You're the only one on social

I flipping love Dr Seuss, from green eggs and ham to the cat in the hat. I think I’ve been through all his books with the kids over the years. My favourite quote (by far) is this one -

"Today you are You, that is truer than true. There is no one alive who is Youer than You."

The chances of you being born were 1 in 400 trillion (according to google).

That in and of itself makes you pretty unique. All the things you have learnt over your lifetime (and here's the important part) HOW you deliver that learned information, make you even more unique.

Everything from how you learned to walk, to that paper you wrote last week on sales. All of it makes you one of a kind. It’s your story. A story that cannot ever be duplicated.

So why do most people insist on moving their needle towards the opposite end of the spectrum on social media? They want to be less themselves, fit in, be corporate. 

HELL NO, we want you to shine and stand out! BE YOU, embrace all the flaws and amazing stuff that makes you unique. There is only one of you on the planet after all.

Think of your personal brand this way. Your profile, your content, all designed to add to that great big gorgeous story, that is YOU!

But how does that help me in business and for my company or the company I work for?

It allows you and your story to be unique, to have a unique voice and a unique perspective on how you see, interpret and shape the world. By being more you, you allow some of the noise of what other people feel and think to dissipate. Your accumulated knowledge has intrinsic value to your audience. It will enable them to get to know, like and trust you through your story and the best bit is. No one else can duplicate it! This will lead to more conversations, more hiring opportunities, more revenue, more pipeline and more kudos to building out your personal brand.

As that personal brand grows and you acquire more knowledge in your field and you share that with your audience, it becomes exponential. Until you start to drown out the people around you who work in similar fields.

Remember, only YOU can tell your story, in your voice, in your way. You are unique. So let’s capitalise on that.

I have been reading Robert Greens mastery and in it he says that in order to to attain true mastery in your field you must look at your chosen area of specialisation and also look at things which you have learnt that could be disconnected, and see how you can integrate them into your practice.

The very things that make you unique, that make you, YOU. Are the very things which also give you your superpowers.

Greenes formula for mastery is this -

1 - Return to your origins: for many of the masters, their inclination presented itself clearly during childhood. What were you obsessed with when you were younger? For me it has (and always will be) stories.

2 - Occupy the perfect niche: Find where your interests align in a field to identify a particular niche that you can dominate. For me that was social.

3 - Avoid the false path: We’ll all be attracted to fields for the wrong reasons: money, fame, parental influence. We have to rebel against these forces and be honest about what our interests are. Basically listen to your inner voice, it already knows what it wants you to become.

4 - Let go of the past: Avoid the sunk cost fallacy, if something is wrong for you, abandon it. You’re not wedded to your past choices. Don’t feel like you have to rigidly stick with a plan that you set before. Evolve (and be a perpetual student) and never cling to ideas. Rather make your ideas the sum of all the parts you have learned.

5 - Find your way back: You’ll be tempted to deviate from the path throughout your pursuit of mastery, even if you do mistakenly veer away, you can always come back. Reminds me of Siddhartha.

Stay true to you!

With social it’s a big mountain to climb and one one of the biggest barriers to entry is the time and consistency commitment. We are in the always on, 24 hour connected digital world, where people want instant results. 

But that very hurdle is also the very thing that will enable you to dominate your competition. Whilst they look for the quick fix through advertising, or emailing. You’re slowly accumulating knowledge, testing and sharing that knowledge through content. All the while growing an audience and community. Building something they cannot comprehend, which over time snowballs and eviscerates the competition.

Owning your voice and being a continual student will expose you to new ways of exploring and seeing the world around you. Which you can share with your audience. Strengthening your position.

And it’s not just you, your whole team could and SHOULD be doing this. Personal brands are winning over brands. Don't believe me, go ask Oprah Winfrey (net worth 2.5 Billion US) or Kim Kardashian, the queen of influencer marketing (net worth 1.8 billion US).

So shake off that corporate baggage, let your hair down and open up. 

And become the YOU, you were meant to be. By sharing what makes you the technical expert of choice and giving people a unique glimpse into what it means to be you.

#personalbranding #socialmediamarketing #expertise #storytelling #thatsocialnerd