108.6 Million, versus 17.1 Million. That’s the difference in followers between Elon Musk and Tesla on Twitter as of today. Elon has more than six times the reach compared to his own company!
It’s not just about numbers though. When Elon sends a tweet, his followers are likely to see it and engage with it. Because he’s a real, live person – and one who has built a unique online presence.
Without Elon Musk, would Tesla be making the waves it has? I don’t know. That question would likely dog researchers for quite some time. But is Tesla helped by the overwhelming reach of the world’s richest man? I think that evidence is fairly clear.
Beyond the company, Elon is a living example of the tremendous power we have in our personal brands. Albeit on a significantly smaller scale, each of us has a sphere of influence powered by the “brand” we’ve put out into the world. You may not think of yourself as a brand, and that’s fine, but the concept should have you thinking about how you impact your cause through your digital and public presence.
So what’s the bottom line up front (BLUF)? How you present yourself to the world can help or hinder the causes you want to champion. Here are a few ways you could take action to be on the right side of that equation.
No. 1 – Acknowledge That You Have a Brand
Two weeks ago, the Public Affairs Council released results of a recent poll they conducted. This was one of the highlights from their announcement:
While, yes, it is noteworthy that businesses have assumed a more prominent role in influencing political opinion as a “trustworthy” source, that ignores the glaring reality: our personal connections remain dominant. Staggeringly, and unsurprisingly, so. We are tribal. Those in our immediate spheres of influence have tremendous sway over our personal beliefs and attitudes. There’s nothing shocking about that.
What is shocking is just how often we ignore the flip side of that reality – we also have tremendous sway over their personal beliefs and attitudes.
The first step to harnessing your personal brand to effect change is this: acknowledge that sway. Acknowledge and accept that you have an opportunity and a responsibility – to win folks to your causes, and to do so in a trustworthy way.
No. 2 – Don’t Be Afraid to Start Small
A recurring theme for me lately is this: quit caring about how small your audience feels. And this theme is personal.
I only, very recently, gained a sizable following on a single platform. Despite being ON social media since you had to have a .edu email address to join Facebook, growing my reach was never a focus. I’ve hovered around 2,000 friends there and the same on LinkedIn for sometime. One post on Instagram and TikTok made all the difference in my recent growth on those platforms.
But the whole time I had only a few hundred followers I just kept posting. Why? Because how many times do you have an opportunity to speak to a room of 200 people?
When you have a small account, you get to be personal with a tight crowd. You get to learn – on a very granular level – what they like and don’t like. And most importantly, you learn to meet them where they are.
I’m STILL learning a lot of that myself. But the big lesson has made its impact: don’t be afraid to start small. You don’t need a lot of reach to start making an impact for your issues. Those 200 views you get on a LinkedIn post may lead someone to donate to your charity of choice for the first time, or make them re-consider their stance on an issue. Heck, it may even get them to participate in an advocacy call to action.
The only way you can guarantee none of that will happen is if you choose to not start at all. Don’t focus on growth. Focus on serving your issue in a genuine way, with warmth and purpose and you will find your audience. And it will be a hell of a lot easier when your audience is small.
No. 3 – Show Up, Consistently
A couple of months ago, a good friend sent me this image as a bit of encouragement…
Let me tell you, working in politics and advocating for a cause feels PRECISELY like this. The grind is real. And oftentimes we quit just before it really matters. The same is true for growing any size audience on social media. But developing a personal brand helps – because it forces you to show up, consistently.
You may not think of your Facebook page as a personal brand. That’s fine. But when you start putting your beliefs out there, when you share what’s important to you, you’re take the private and making it public. Period. Doing so starts the process of solidifying just who you are In the minds of those in your social network.
When you start showing up consistently, you reinforce that identity, that brand. Embracing your on-line presence as a brand can help your causes because it feeds that consistency loop.
The challenge is this: that kind of post – unless crafted to be incendiary – doesn’t often give us the same dopamine hits as other posts. We can hunt the “likes” by posting edgy material. But try sharing a calm, cool and collected stance on a complex issue. How much traffic are you likely to generate? Probably not as much, or the type that you’re typically seeking.
But you have to keep posting. Even, and especially, when it’s not something a whole lot of folks think about on a regular basis. Your audience will begin to self-select whether they want to hear/see that content. Those who stick around become more likely to extend the reach of your own posts by sharing your ideas in their own networks. That audience refinement and engagement is the real value of building your brand thoughtfully – you start to create a community willing to go to battle by your side. That’s a powerful brand.
Back to the BLUF
Acknowledging that we hold influence, regardless of how expansive our circle, and showing up to use it can be massively impactful for the issues that move us. But you have to be willing to face that responsibility. You have to be willing to own it. If you’re going to win folks to your issue and then cause them to take action, you must understand there is real power behind your personal brand.
Last week I was a panelist for a discussion of social media and its role in advocacy. Here’s what I told them:
We have to re-think how we engage with social media if it’s ever going to be useful as an advocacy tool. Right now, it’s still a passive, public education resource and it’s difficult to prove the return on investment we make. But based on what I’ve seen, advocacy organizations can take advantage of platforms if they leverage their people – volunteers and staff. Those folks have personal brands with larger circles. If we are going to level up advocacy through social media, that’s where the real value lies.
I believe that. And I think if you embrace these three ways to take control of your own brand that you’ll see real, observable results. So go put it to the test!
Part of the Possible 