Is it Possible to be a Big Brand and Maintain Privacy?

Not everyone needs to read this article. But if you are a private person, trying to establish a more visible brand, then this will be enlightening!

I’m 38 years old, and I’m just realizing that I’m an introvert. That realization would probably surprise a lot of people. It kind of surprised me to be honest. In my personal life that means that I have a people quota. I love being with people, until I hit the quota. And then I can’t wait to end a conversation and go read a book, play some music, swing in a hammock, or Netflix.

In business this has been trickier!  I’m in a people business. I speak and coach for a living. Every client I have has come through a relationship. The interpersonal communication is huge with our client relationships. And I’m in an industry where personal visibility is business visibility.  Social media is critical.  People want to experience the brand. They want to know the story. And they get easily distracted. Meaning, that if I take a week off of social media, they start engaging with someone else and it takes a couple of weeks to get my numbers back up.

I should be doing live video every day. I should be doing more on YouTube. And I should be posting on Instagram.

But… if I’m being honest, it overwhelms me. Not because I don’t have enough ideas for content. And not because I don’t have the time. But because I desire a level of anonymity. I would hate to be in the airport or grocery store and have someone come up to me because they know who I am without actually knowing me. I don’t like “surfacey” conversations. Because I am an introvert, I have to turn on the people skills. And I don’t want to have them on all the time.

At the same time, I want to be a global influencer. I want to make a big difference in the lives of small business owners. Sometimes those desires really seem in conflict. Can you relate?  I won’t say I have this all figured out. But here are some important lessons that I’ve learned to find the balance between visibility and privacy.

1.     Post quality over quantity. I truly don’t want to be plugged in to social media multiple times a day. So instead of trying to get in 3-4 posts a day, I focus on things that I feel are valuable. I write articles each week. I put thought into them. And while not everyone is perfect, collectively, they bring value to my readers. I “try” to do video once a week. Even though I only post once a day and blog once a week, I try to keep the content meaningful.
2.     Let go of the “have to’s.” There are so many ways to market your business, that you truly don’t “have” to do any one thing. Let go of the pressure to do business one specific way and embrace doing business in a way that works for you!  If you hate live video, blog. If you hate writing, hire someone to produce your content. If you hate social media all together and want to live off line, pull out your pocket book because you’ll be paying a little more for your leads. But it is still doable!  There are so many ways to market! You’ve got this!
3.     Don’t put on a face. I can’t do the hype. And I can’t put on a social media persona that is anything different than who I am. It is against my integrity to portray a story that isn’t true. So if I create a business persona that looks super awesome, I will feel a lot of stress to actually be that person. I find social media is much easier for me to engage with when I am 100% me. That’s why you’ll see me doing videos with no makeup and my hair a little wild. It’s real. And it’s so much easier!
4.     Have help on my social media. This one is critical for me!  I can’t stand having to post every single day. I don’t want to be engaged with social media until my day is actually done. So, I have help. I write the content a month in advance. Someone else posts it. My team also helps manage communication online and tells me who I need to respond to, vs who is just sending, “Great to connect” messages. It helps me to save my people time for productive conversations instead of wasting it on the volume of communication that comes through social media.
5.     Choose what you are known for. The great thing about building your brand is that you get to tell your own story. You get to choose what you are known for. So instead of trying to be all things for all people, just pick your lane and then stay there. I heard once that when you walk into a room, everyone should know you are the expert. The advice was to portray an image that was the most successful in the room. That advice is great for some, but not for me. When I speak at an event, I love walking into the room and being unknown. I love getting to blend into the crowd and observe. I love getting to have conversations with people and get to know them before they realize that I am one of the experts. I get more of a real story. I don’t want to be known as the 7-figure business woman until after I actually know the people. Then once they know who I am, I like to introduce them to what I can do. It’s a flow that works for me.
6.     Strategize how you will best engage with clients. I serve my clients best when I am at my best. When I’m burnt out, I don’t think as creatively for them. I don’t remember as many details and my brain is sluggish. So the best thing I can do for my clients is limit how much access they have to me. Sounds counter intuitive right?  But it’s true!  I do my best work for them when I am at my best. So before I launch a new program, I think through what I can maintain over the long haul.

Is it possible to be a big brand and maintain privacy?  Sure. But the more important question, is not how big your brand can be, but what type of impact you want to have. Bigger can be better. But so can focused. So can high level service. So can quality of life. The best advice I can give is to stop chasing a one size fits all definition of success and get really clear on what you want!