Kate Toon on how to take the ‘ick’ out of personal branding

I see you, you little weirdo. That collection of guinea pig-related decor. The slightly manic and vaguely inappropriate obsession with Harry Styles. Your deep-seated love of parmesan cheese.

We all have our strangeness; we all have our obsession, and the truth is they are a way to establish a fabulous personal brand.

It’s all about creating a personal brand that you love and doesn’t feel awkward, but instead fits like a pair of comfy slippers and works to build your customer loyalty and bank balance.

Let’s get stuck in.

Step 1. Get over yourself

One of the main reasons I hear people argue why they don’t want to create a personal brand is that they don’t want to put themselves ‘out there’. They’re fearful of the negative feedback, the snarky remarks and the cancel culture.

“What if I mess up?” they squeal. “What if people hate me?” they mutter.

Here’s the thing. You will mess up, you’ll apologise and you’ll improve. People will hate you. You don’t like everyone, so why would everyone like you?

But we cannot live our lives worrying about the odd troll and their negativity.

Step 2. Decide what you stand for

What do you believe in? What do you care about deeply? Perhaps you believe honesty is vital in business. Or you think that supporting others is a core priority. These beliefs will become your brand values.

If you struggle with this exercise, try taking the opposite stance. What do you loathe? What makes you angry about your industry? What do you want to stand up against? Your brand values will be the antithesis of these.

For example, I hated the obfuscation of the SEO industry (the lie that you have to be a genius to do it) so one of my brand values is honesty.

Step 3. Find your brand personality

So, if your values are what we stand for, your personality is how you come across. How would your friends and colleagues describe you? How would you describe yourself?

Now this might not all be positive; you’ll need to embrace the good with the bad. So if you’re an anal attention-to-detail obsessive or you think that supporting others is a core priority, embrace it!

Step 4. Share your quirks

Let’s be honest, if you’re an accountant you’re probably good with numbers, you’re likely to understand tax law, and use Xero. And so is the next person, and the next and the next. So, if all the choices are the same, how do you choose?

Well, the thing is, you have a dog and sometimes you share pictures of your dog, and I’m a dog person, so I kinda think we already have something in common.

Or maybe you love Barry Manilow. Or maybe you’re a mad good tap dancer. Sharing your quirks (as long as they are not really odd – no pictures of your Red Room of Pain, please) is an amazing way to create connection.

Yes, you won’t be for everyone, but you can’t serve everyone anyway.

Step 5. Be consistent

Now, when it comes to consistency I don’t mean posting on Instagram every Wednesday at 9am; I mean be you, and truly you wherever you are.

I’ve met some of my online heroes in real life and have been so disappointed that they bore only a shadow of similarity to this character they had created (and curated).

Be ‘you’ on the fun socials and be the same you on boring old LinkedIn. Be you online and be the same you in person. Don’t create a persona, instead embrace your personality.

Once you decide to examine and expose the real you, you’re going to discover that it’s an amazingly freeing and relaxing experience. No more pretending to be something you’re not. No more trying to appeal to everyone. Instead you can make genuine human connections; you can find your people. You share your weirdness, they share theirs, and you become happy little weirdos together.

Personal branding isn’t about becoming some Kim Kardashian-level super star. It’s not about dancing on Reels. It’s about accepting that you are enough, that you are likable, and that the real you is all you need.