they consider a rival or like a former person that they were in business with, and it you they come out with these like really super specific grudge posts, and you're like, this is useful. I've definitely done that in the past. I feel like every embarrassing thing, everybody has probably done at least one embarrassing thing at the in the past because you you almost have to go through this right of passage to grow and get to that point where you have got this great personal brand. Everyone has to make these. It's like with making you have to make the rubbish first pancake before you can do.

Speaker 1 14:30

I have to say, a lot a lot of the things that come up in my Facebook memories just make me cringe, but that's a good thing, isn't it? It shows growth.

Speaker 14:39

None of us are born knowing it all from day one and with it totally together. We all have to like grow from these mistakes, don't we? Another thing that is a really common thing that I see, and I do have a little bit of understanding with this, is when people maybe have something difficult going on in their personal lives, and they share it, which and I'm gonna make it really clear now that I am not saying that you can't share difficult things that are going on, but they people get whiplash when they see these content creators things because they'll be posting something like a picture of a beach, and they'll be like living my dream life, never been happier. Here's how you can work with me and be happy too. And then the next post will be like feeling so depressed and sad, and this is all going on, and it's just it's that inconsistency where people are like, Well, which is it? Are you living your best life and you can help me live my best life? Or is things are things really actually quite shit? And when these people yo-yo between this sort of over-sharing about the personal thing on their business page, I'm not talking about in friend like private WhatsApp groups with your friends, but sharing things when they're also juxtaposing that with what they're trying to make inspirational content. So they're trying to get people feeling really high vibe and inspired by them, but then they are actually showing people that maybe the reality is very different, and it just that makes people question your authenticity because they're saying, Well, which is true, because they don't feel like they could both be true. A different way of you know, where people do that successfully is where they are talking about things in the past, and they come on and they share something personal about maybe a difficult situation they were in, and then they talk about how they moved through that and got to where they are now. That's a really consistent way of letting people see the human behind the brand, but in a way that people are like, Oh, yeah, I really resonate with what you said because I've been through something similar, or I'm going through that now, and you're giving me hope. You're showing me that there is a way through that there's better times waiting. I may well have said this on the podcast before, but it's such a great saying. I'm gonna say it again anyway, that you share from the scar, not the wound. If something is really, really difficult for you currently, it's not usually the right time to talk about it in a business setting. Again, not talking about sharing with your family and friends and the people that know you, because the people that are doing this, it makes people doubt them. It brings that element of doubt that they just think, oh, and then they don't want nobody wants to be like somebody that they feel sorry for. So what it does do though is it drives that engagement, and that's why people do it.

Speaker 1 17:54

It gives them the false, like that, oh, this is working, like this this is working. I'm getting engagement, but engagement doesn't equal sales.

Speaker 18:04

I can guarantee you that if somebody were to say, well, say I if I was to go and do a TikTok today and I and suddenly say, you know, I'm about to lose my house, everything terrible's happening. If you don't like my video, people would because they feel sorry for you, but that wouldn't be useful followers. That would be kind of people going, oh my gosh, I'm really like feeling sorry for this person and I want to help. So when you obviously have you're building a personal brand, you guys all know that your brand is your biggest asset. And when people make themselves look like the victim, or people start to pity them, then it's a very human response to want to like reach out and be like, Are you okay? But that doesn't mean that they would want to buy from them in a business sense. They they just want to engage with them. Anything that can be sort of responded with, like, are you okay, hun? DM me, yeah, like, are you okay? Is it's not the right thing for your business social media platforms in the same way as I would never recommend somebody going to the media and share a current thing, unless there is a really productive thing. Like if you're raising money for something and you need to like raise awareness of it right then in the moment, that's one thing. If it's something that you've you've not figured your stuff out yet, then wait a little bit and share it when you're in a position of power and you can look back on it and reflect on it. So, and I honestly feel like every single person listening will a hundred percent know somebody that has shared one of these like vague or worrying posts about how terrible their life is. We will all have seen them because that seems to come in. People of all walks of life seem to fall into this kind of trap of these like negative, fake booking kind of posts.

Speaker 1 20:11

Yeah. And you know what it comes down to is we're all human, aren't we? And we've all got things going on, but I think like for the for the people who do do that, it's knowing what the intention is. Like, I've definitely fallen into that trap in the past, you know, when we first all first started coming online, and then it was something that I started asking myself every time was what is the intention behind this post? Is it really like what do I want my audience to gain from it? Are they gonna gain from it? Or is it just that I need to vent? And then if if I was like, if I clicked, it was like, oh, actually, this is because I'm thoroughly pissed off and I want to vent. Then I'm gonna go to my business bestie in a private message, or I'm gonna go to my team, to you, Catherine, or I'm gonna go to someone that to my therapist, you know.

Speaker 21:10

Yeah, no one wants to feel like you're their therapist. I think that's the thing, isn't it? Yeah, none of us want to feel like we're somebody's therapist online. If they're a really good friend, then we're usually more than happy to talk about this, like away from the public thing, but anything you put out, there should always be a clear intention, and it's the same with the media, like that intentionality in all walks of like business and visibility is just so important, and I think alignment as well, that's something that is so important. Like, I believe that most purpose driven entrepreneurs are really good at this, they're really good at making sure that what they're saying is aligned to their message because their message. Message is the important thing. That's why you're good at it. So if you're somebody who is driven by the need to share a message, you are gonna be in alignment with everything you do and say because sharing the message is the point. That's why you're doing it. There are a lot of people though that particularly if people are getting to a point where maybe they are panicking a little bit and they are thinking, I need to make some sales. And that that panic fuels it, I need to make some sales, and the message stops being front of their mind. So they're thinking, How can I get engagement? How can I get people to click? That's sometimes where they fall into the shock thing that we talked about earlier. But sometimes it leads people to say things that just don't align with their message. So they will say things, and when you actually examine it, you think that doesn't fit with what you normally say. That doesn't fit with your main core thing. And I've seen some great people fall into this trap where maybe they are actively saying the opposite to what they have said before, or they're saying something that actually puts it just undermines people's trust in them because it's not aligned. So they will just say something that you think, oh, I don't like that. It makes me feel uneasy, makes me feel, and people won't come to you. This is the thing. I if I see something from somebody and I think, oh, that makes me feel a bit uneasy, that doesn't feel authentic, that doesn't feel aligned. I'm probably not gonna go to the trouble of telling that person unless they are someone I'm very close to and I think that they would listen to me and that they're actually wanting my guidance. So the people doing these mistakes don't realize it's turning people off. They don't realize what it's costing them because they're seeing the surface level likes and engagements, but they're not seeing that it's undermining that feeling of safety that people had with them, that feeling of trust, that authority, that credibility, all the stuff that they have built up through the media, social media, years of you know, word of mouth, years of being great at what they do, and then they do things that just pull the rug out from under people. They many people go, Oh, I don't know if I really do know you at all. So an example of this would be as well, like somebody who suddenly just starts sharing quite a controversial view that isn't necessarily anything to do with their message, it's not a valuable thing to their audience, it's not relevant, and it's gonna be something that people go, Oh, I don't like that.

Speaker 1 24:57

And I actually thought you you were my kind of person, and that's made me question that because yeah, it's do the question to ask is do I want to repel everybody who doesn't agree with me on this? And if the answer is yes, then go for it by all means. But most of the time when people do that, they don't actually want to do that.

Speaker 25:19

And we have seen this with some quite big influences. So around like the US elections, we saw some people who were had built massive, massive followings from talking about things that had nothing to do with politics. So they'd never ever mentioned who they voted for, which side of the political divide they were, because that wasn't what their content was about. Their content was about something different. So some might have been a beauty influencer, it might have been someone who did comedy skits or something that was just nothing to do with politics. And then we did see a kind of a surge of people that just felt compelled to share their political views. And people, there was this backlash against the people that obviously had a different political view. Again, as you said, if you're someone that actually thinks, do you know what? I do this, but I don't want to work with people who are on the other side, then that's an intention. And they are going into that eyes wide open. But if it's not relevant to what you're doing, and actually you want to help as many people as possible, regardless of who they're voting for in the voting booth, or it doesn't have to be politics, it could be anything, you know, something that's going to divide people, but that isn't relevant to whether you can help them or whether you want to help them. Then it's just, I think it's asking asking yourself why. And I think that that is the biggest problem that a lot of people fall into. They don't have that intention and they don't ask themselves why they're doing it. They go for the easy, this'll get me a bit of traffic. This will get me a bit of buzz and talk it. And yeah, you know, some of the most unpopular, if you actually think about something like TikTok, like I mean, rage baiting's a real thing, isn't it? Like people go on and they do things that are really, really controversial and they get huge numbers of people stitching their videos or like responding to that, but it's done with a negative energy. That's not any kind of energy to build a personal brand on. That's kind of people do that, that's like a thing in its own right that you just want to leave those rage baiters to do their thing. But like, if you know, the people with the positive messages and the purposes, that's how you stand out. That's how all of you people who are listening who have a real purpose, you stand out because you're not doing those things. You're not vague looking, you're not rage baiting, you're not coming out with outlandish views that are going to divide people. You are staying true to what it is that made you do your business in the first place. What made you do that? You're sharing your journey. You might be sharing your low points, but you're sharing them with a way that is going to be helpful to people. They're not going to feel sorry for you, they're going to feel empowered by learning about the journey that you've been on. You're sharing stuff that leaves people feeling happier, like they know something, like they've got something from whatever you've put out in the world. They feel like their world is a slightly better place from having discovered that you exist and that you've got these things to say. And that's the energy. That's the energy that's irresistible. That you feel lifted, that you feel like I want to see more about this person. I want to hear what they've got to say about their topic. I want to know about their life. I want to find out what they did before this. I want to know all this stuff because I just think that they're like magnetic and I want to be in their space.

Speaker 1 29:15

And all of you listening to this, like just really, really celebrate yourselves for being the kind of person who gets that and who makes it happen. You know, like everybody's made mistakes in the past and cringe about things that we've done. But seriously, it is so rare, and that's what has you standing out. So we will end this episode here. If you know that you've got a powerful message that needs to get out there into the world, email as hello at dauntlesspr.com. See you next time.