If the internet has taught us anything it is that every person, in their own way, is a brand. From the Kardashians curating a billion-dollar empire from Instagram to everyday people launching careers as influencers, everyone is a brand in some way. Most of us may not feel like it and social media might be more of an escape than a business-building opportunity but when it comes to our professional lives, personal branding is immensely important.
This is because our brand communicates what we want the world to know about us and the ways in which we want to be interacted with.
The Power of Branding
Branding is an immensely complex and long-term undertaking that permeates the entirety of your business affairs and crafts an image that you will be associated with professionally and personally. Branding is an immensely powerful thing that taps into psychology and marketing simultaneously.
It Is so powerful in fact, that consumers often associate specific things with certain public figures without thinking. Back in 2019, Givenchy wanted to announce the new face of the brand and posted a silhouette image of a woman with a high ponytail. The caption on its social media pages asked people to guess who the new face was and virtually everyone who responded knew it was pop singer Ariana Grande. This is because the singer has sported this hairstyle for years and has become so closely associated with it that it is often referred to as the Ariana Grande haircut.
Many of us can draw this parallel across several public figures whether through certain character fonts, certain styles of social media posts, certain phrases, and so on. Branding can ensure that you are recognized immediately and that you can accrue a certain level of social and business capital that can propel your career to greater heights.
Few people know more about personal branding as Timothy Hancock, the youngest publisher in the United States of the Deluxe Version print magazine.
How Timothy Hancock Curates His Personal Brand
Hancock’s magazine operates primarily in the luxury lifestyle space which is very image-elevating and this has influenced his own personal branding. He is a big advocate of personal branding and has recommended that anyone who takes their business seriously invest in personal branding to an extent.
“At Deluxe Version Magazine we believe it is important for business owners to invest in the right media partners that see your value as a personal brand and strategize ways to maximize your business efforts exponentially,” he says.
A quick look at his social media will show the amount of effort that Hancock has put in. His Instagram feed for example features a clean, minimalistic look with a consistent color pattern and specific imagery that can be attributed to Hancock himself. His Instagram feed is also very aspirational which is natural given that he is in the luxury and lifestyle space.
It is not unusual to see his feed filled with pictures of his jet-setting lifestyle and adventures in some of the world’s most luxurious places. If you work in the luxury industry it only makes sense that you brand yourself accordingly and this can be adopted by any entrepreneur. If you work in the food industry your personal branding should scream ‘connoisseur of fine food’ and if you work in the fashion industry, your personal branding must reflect as such.
Hancock is also known to be an advocate for marginalized groups and being a differently-abled person himself, this is apparent in his business model. A majority of the assignments for his magazine go to smaller women-owned businesses and there is an emphasis on inclusivity especially given how rigid the luxury space can often be.
To achieve this successfully, Hancock recommends knowing your own audience and knowing what you want this audience to see and working your way from there.
“Once you have established consistency and a following that looks to you for daily guidance, the results are both financially and socially rewarding, ” he says.