I was once criticized, as a “startupper”, for not talking enough about myself and my online activities. “Why don’t you do ‘personal branding’ on social media?” they said. For this person, it was almost strange not to talk about every single action taken while social networks are swarming with these types of daily narratives. It rather made me smile.
The observation:
We all have social and/or professional profiles (Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn …) and we all try to use them as healthily as possible, both personally and professionally. However, what choice should be made when it comes to our projects (companies, startups, ideas …)? Personally, I acknowledge my “weak” branding (to be corrected), but through this article, I wanted to give my point of view on the relationship between “personal branding”, “startup” and online hyperactivity.
My opinion on the matter
The very simple definition I have of the “personal branding” concept, in line with expert definitions, is to promote oneself, to “sell” oneself like a brand. It is actually something they recommend for the simple reason that as a startupper with limited means, it is one of the most effective ways to get people talking about you and your business.
But, does talking every day (and thus intensively) about your every move regarding your project really sell what you do? Does it help highlight our performance?
In my opinion, this is not necessarily the case: you don’t sell the idea that you are efficient as much by talking about it all the time. It can even send the opposite message. Indeed, for some, only a person who has nothing to do can afford to give a blow-by-blow account of their workday on social media. Moreover, if we take into account the birth of apps increasingly encouraging instantaneity, we quickly find ourselves under a flood of profile updates (Instagram, Snapchat, Periscope, Facebook Live …) and can quickly be seen as lazy.
Apart from certain fields such as fashion, music, or celebrity which, for me, have a rather particular way of operating (creating or sharing styles, inspirations, snippets…), talking about your project or idea should aim for specific objectives.
1 – Telling the story of the adventure: storytelling
One of the usable facets in this race for notoriety regarding startups, for me, can be emotional. Besides the innovation and the “fourth millennium” idea that we sell, it will be necessary to create content that touches and encourages people to know you better and adhere to your concept. Some entrepreneurs choose to do storytelling of their adventure: talking about moments of weakness, victory, great reflections: they thus tell the story of their startup or their idea. They will thus have something to say (every day if they wish) regarding what they do.
2- Informing about each SIGNIFICANT progress rather than every day of the project’s life
It is common to see young startuppers taking photos before “big” meetings, potential contract signings, etc. In my opinion, this is a dangerous game. As an example, we knew nothing about the preliminary meetings regarding the acquisition of Instagram by Facebook, yet it still brought in $1 billion to those involved. By wanting to say too much too fast or putting everything online too early, you can shoot yourself in the foot (and that’s a mild comparison).
Talking about your new update, your new skill, or the latest certification acquired by your startup can encourage people to follow you and take you seriously more than your daily brainstorming sessions.
3- Avoid selling dreams and fake expertise: it always catches up with you!
Experts … Total Expert… 360° Expert. Talking about expertise is, for me, like playing with fire, especially when you don’t have the skills to match. Selling skills you don’t have can quickly become unhealthy, especially if you want to launch a sustainable business. Honesty is one of the values of an entrepreneur, otherwise you quickly pass for a scammer. And if you are in a sector that operates in networks, you won’t last long.
