The branding era is in full swing. Wherever you are or look; companies, startups, social initiatives, government and especially one-person businesses are screaming for your attention everywhere. Why has branding actually become so hot and important? In this blog, I will take you through all the ins and outs of branding, with a particular emphasis on the personal side; Personal Branding.

The definition of branding

Let's put branding in context. Because, what exactly is branding? Branding is a container term of many things that are quite overlapping.

The word branding is derived from the Old Norse word brandr which means branding. Livestock owners literally used branding to distinguish the herds of different owners.

As simple and effective as these origins are, branding today is a bit more than just printing your logo on something. Branding makes a brand so much more than just the label on your product, the service you provide or the organization you work for.

A good explanation of what branding stands for comes from author and speaker Marty Neumeier:

A brand is a person's gut feeling about a product, service, or company.
- Marty Neumeier

Branding, then, is one's feelings about a product, a service or a company. This definition by Marty Neumeier especially emphasizes the psychological side of the word branding. And that "gut feeling," of course, can be positive or negative. If you visited a great popular restaurant, but the service was super bad, then your feeling about that brand afterwards is also bad.

The Surf Iceberg

So branding is much more than your logo or product. Branding is the experience your audience has before, during and after interacting with your brand. And there is nothing that can better explain what this looks like than the Branding Iceberg.

This simple model teaches you to see the concept of branding in context at once. The tip of the iceberg is the most present side of your brand. This, of course, sticks out prominently above the surface of the water. This includes your logo, products and marketing. This side of the iceberg is the face of your brand to the outside world.

However, the biggest part of your brand is below the surface. And that part of your brand is what everyone will have to deal with sooner or later. For example, what are your promises? And do you keep them? What is the corporate culture? How do you react to problems with your customers?

The sum total of the iceberg, that's branding. This blog discusses three examples of personal branding done right.

Personal branding as a starting point

Now that you know the meaning of branding, I can also explain to you what personal branding stands for. Because, you can't establish your own brand without first learning about yourself well.

Personal branding is a very broad and vague concept and is also often misunderstood. For some, personal branding is the clothes they wear in public, the book they read in public, the six-pack photo they post on Instagram or the special brand of coffee they always buy. But, all of that is just the outside (the top of the iceberg).

Personal branding is much more than that. It helps you develop yourself, establish a strong foundation and define who you are both personally and professionally.

"Personal branding is the entire process of activities a person undertakes to discover, explore and make visible his own authentic and distinctive value in relation to his environment, with the aim of creating a positive attitude in the minds of other people."

Many of us spend a lifetime discovering who they really are. But, if you want to develop your own brand identity, from the personal branding perspective, you will have to look very closely at yourself. Do you know exactly who you are and who you are not? What you are really passionate about? Where your weaknesses lie? And what the unique added value of you actually is over others?

So ask yourself, for example, "What am I insanely good at, and what will I always be good at?" Equally good is to think of the areas in which you see an opportunity to develop yourself further. The answer that comes out of this forms the guideline for the added value that you as a professional offer to your company and the market in general. You can then look at the following questions:

• Why did I start this, and what do I hope to achieve with my brand?
• What problem does my product or concept solve, and in what way?
• Who is my target audience and how is my brand perceived by them?

The Hedgehog Principle

To ensure that your unique, personal attributes promote the growth of your business, it is helpful to use the Hedgehog Concept (freely translated to Hedgehog Principle).

The Hedgehog Principle comes from the book "Good to Great" by Jim Collins and provides a crystal clear picture of your possible route to personal growth and long-term success.

Do you think like a fox or a hedgehog?

Foxes are fast, beautiful and cunning and also know many things, but they do not know how to integrate them into one whole. The problem with foxes is that they want to merge all kinds of things that have no relationship with each other. It may seem that foxes achieve better results. But the downside is precisely that foxes have too many ideas at once.

The hedgehog may seem a bit shifty, but it always uses the same strategy. The moment a hedgehog senses fear, it rolls up and the hedgehog becomes a ball full of sharp spines. This renders the fox hopeless.

Those who have built long-term successful businesses are to some extent hedgehogs. The Hedgehog principle assumes a simple and straightforward approach with a great deal of insight into one's own abilities. Hedgehogs see the essentials and ignore the rest.

The Hedgehog principle is not an end in itself or an easy way to be the best anywhere. The model helps you learn to understand who you are and what you can be best at.

The factors of the Hedgehog principle

Jim Collins examined numerous companies that have been successful for a very long time and came up with 3 factors that matter in long-term successful businesses:

1. What do you really have passion for?
What is passion anyway? For me, passion primarily has to do with a great desire or enthusiasm. Passion can refer to the admiration, friendship, excitement, deep affection or love for something or someone. So passion is a strong emotion, an attractive enthusiasm or desire.

Start asking yourself some questions:

• What little things in life fascinate you?
• What change do you want to bring about in the world?
• What gets you totally into the flow and makes you forget about time?
• What problems in life would you most like to solve?
• What do you want to go through the dust for. Even if it gets uncomfortable?

2.What are you the best in the world at?
Wow, that sounds like heavy exaggeration and never achievable. But, the opposite is true. Being the best in the world at something seems reserved for top athletes, the Guiness book of Records or top entrepreneurs like Richard Branson. Well, on that scale, everything is soon unachievable.

But, if you are able to get a grip on your passion, you can start focusing on working on it. And be the best in the world at it. All gates are open to you!

3. What can you make money from?
The third factor within the Hedgehog Principle is crucial: how can you make money with your passion and world-class talent? This is not about your business plan, kpi's or your budget.

But, for example, are you setting up a service with a linked subscription, are you going to organize workshops to acquire customers or do you want to focus purely on selling your product with the best possible service?

Give yourself a Big Five

Now for your personal traits. In modern psychology, there are five general factors that describe the dimensions of different personality traits. These are the so-called Big Five (acronym: OCEAN). Each of these five traits has extremes from very strong to very weak present in each person.

1. Openheid < > Afwachtend: nieuwsgierigheid, nieuwe ervaringen, andere opvattingen, luisteren
2. Zorgvuldigheid: gaat over zelfdiscipline, plichtsgetrouw, efficiënt, gestructureerd en betrouwbaar
3. Extraversie < > Introversie: sociaal, energiek en spraakzaam zijn. Interactie met anderen zoeken
4. Altruïsme < > Achterdochtig: de mate van vriendelijk, sympathiek en behulpzaam zijn
5. Neuroticisme < > Zelfverzekerdheid: de neiging hebben tot emotionele instabiliteit, zorgelijk, rusteloos, prikkelbaar

By discovering within which dimensions your strengths and weaknesses manifest, you are better able to shape and direct your own brand. Your passions, characteristics and skills make you unique. Embrace these differences because they make you stand out from others.

Being and remaining authentic

Parallel to your search for yourself, your passion and personal leadership comes the concept of authenticity. An important condition to start successfully with your own brand is your authentic self.

We are all authentic, but some people are more authentic. Not all of us are named Steve Jobs or Elon Musk. And, of course, not all of us have the ambition and outspoken character to make our brand this big.

Sticking to your authenticity is the best way to make sure you can stay grounded with the right anchors. Even as you grow bigger. So be true to yourself.

Time as friend or foe

Now that you know how to establish your personal brand, don't forget that establishing your own brand is not doable without a significant investment of your time. You can keep dreaming and brainstorming about launching your own brand, but if you are unable to combine the development of your new brand with a passion for travel, a corporate job, soccer on Saturdays, groceries, cooking, Netflixing, a mortgage and 2 growing children who require all your attention, then you might as well forget about setting up your own business.

Want to know more?

Want to learn more about personal branding and how you can apply it in your own business? Then contact us, because we would love to help you!
Our team is looking forward to meet you, list your wishes and translate these into a great (personal) branding. Make an appointment right here. See you soon!

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