Branding matters.

And let’s face it, sometimes it’s the first thing your prospects see and experience.

Even before reading a single word on your page, in those first 50, 100 milliseconds, their brain and gut absorb your brand.

Whether it’s through the colors or fonts you use, through the visuals or videos, it doesn’t matter. There’s always a subconscious layer of processing going on.

And it matters when it comes to decision-making.

I’ve been thinking about my personal branding while working on a couple ideas for my Youtube Channel, and I always have thoughts about my clients’.

What’s a good encapsulation of “branding”?

Here’s a thought experiment from “Bad motherfucker”, a biography of Samuel L. Jackson:

“If cool is a mask that we wear in public, then what does it mean to be an actor known for playing cool roles? It means that the mask fits more naturally every time you put it on, and that it leaves an impression on your face. It means that people remember how you looked the last time you wore it—and are ready to believe that it isn’t actually a mask at all.”

Branding is your mask, in a way.

A lot of businesses think their branding needs to reflect their values, mission and blah blah blah…

But what about their customers?

What if they could give zero fucks about those?

Which leads me to my point…

Branding should be as much about you as about your audience.

And in order to balance that out, sometimes you have to put on a mask, until that mask becomes part of you.

It’s part of growth, both in business and in life. Few new things feel easy or comfortable all the times.

That said, your brand should be an extension, not a deception.

It’s not about creating a false image, but accentuating what makes your brand unique and appealing – to your people.

The mask you put on does have to fit your face after all.

I’m on a journey to work on my brand, especially when it comes to creating content. If you want to follow along, keep an eye on the channel for more coming soon.

Quote and reflection of the day:

““Hot” delineates what is desirable in this moment: the new trend, the sex symbol, the consumer object so perfectly crafted that it unites the sins of lust and avarice. “Hip” is the state of enlightenment that leads to understanding the hidden architecture of square society. But “cool”? Cool is hip put into action; cool is necessary to make something hot. Cool is a way of life.”

– Gavin Edwards, Bad Motherfucker

Your uniqueness is often buried under layers of what society tells you you should look, feel and think like. Dig it out and embrace it. Fully live it.