On the Mark Branding

Okay, so I’ve been planning my second blog post for just over two years. There I admit it. I could have positioned that span of time as a long-term blog strategy plan, but no one would buy that. Then, before I could stop myself, I realized I was updating my Facebook status about my blogging delay. “Why did I just do that?” I thought, as I watched my iPhone display “Updating.”And just as I was settling into a beautiful Sunday in LA, my former boss FB’d me to say “just write, don’t think.” Okay Jeff, here goes.

I can’t believe I’m not blogging more. I’m constantly pushing my entrepreneurial clients to blog, but I’m not doing it myself. Oh, believe me, I’ve got quite a few written in my head, and lots of ideas captured in OneNote, but they just don’t make it to the big screen (uh, my big monitor). So as I’m trying to start now, I see Facebook updates coming in, Catie is texting me about getting together this afternoon, and I see Lee has left me a voicemail about helping him with his next speech. What’s a guy to do? Continue to look for more excuses? (I’m really good at that!) Besides, if I actually get this done, it would also accomplish my 500-words-a-week writing goal, making my personal coach very happy.

What I’m really loving about social media is the authenticity that is emerging from it. With less time to say it right, spell it right or be witty on a dime, it creates an easy opportunity for people to be real. Long gone is formal communication and inauthenticity, and here to stay is real people talking real stuff. It’s so much easier to be ourselves. Besides, people want to experience, work with and hire people that are honest, upfront, authentic (I’ll be using that word a lot, so don’t complain) and real. They want to hire individuals that show up 100%. I happen to believe that most people are attracted to others that don’t hold anything back; that are full-out authentic…like, what you see/hear/experience, is what you get. Authenticity has become the top priority in branding, marketing, advertising messages and individual personal brands for many. Major corporations are rebranding and changing their advertising strategy to build trust more than ever. Direct mail and e-mail marketing campaigns now speak in plain, simple language, with a very personal approach. CEOs around the world have blogs, so that customers can get to know the real people, and just not the Big Blue logo.

I think that’s why I took so long to post again. I made-up that if I’m a business coach and mentor to solo-entrepreneurs, that work with them on their branding and marketing, that I’ve got to have all my stuff put together. It took me too long to launch my new website, because (aside from managing my perfectionism that said it had to be the ultimate site for entrepreneurs) I was trying to figure out how I would “be” on my site. Does my writing and bio come out formal, structured, perfectly written, corporate-feeling and polished (with the appropriate number of carefully-placed keywords no less)? Or can I just be Brad and write from the place of my true authentic self, in a casual, funny and witty way (no comments please) while hopefully engaging prospective clients or at least inspiring visitors to take some action toward their dreams. I did get done, but I must admit, that it took me three rounds of major rewriting to satisfy the “perfectionist”, the search engines and my brand that kept calling the real me forth. In the end, I launched feeling very authentic and satisfied. I don’t always have it together, but I’m learning that as long as I am authentic, my status is good.

So it looks like the excuses, the perfectionism and the fear of not doing it right didn’t get in the way to finish this post. Gotta go update my FB status, see Catie and call back Lee. Thanks Jeff.