When should you attach your personal image to your business?

[realtalk]

It seems more commonplace to see individuals putting themselves out there (e.g. on YouTube, etc.) as part of the promotional side of their business.

I am curious to hear some thoughts on the positives and negatives of doing this. As a somewhat private person I'm hesitant but not opposed to putting myself out there. However it seems like one of those things that can't be undone -- once you've plastered yourself all over the web it feels like you're there forever.

For those that have done so have the positives outweighed any negatives? Any cautionary tales to be shared?

 

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[MTF]

I prefer to stay anonymous. Unless you're building a personal brand or trying to become an influencer, I don't think it's really that necessary to plaster yourself all over the web. If your business becomes too attached to your name, you'll have a hard time ever selling it. As a person, you'll also be stuck with your name attached to the niche whether you're still involved in it or not.

I think it also depends on what kind of marketing you do. If it's content marketing, then I guess a personal brand helps. If you're focusing on, say, paid advertising, your website is way more important than whether your face is in hundreds of videos on YouTube.

In the end, I don't think it's really that much of a business decision as it is a personal decision. If you value privacy and leaving a simple life, stay as anonymous as you can. It doesn't preclude you from having business success. There are countless extremely wealthy people nobody knows about (particularly in boring niches).

 

[OMJ]

I'm hesitant but not opposed to putting myself out there.

Tik Tok?

Shake it baby!

 

[Andy Black]

It seems more commonplace to see individuals putting themselves out there (e.g. on YouTube, etc.) as part of the promotional side of their business.

I am curious to hear some thoughts on the positives and negatives of doing this. As a somewhat private person I'm hesitant but not opposed to putting myself out there. However it seems like one of those things that can't be undone -- once you've plastered yourself all over the web it feels like you're there forever.

For those that have done so have the positives outweighed any negatives? Any cautionary tales to be shared?

What type of business are you growing?

It sounds like you’d prefer to not grow a business around your personal brand? You don’t need to.

Just bear in mind you already have a personal brand, whether you consciously decided to create it or not.

Also bear in mind you’ll have your personal brand for life, and it’s a non-taxable asset.

Even if you don’t intentionally grow it, at least manage it.

This might help:

• Let's Chat Sales - Personal Branding

 

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[CaptainAmerica]

There's a fine line between personal branding and creating a cult of personality. And I don't mean Trump, he's an extreme example. I mean the author who has a book, speaking engagements, a YT channel, talk show interviews - about the concept of counting down from 10 and then taking action. It's disingenuous and kinda slimy.

Have a solid offer. IF your story is relevant to the offer, AND people are asking, then yes, sure. I buy Mary Kay cosmetics in part because of her. But I sell chimney cleaning and gutter work. No one cares about my personal story. It has to be relevant to your customers. And please, don't overdo it.

 

[Deleted85763]

It seems more commonplace to see individuals putting themselves out there (e.g. on YouTube, etc.) as part of the promotional side of their business.

I am curious to hear some thoughts on the positives and negatives of doing this. As a somewhat private person I'm hesitant but not opposed to putting myself out there. However it seems like one of those things that can't be undone -- once you've plastered yourself all over the web it feels like you're there forever.

For those that have done so have the positives outweighed any negatives? Any cautionary tales to be shared?

Lots of people obviously do that and it works - other people like to look at other people. However, in my opinion it is never a good idea unless you are the brand. The are many possible dangers in doing so, The worst are the unknowns. By "unknown" I mean "situations you could never, ever have imagined.". The world has crazy aspects to it and you never know who or for what purpose someome is looking at your image! I personally know somoene who was stalked on the internet and then in person for months by someone far away they didn't even know! This situation almost ended very badly. It was so bizzare that no one could ever make up such a situation. I also know personally of another bizzare situation that involved things posted on the internet.

If you have any doubts whatsoever go back and read the above sentence I highlighted in bold. I would personally will never post my images online.

 

[Martin Z]

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It seems more commonplace to see individuals putting themselves out there (e.g. on YouTube, etc.) as part of the promotional side of their business.

I am curious to hear some thoughts on the positives and negatives of doing this. As a somewhat private person I'm hesitant but not opposed to putting myself out there. However it seems like one of those things that can't be undone -- once you've plastered yourself all over the web it feels like you're there forever.

For those that have done so have the positives outweighed any negatives? Any cautionary tales to be shared?

It depends on the business but I'd say do it as soon as possible. Why? People remember people. People BUY from people. It's very important at the start, especially if you're going to sell B2B services.

Look at all the biggest companies/brands that are out there. Apple is a perfect example of that. There's a very big group of people who buy Apple's products because of Steve Jobs, even years after his death. Same can be said for Tesla. People buy Teslas not just because they're comfortable and are the fastest electric cars on the road today, but also because it's from Elon Musk. Yes, he's the real life version of Tony Stark. What about Walt Disney, Bill Gates, Jeff Beezos, Colonel Sanders, Jack Ma, Ferruccio Lamborghini, Enzo Ferrari, Henry Ford etc.? You get the point.

It'll also enable you to charge much higher prices than your competitors.

 

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[realtalk]

What type of business are you growing?

It sounds like you’d prefer to not grow a business around your personal brand? You don’t need to.

Just bear in mind you already have a personal brand, whether you consciously decided to create it or not.

Also bear in mind you’ll have your personal brand for life, and it’s a non-taxable asset.

Even if you don’t intentionally grow it, at least manage it.

This might help:

• Let's Chat Sales - Personal Branding

I'm toying with an idea to tackle a gap (or so I believe, I haven't tested the market in any meaningful way) in the programming education niche. Since I'd be the one to produce the initial content that is what led me to create this thread.

From a student point of view I understand not wanting a teacher whose identity is shrouded in mystery. So from that perspective I feel like I don't have much choice

 

[Andy Black]

From a student point of view I understand not wanting a teacher whose identity is shrouded in mystery. So from that perspective I feel like I don't have much choice

I’m following plenty of channels where I don’t know the creator.

Have a look at “dreamcloud” and “practical psychology” YouTube channels.

And to some extent Paddy Galloway’s channel (it’s named after him but he’s not in his videos).

Look up “limiting beliefs” and you’ll see how assuming students need to know the teacher is/was holding you back.