Establishing Your Brand

The concept of branding is really just putting a title on what content you produce. For example, Willie Nelson is that country singer who smokes a ton of weed and Paula Dean pretty much invented butter.

If you follow me on Twitter, then you’re already aware of the fact that my brand is me making the best of a series of unfortunate events (Um, Are You Wearing Pants? or Songs That Make Ya Ass Shake). People really seem to enjoy me making an ass of myself? Majority of my content revolves around being a struggling college student who spends half her time in the library and the other at the bars or going on failed dates. Then, when I’m feeling spontaneous, I will throw in a Montana tweet to mix it up. WAIT- did I mention I love food? Because that’s also pretty important.

This happened entirely by accident. I have always been that loud and stubborn, yet awkward small town girl who never seems to know when to shut her mouth (ie. shut up madi). For example, I do not have enough of my life together to be offering advice, but here I am! Once I started to document some of my finest moments, my brand slowly started to mold.

The College of Business I attend focuses heavily on one certain major and job placement within one of the big 4 companies that sponsors the school. You’re expected to attend boring networking events and make amazing connections without saying really saying anything about yourself aside from your grades and work experience — not my jam.

I would find myself getting major anxiety in these cookie cutter situations because I straight up did not fit in. I would find myself deleting half of my instagram and twitter posts each time a recruiter came in because I was afraid they would think I was “too much”.

Just for clarification — my mom follows me, I can assure you the content wasn’t even bad.

It wasn’t until several semesters later that one of my professors (who I greatly admire) singled me out mid-lecture saying that my Twitter was hilarious that I realized I didn’t have to dull my personality to fit into the COB mold. As cliche as it sounds, if you’re not fitting into a mold then you aren’t meant to.

Finding your passion can be difficult. Passions can go hand in hand with hobbies- think traveling, cooking, shopping, etc. Creep your social media channels to see what you naturally gravitate towards and what you’re associated with. If your feed is filled with landscapes and various skylines, build around that traveling spirit.

Lastly, establishing your brand allows you the opportunity to create your own brand. As mentioned previously, my brand basically consists of me owning my shortcomings. However, your brand can also be forward thinking. If you’re planning on reshaping your life (think health and fitness), and want to reflect your goals, you could build your brand around your journey. You have the opportunity to create your own image based on traits you want to be associated with.

Whether it’s for your social media channels, a blog or even pesky interview questions, it’s important to know your brand. Take a moment to establish your brand. It can be an exciting time to acknowledge your strengths and take ownership for some of your weaknesses. In the end, your brand is really just who you are and it’s important that it’s something you’re proud of.