Pure, Unadulterated Personal Branding Strategy with DP Knudten | Evolution of Brand EP030

The Goods From DP Knudten

Visit nonfictionbrand.com/gift to pick up three personal branding worksheets to start your branding journey
Connect with DP on LinkedIn
Pick up DP’s book NonFiction Brand: Discover, Craft, and Communicate the ‘Completely True/Completely You’ Brand – You Already Are on Amazon
Listen to the NonFiction Brand Podcast

Top 3 Takeaways From This Value-Packed Conversation

Establishing your Key 3 Concepts, Words, or Phrases will allow you to develop a unique, true-to-you blueprint for personal branding that will embellish who you are, what you do, and how you do it
Your personal brand is not a front. ALWAYS be true to who you are!
Even as an influencer, developing a personal brand is important. A personal brand will stand the test of time while influence will fade away over time

Show Notes

1:24 – A moment in DP’s life when he listened to himself instead of what others told him was right and it led to a major accomplishment

5:59 – Take a journey down DP’s evolutionary path!

11:37 – A real-world branding experience from when DP worked with at McCann Erickson and his big client was Coca-Cola…
– Coca-Cola cares about three critical factors with any of their advertising: Authenticity, Refreshment, and Sociability. If any ad did not communicate those core concepts, the ad would never see the light of day!
– In Coca-Cola’s mind, they had to defend their position at the top of those three categories to consumers worldwide
– DP dubbed these attributes “The Key 3”
– What are your Key 3 Concepts/Phrases/Words that truly define who you are, what you do, and how you do it?
– DP’s Key 3 are Creative, Collaborative, and Provocative
– Jason’s are Creative, Collaborative, and Strategic

14:03 – When was the moment that DP realized the power of personal brand?

17:49 – Why the “nonfiction” personal brand is so important:
– Be true to who you are!
– Many people believe a personal brand is a front. NOT TRUE! A personal brand should be about who you are from front to back
– What is a “brandle?”

21:56 – What are the differences between building a personal brand and positioning yourself as an influencer?
– Being an influencer has a small window to truly capitalize. Once that window closes, you need to have a plan of attack for what’s next
– Suze Orman has built an enormous following because she focused on her personal brand and being specific with her message…even if a lot of the strategies she shares are time-tested and been around for years. She didn’t position herself as a finance “expert” or “guru”…she positioned herself as a person who empowers others to have the life they want. She’s a completely true/completely you personal brand!
– The #1 goal of personal branding is differentiation
– If you and I work in the same space and offer similar strategies, there is an audience for you and an audience for me. The differentiation helps people decide who they want to gravitate towards and learn from

28:50 – Building a personal brand may take a little longer, which goes against the “instantaneous” results some think are available because of what they see on social media
– “You can burn fast and short…or slow and long” — DP
– Average lifespan of a celebrity is very short
– Average career for an NFL player is measured in MONTHS, not years…and most of them poorly manage their money and find themselves broke within a few years out of the league
– A personal brand is not something you decide to do one day, then stop. It’s WHO YOU ARE every single day!
– How you sign off emails, how you answer the phone, what you wear, whatever you do to stand out as unique and remarkable – all of this encompasses your personal brand
– What are the things in your life that make you worthy of remark?
– What is forced multiplication and how can it help you develop your personal brand?

34:42 – Exploring the personal brand of Gary Vaynerchuk, aka Gary Vee
– Too many people try to BE Gary Vee and copy exactly what he does instead of discovering who they are themselves
– Watch Gary Vee’s first video from Wine Library below. It shows where he started and that he’s come a long way!
– Gary Vee has gotten to where he is because HE EMBRACED THE TRUTH OF WHO HE IS AS A PERSON. Not everyone likes him…but the ones that do LOVE him

38:34 – How does social media come into play when building your personal brand?
– Dig into who you are, what you do, and how you do it first
– Determine where your audience is and spend time establishing your presence there
– What is your style stage? Each platform offers a different way to deliver content and position yourself as a brand. Discover which one works best for you. EXAMPLE: Twitter is great for quick-witted folks. If you have to write a blog post to get your point across, Twitter probably isn’t the right stage for you
– If you’re loved, there are people who hate you. If you’re hated, there are people who love you. “The opposite of love is not hate, but indifference.” — George Bernard Shaw