Simplicity is Complex

Embracing the complexity of building a personal brand

Hi Cringers,

They say, “Simplicity sells,” and that clarity is one of the “5 Cs of personal branding,” but what about the other C? Complexity.

Because, let’s face it, being a person is complex.

There’s all that stuff happening out there (waves arms wildly) and all this stuff going on in here (points to head). It’s kind of a lot…

Then, you meet someone for the first time or have a job interview and they want the pitch: Who are you? What are you about? Or, my personal favorite, “Tell me about yourself.”

Where do you begin? How do you distill your entire life story into one clear message? 

That’s the conundrum of personal branding. 

On top of that, we’re changing, the world is changing, technology is changing, algorithms are changing, and the ways we communicate are changing. 

No wonder building a personal brand can feel like doing a 12-sided Rubik's Cube on a plane during severe turbulence, or maybe that’s just 2023.

So, to keep it simple, I’ve created this 3-step approach for staying calm, cool, and directed while building your personal brand:

1. Aim for Clarity

2. Acknowledge Complexity

3. Listen and Adapt 

Aim for clarity

“No one will follow you if you don’t know where you are going.” -Jack Trout, Co-author of Positioning: The Battle for Your Mind

The first step is to get as clear as possible about:

• Your goal for building a personal brand (e.g. get a job, build your business, etc.)

• Your top values (e.g. flexibility, creativity, helping others, etc.)

• Your strengths

• Your audience

• How you’ll measure success (e.g. # job interviews, # new clients, etc.)

• Which platforms you want to use to connect (e.g. YouTube, LinkedIn, email newsletter, etc.)

If you can’t answer all of these questions, that’s fine. The goal is to get as clear as you can on as much as you can as early on as you can. 

If possible, try and develop a simple mission statement:

Example: I want to help [audience] solve [problem] by sharing my [strengths].

For more inspiration, check out 10 Personal Brand Statement Examples for Inspiration.

Acknowledge complexity

“The complexity of things - the things within things - just seems to be endless. I mean nothing is easy, nothing is simple.” - Alice Munro, Writer

Even with a clear vision, things can get complicated.

Unlike company branding, where you'll typically have a consistent product or service, goal, and audience, personal branding isn’t so clear-cut. 

You might have started building a brand to land a job, only to realize three months in that you want to start your own business. Or, you might assume your audience is health coaches only to realize your audience is really B2B tech founders.

As personal branding expert Bernard Kelvin Clive says, “The success of your personal brand is hooked to your character, not your brand tangibles.”

The power of a strong personal brand is that it allows you to pivot. If people are invested in you, they’ll want to follow along no matter which direction you go.

Instead of shying away from complexity, embrace it and share it as part of your story.

Chances are you’ll get some helpful feedback along the way, which brings us to #3:

Listen and Adapt 

“Your brand is a story unfolding across all customer touch points.” -Jonah Sachs, Writer and Marketer

Your brand unfolds as you interact with your audience.

That’s why it’s important to let go of any preconceptions and stay open to feedback:

• What words do people use to describe you? 

• What type of audience do you attract?

• What types of questions are people asking?

Just because you think something is your specialty doesn’t mean others will agree.

You might spend months trying to become an online fitness coach only to realize people visit your page for motivational quotes. Maybe you're missing your true calling as a motivational speaker.

Engage with your audience, listen to their feedback, and adapt as needed. 

It’s okay to change your mind and explore new interests. After all, you’re only human.

Rather than forcing simplicity, why not share complexity? Isn’t that what makes us all so interesting anyway?