{"id":4029,"date":"2014-08-27T03:23:37","date_gmt":"2014-08-27T03:23:37","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/bme2.flywheelsites.com\/blog\/brand-you\/"},"modified":"2020-01-20T17:01:42","modified_gmt":"2020-01-20T17:01:42","slug":"brand-you","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.benchmarkemail.com\/in\/brand-you\/","title":{"rendered":"Brand YOU"},"content":{"rendered":"

A fatal blow for most small business owners is their staunch aversion to exposing themselves as part of their brand. These types, usually running more or less a one man show, feel comfortable behind their brand rather than in front of it. Despite how much you try to pull them out from behind, they\u2019re just not ready to have the spotlight on them.<\/p>\n

Newsflash: You ARE your brand.<\/p>\n

Today\u2019s consumer is primed to want to know the people behind the company \u2013 especially if your business is dealing directly with customers (B2C) more so than other businesses (B2B). Yet what it really comes down to is an old-fashioned sense of privacy and propriety that makes these types shy away from being attention mongers.<\/p>\n

And that\u2019s where you\u2019re wrong.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s not about attention mongering. Stepping out as the face of your brand is about recognizing the direction of business and people\u2019s expectation of both transparency and familiarity. They want to know you and they want to do business with you.<\/p>\n

However, coming out as the face of your brand can be a tricky thing. You\u2019ve got to be careful not to over share socially, to be always conscientious of your message \u2013 and you\u2019ve got to develop a sensitive understanding of how to brand yourself as an individual.<\/p>\n

The best beginner\u2019s advice comes from Shama Hyder in a Forbes article titled \u201c7 Things You Can Do To Build An Awesome Personal Brand.\u201d Hyder advises newbies to consider the following questions when starting to build their own brand:<\/p>\n