How do I showcase my personal brand without coming off as bragging?

Let me start with the simple answer:

PERSONAL BRANDING HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH PERSONAL BRAGGING.

Here’s why…

I’d like to introduce the concept of the HERO and the GUIDE as they pertain to branding. Your customers, your clients, and your audiences are the heroes of your branding story; in other words, your brand succeeds when it makes their lives better in some way.

You are just the guide who is helping them solve a problem and you can think of your core value as the solution that they’re knowingly, or even unknowingly, seeking.

This concept is what I put to use throughout my 25-year corporate marketing career, crafting identities for some of the world’s most iconic brands like Godiva, Planters, Chips Ahoy and Dentyne and IS the ESSENCE of branding.

To repeat, because it’s so important, in order for your brand to succeed, you must be the GUIDE, never the HERO of your story.
So you need to ask yourself the following question when showcasing your personal brand:

What is the ONE thing I have to offer that improves the lives of others?

To stimulate your thinking, here are some iconic brands and what they give away:

– Starbucks gives away COMMUNITY
– Godiva gives away GENEROSITY
– SPANX gives away CONFIDENCE
– Snickers gives away SATISFACTION
– APPLE gives away SIMPLICITY
– Peloton gives away CONNECTION
To bring it back to people, I’ll share my ‘One Word’ core value: CATALYST! This is what Rich Keller gives away.

Let’s explore this further in the context of my core value. I disrupt “normal” to get people to see themselves differently when it comes to crafting their brand identities. I do this by helping them understand that:

“What you do is NOT who you are…but who you are should drive what you do.”

I am a Catalyst and leverage the vehicles of Motivational Speaking, Coaching, Podcasting, and Consulting to give away my core value as a CATALYST, in order to help others discover who they are.

You too can shift your mindset from what you do to who you are and your personal brand will flourish.

Remember this:

You’re not a bragger OR the hero of your brand story. You must be the guide, and all it takes is “One Word”!

I’m Rich Keller, The CATALYST and see you next time on The CATALYST Effect!