The Relationship Between Dating & Branding
Today is Valentines day. The day of love, where chocolate & flower producers have the busiest day of the year (please buy Tony's Chocolonely if you you were planning on giving chocolate to your significant other). Where restaurants are (hopefully) fully booked for all the romantic dinners that will take place tonight. When I saw February 14th approaching, I started realizing that there is a significant relationship between dating and branding. Continue reading for my theory about this relationship..
People spend quit some time on creating the best Tinder profile, because you want to stand out from the crowd. You want to attract the right 'audience' by choosing your best pictures, pictures that truly represent who you are. By writing a short bio, you can highlight some of your personality traits even more! Based on the match (or not) you start a conversation. A quick moment where you start analyzing if there is a potential match. Do you like his/her humor? Are there any mutual interests? And do you feel like you have the same intentions?
Imagine surviving this fase, and as a result you go an actual date. I only have experience as a female, but we are all familiar with the time us ladies spend in front our mirror. What impression do we want to leave? We all know the video calls we had before going on a date, asking our friends for advice. There is only one shot at leaving a good, first impression. Both personally and professionally. So my advice is to make sure that this first impression is the right one!
Why don't we spend the same amount of time on our personal branding in a business context? A brand does not stop by just coming up with a name and a logo only. And if you are a freelancer / zzp'er / one (wo)men show only business, your personal brand will be intertwined with your business brand. A brand is made up of multiple factors such as your name, logo, font, imagery, colors used, tone of voice and the interactions you have with your audience.
And just like dating, there are multiple ways how you can interact. Do you choose to interact trough online channels only? Will you communicate trough more traditional channels, such as offline advertising? While you go to specific places to meet new people, this is something your should also think of in a business context. We are all busy nowadays, and if you want you could go to a networking event every moment of the day. Rather decide beforehand who you want to meet, or what you want to learn and pick your events based on this.
Back to dating. Some people might be attracted by someone who talks super politely, without any slang. Other people might find someone who doesn't curse boring. Your tone of voice, or what 'language' you use in your communication is therefore important in a business context as well.. This is another opportunity to show who you are, and what you stand for. And again, I can not stress this enough, who and what you therefore want to attract.
On a date you want to "sell" yourself as a person, and show who you are. A match should be based on your real personality, not on a fake, old profile. This goes for your personal brand as well. By having an up-to-date business bio on your (online) channels, you can show the world what you stand for, and what value you can deliver to your potential customers. By having the right imagery, you can leave a good impression before even meeting in person. This imagery will differ based on your target audience. I can imagine that an independent lawyer wants to express herself in a different manner than a yoga teacher.
Not sure anymore what image you share with the world? Please reach out to me, and together we can look at your current brand. Think of me as your friend who you would normally consult for dating advice. However, my specialty is branding rather than dating ;) I will make an analysis, and together we can discuss the options for your brand. As a final result, a strong and clear brand causes you to attract the customers you actually want to attract. Or as we could say in "dating language": no more catfishes for you!