It started off with a man and a scarf tied on his head. I was pretty impressed with his ability to look fashionable, if only because my head is usually too big for any type of accessory.
Plus, Geoff Livingston rocks the bald look, so he can pull it off.
I could go on and on about the Deirdre Breakenridge (Hi Mom!), Sarah Evans, Dr. Mark Drapeau and Geoff Livingston panel that happened yesterday – but won’t. Your eyes might get tired, so it’s in your best interest. Trust me.
A lot of the talk was around influencers and representing brands, all while staying true to yourself. One panelist put it best: “If you work for a company, you are never bigger than your brand.” Once you are? You’re effed. It’s not about them anymore. Fame will only get you so far, and how is that actually helping a company? Yes, it can raise awareness and drive business.
Do you know where the balance lies? In the impression. The impression that you give the brand, your co-workers and even those that just get a glimpse across social networks. Impressions are everything. Sometimes, they aren’t right. You can’t control how a person will react to you, but you can control how you interact after the fact. You can make changes if necessary.
Your reputation is simply what “personal branding” is. Traditionally, branding is associated with an object, not a person.
As Livingston said, “A community-centric approach is best – being famous shouldn’t matter to a business or stakeholder.”
Yes, jobs and business can be thrown your way because of the reputation you’ve built. It’s up to the person to continue to build on that. You have to make yourself worth something more to a brand, without becoming bigger than it.
What’s the deliverable? At the end of the day, you are driving business. It’s our task as public relations professionals to not only get that message out there, but target and leverage specific communities.
What do you think? Let’s chat in the comments.
