Four Pointers for Authentic Personal Branding with April Martini

Your Dream Business

In this episode, I talk with April Martini about the distinctions between personal brands and personas. We explore the significance of business owners showing up authentically, and April shares her four-point framework for developing a personal brand. We discuss managing these elements to develop an effective and authentic personal brand that really reflects who you are.

KEY TAKEAWAYS COVERED IN THE PODCAST

1. Authenticity is Key: Building a strong personal brand requires authentic connection. Avoid creating a persona that doesn't reflect your true self.
2. The Four Key Points of Personal Branding: Consider the characteristics, appearance, behaviours, and actions that contribute to your personal brand.
3. Evaluate Your Behaviors: Reflect on your current behaviours and identify areas where you can align them more closely with your desired brand image.

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LINKS TO RESOURCES MENTIONED IN TODAY’S EPISODE

Connect with April on Website, Linkedin, Linkedin, Email [e-mail] Connect with Teresa on Website, The Club, Sign up to Teresa's email list, Instagram, LinkedIn, Facebook or Twitter

Transcript

Teresa: Do you have a personal brand or do you have a persona of someone else's personal brand? And what actually is the difference and how would you know? Well, in this week's episode, I am talking to the very lovely April Martin and she is going to explain to us what A personal brand is, and what the difference between a persona and a personal brand. She also has four things that she takes us through that really helps us understand how we're showing up as our personal brand and how we can try and be as authentic as possible. And if you're an online business owner, if you are in business, You are the biggest thing for your business. So actually, the more authentically you can show up, the more you hone your personal brand, the better for your business. And I know what it's like, cause I've done it to look at someone else's personal brand and think, Oh, that's working. I should try and do what they're doing. And that just isn't authentic enough. So this episode is going to be really, really helpful for you to understand what is your [00:01:00] personal brand and are you showing up as it? Welcome to the Your Dream Business Podcast. I'm your host, Riz Heath Waring. An international bestselling author, award winning speaker, TEDx speaker, certified coach, and the host of this number one ranked podcast. I am so excited to guide you on the journey of creating a business and life that you not only love, but one that perfectly aligns with you and the season of life that you're in. In each episode, I'll share with you easy, actionable, and insightful strategies to grow your online business. Plus, we'll be diving into some mindset tools and strategies that keep you focused, motivated. Gonna stop you from getting in your own way. So if you're a course creator, membership owner, or coach, you're in the right place. Let's get started. Hello and welcome back to another episode of the Your Dream Business Podcast. I hope you are doing well. First off, I wanna take a minute just to thank you for spending the [00:02:00] time with me and listening to the podcast. It really does mean the world to me and recently, I've put out a few different episodes. I really, really enjoyed it. Like I say that as if I don't normally put out episodes I enjoy, I do, but like some of the solos and I've had some really good feedback, especially on one that was about the kind of launch stats and the webinars. So yeah, I love, love, love hearing back from you. So I really, really appreciate you listening and I know that our time is super valuable. So I try and always bring to you things that will either make you think or inspire you. or that will give you some just straight up strategies to help your business go further. This week I have an interview with the very lovely April Martin. I was very fortunate to be on April's podcast a while back and we had such a cool conversation about marketing because April has spent her entire career exploring all the ins and outs of agency life. Uh, she's a believer that learning never stops and experiences we amass, the better we're able to solve many of life's challenges. So she has basically got a design and an [00:03:00] MBA in business foundation has spent years working in agencies from branding to design. So she knows lots about marketing. So it was actually really cool when I went on her episode to geek out about marketing, because obviously that is my bag. And on this episode, April brings to us the conversation about personal brand and she sets a really interesting question straight off the bat of what is the difference between a personal brand and a persona and which one do you have? And what we kind of delve into, which you'll get from the episode, is that basically, are we showing up authentically us, or are we showing up in a persona that we think the internet wants to get from us? We talk about the fact of, like, there is only one Gary Vee, but many, many, many people try and take on his persona, because, and it makes perfect sense, and I have such empathy for myself and other people who have done this, because I know I have. You look at someone in your industry, you think this [00:04:00] works for them. Maybe I need to show up doing more of these things or behaving more of this way. So how do we know when it's us or when it's actually a persona? So, and how do we use that authenticity and what even is authenticity? We talked briefly about actually what that looks like and how that can show up and how maybe some of the authenticity isn't what you think it might be. And are you showing up as your authentic self? It's a really cool conversation. I love chatting with April. She's such a lovely lady, and I'm sure you are going to get a lot from this episode. So without further ado, here is the lovely April. April, welcome to the podcast. pril: Thank you so much, Teresa. I'm so happy to be here and can't wait to get into this discussion. Teresa: I am really happy to have you on. I came on your podcast a while back, and we loved the conversation. We had a whole conversation before we did the podcast swap, and it was just, it's so lovely connecting with you again. So you just said something, we were chatting before we got on about what we're going to be talking about today, and [00:05:00] I'm going to jump straight in with something you just said. You said that people think they have a personal brand, and what some people have is a persona. April: Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Teresa: Let's start there. What is the difference? How do I know which one of them I've got? April: Yes, we're going to go right at it today. I love it. Yeah, so Anne and I have this philosophy around personal brands and we have a whole structure which I'm sure we'll get into on how to identify yours. But a big reason that we've done so much of this work is because of what you just said. People think that they have a personal brand and They're managing it effectively and authentically, but what they truly have is a persona and a persona is highly contrived. It's something that people create with good intention, right? But they put it out into the world in the way that they want to quote unquote show up. And so it's things like, you know, we always talk about people's Instagram page, right? Life looks so beautiful and [00:06:00] perfect on their Instagram page, yet it might be a shit show behind the scenes, right? Teresa: Possibly every time, to be honest. April: Yes, yes. So it's things like that, where you're creating what you think is authentic to you, but really what you're doing is creating a way of showing up and it's gotten so much worse because of all the channels that we're on. So then people create different personas based on different channels and platforms. And so then it's, it becomes even less connected to who you are as a human being. Teresa: Okay. So there's a couple of things you said straight off the bat there that. And it's making me think. So I want to touch on quickly the different platforms, different personas. I totally hear what you're saying with that. And funnily enough, I've had a conversation on this podcast with someone who's talked about there could be a more fun side of me on TikTok. I'm not on TikTok. I'm not going on TikTok, but like, because TikTok is more fun, whereas like the more serious conversations go on LinkedIn. So when you [00:07:00] And this is a very sweeping statement, but are you saying then that we shouldn't be tailoring us to the platforms? April: So I think there is a right and a wrong way to do it. So as we talk about personal brand, like the reason that we feel it's so fundamentally important is because people look out at the world, right? And they say, I want that. I want that life. I want that job. I want person. Right. And so then. I think the personas come into play when they're like, okay, well, I don't know how to get there. So I'm going to look around to see who else is there and how people are acting. And then I'm going to model that behavior, kind of the fake it till you make it perspective. And that's where it gets into trouble when you're doing that based on channel instead of doing the work to develop your personal brand and identify it for yourself and then start managing through that. Because actually, I think you should show up different on LinkedIn than you would on TikTok Right? Yeah. Those are totally different audiences, different reasons. People are on there. I mean, we have people on our podcast all the time who are like, [00:08:00] my Instagram is my personal life and my LinkedIn is my professional life. And so come find me on LinkedIn, right? There's all of those wonderful reasons for showing up differently on those platforms. Where it falls apart is when you don't do the hard work to say, who am I truly at my core? And how am I going to put that to work for me instead of I don't know how to get to where I want to go. So who's doing what I want to do? I'm going to go try to be like them. Teresa: And that is such a, like you hit the nail right on the head there. That is exactly what people do. That is what I've been guilty of in the past. Like how would they showing up? What are they doing? I need to do something similar. The other thing that you said, which. Like, so this is where I'm like, okay, so this is going to be really interesting to dig into this bit. You are so right. We paint a picture on social media. We paint this beautiful picture of look how amazing our life is and look at the things I get to do and look at all that. And it's not that that isn't real. Okay. So one of the things I shared very [00:09:00] recently was the fact that this year we I've travel is a big thing for me. And this year we've been to Nashville, Tokyo, the Philippines, and Canada. April: Amazing. Teresa: And like adding it was, they were all phenomenal. So it's not a lie. That is my life. However, how do you, and I, we're obviously going to get into the personal brand bit in more detail, but how, what's the difference between showing up authentically and airing your dirty laundry on social media? Because like, People don't, they think they want to see the messiness and they think they want to see the real life. I don't think, I don't want to share it. And I don't think people do want to see it. I think like getting on and, and I getting on and sobbing on Instagram, but this is the other thing, right? That's not true either. So we were having this conversation with my coach ages ago when she's like, people think authenticity and vulnerability is [00:10:00] crying on social media. No. No one is being authentic if they suddenly are sobbing and go, oh, hang on a minute, let me just get my phone and do my stories. Like, that is not authentic. That is weird and bizarre and strange. But like, how is that balance of showing up as yourself, but showing up because there is a good version of ourselves that we want to show. It's like, how do I know I'm doing it properly? Or how do I know I'm just going, look how amazing my life is, everybody. And like, not really being the real me. This is a big hard question. Sorry. April: No, no, no, no. I mean, and it is, it's a great question. I think, well, number one, I don't think, I think people do on the, on the spectrum, they do more on the ends and that's what we see as an authentic, right? So it's like everything is sunshine and roses and perfect. And I have the filters on my pictures and I'm only showing you the best shots and all of that. Then you have the ones that do what I call the bad behavior on social media, which is what you [00:11:00] call it, like the crying and the, you know, all of that kind of stuff. And I think what you said is the truth is that. people are still choosing how they are showing up in those ways, but none of it is actually authentic to what's going on. So the way that I think about it, and because I believe so wholeheartedly in personal brand, I think about when I post, if the people that are in my everyday in my world that see all the facets of my life, truly just as real life, not as good, not as bad, none of that, if they can see my voice showing up on social media. And I work really hard for that. So I, I love actually when your moments pop up, right? Like last year at this time you were last, you know, like my, this is the season for my kid's birthdays. Right. And so I get to see all the past ones and I see all, all of these. Um, But on there like I'm not trying to say like look at my kid. They're perfect. They're the greatest thing ever I try to authentically put the things that we're proud [00:12:00] of and my friends know like we talk about kindness in this house predominantly. So my message out there is about You know we're proud of Nia because she's kind and I want like i'm always using that as my filter like Are people gonna get on there and be like seriously that is nothing like what her life is like Are they gonna get on there and be like those are the bright moments of her life, but they're exactly how their life is Because I'm just as quick to be like, it's also hard, right? And it's all those things. So that, that's more the filter, I think. But you have to do the personal brand work first in order to hit whatever note you're trying to achieve on these platforms. Teresa: I think that's a great filter though, because if I think about like my family and, and oddly enough, very recently I've had two family parties. So I happen to see my family fairly often recently, like. you know, they, the, the person I am in front of them is the person I am on stories, is the person I am in on calls when I [00:13:00] am in business. Like, yes, my husband gets to see me without a face and makeup, but no one needs to see that. Not even he wants to see that. Even I don't want to see that. Like, so yes, but like, I will, this isn't like, you know, I don't dress like differently. I don't act differently. I'm, I am the kind of person I am, but like you said, I am showing, you know, a, everybody is showing a curated version, like you said, and I think that is such a good point to make whether it's, I show waltz and all that's still curated or I show perfect that's curated. You are choosing to post something on a platform. None of this is just happening by chance. It's like, so actually. You are choosing to do that. Okay. So how do I know whether I've got a personal brand or whether I've got a persona? Talk me through that whole thing about am I, have I got a personal brand? What is a personal brand? That sort of thing. April: Yes. [00:14:00] So this is where I would say our framework comes in. Okay. So we start, so there's, there's four facets of your personal brand that we talk about. Characteristics. I'll go through each one, but characteristics, appearance, behaviors, and actions. Okay. So your characteristics are inherently who you are as a person, right? I'm extremely stubborn. I'm very loyal. I'm extraordinarily direct. I am very outgoing, right? Like those are just things about me that are me as a person. Yeah. My appearance is how those things show up. We cannot change our characteristics. And this is a controversial thing. When Ann and I get into this, people are like, what do you mean I can't change? And I'm like, if you're a very direct person like me, I modulate my directness. I can't not change that about myself. Otherwise, you were talking about before I'm showing up inauthentically then. Okay. So that's characteristics. Appearance is how you show up. The things you can manage are your behaviors and actions. And that's what becomes the practice. So when we talk about putting your [00:15:00] personal brand to work for you, you first have to spend the time. And you know, we have a whole philosophy on this and we have episodes and people can go look at that. This is 30 minutes long winded. So I'll just give you the basics here. So those characteristics, you spend some time doing some exercises to really identify like five