Rediscovering Connection with Shelley Doyle
Welcome to Rediscovering Connection, a Podcast where you'll hear from innovative leaders, researchers, community builders, and facilitators, on the frontier of connection.
Through soulful conversations, we explore new ways to connect, on-and-offline, to support our social and digital wellbeing.
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Rediscovering Connection with Shelley Doyle
#21 - Aarti Palmer - Personal Branding Mastery in a Digital World
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Welcome to Rediscovering Connection!
In this episode I speak to Aarti Palmer, a brand strategist, who spent 10 years in Malaysia before returning to the UK, and finding her ikigai.
We navigate topics of authenticity vs AI, our online/offline personality, and getting used to local customs, even when they go against our natural impulse!
Aarti shares valuable insights on creating the foundations of your personal brand, and the importance of only sharing what feels comfortable on social media.
Tune in for an engaging discussion on connecting with and through our personal brand.
Get in touch with Aarti:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/aartiparmar/
www.aartiparmar.com
Aarti Parmar is an award-winning Certified Brand Strategist and Qualified Coach who loves to educate and activate aspiring legacy leaders to mindfully define their brand to use it with intent, joy, and impact.
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I hope this conversation inspires you to rediscover connection in your own life and work.
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About Your Host
Hello - I’m Shelley Doyle, founder of The Communiverse™, Social Wealth Strategist, researcher, and host of the Rediscovering Connection podcast.
My work explores how our social connections and social capital shape social health, leadership, and our experience of modern work and life. Grounded in research with remote and hybrid leaders, I support leaders and organisations to activate their social capital in ways that strengthen connection, trust, and sustainable performance - creating the conditions for people to experience Social Wealth.
One way this comes to life is through Social Wealth Training - Social Wealth Training - relational design for the future of work. These interactive sessions support leadership teams who recognise that connection cannot be left to chance.
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✉️ shelley@communiverse.vip
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Building an Authentic Personal Brand
Speaker 1Why do you want to build a personal brand ? How does that one benefit you ? How does that two benefit the people that are going to experience you ? Because I always kind of say a personal brand is the stamp of value that you deliver to others . There's this misconception . It's all about your whole personal life and , yes , there are elements of your personal life . That's why it's called personal brand , but it doesn't have to be your private life .
Speaker 1I know lots of brilliant LinkedIn content creators . I don't even know what their partners , kids you know what anyone looks like , but they , I feel like I do know them a bit more on a personal level in that sense , because of how they share things . And that's connected to coming back to your own purpose , mission , vision , what you know . What's my objective here ? What do I want to achieve by building my personal brand ? Who do I want to influence ? Who do I want to impact in that sense ? You know who do I want to influence ? Who do I want to impact in that sense ? You know who do I want to attract to me ? Who do I want to be the obvious choice for ?
Speaker 2Good morning from beautiful British Columbia . My name is Shelley Keridwen and you're listening to Rediscovering Connection . If this is your first time listening to one of my podcasts , then welcome . If this is your first time listening to one of my podcasts , then welcome .
Speaker 2This podcast has been such an amazing journey for me . This is episode 21 with Artie Palmer and all of the episodes have been extremely different and I've really been finding my voice as I've been going through this journey , figuring out what topic really is in my heart and my soul . And rediscovering connection is something that I have been doing in my own life for the last two years , reconnecting with beautiful individuals who've been part of my life , getting some recommendations from some friends of mine on who I should have on my podcast and a few people who I didn't know at all , and I've kind of just dipped my toe in the water to connect with these new beautiful souls who are doing some great work in this world . So essentially , it's all about rediscovering connection with ourselves , with each other , and I'm speaking to researchers , facilitators , community builders who have found ways to rediscover connection . That's very different , that's new , that's innovative and hopefully you shall learn a thing or two .
Speaker 2So this episode is with an old friend of mine , business networking colleague from our St Albans day , artie Palmer . She is a personal branding specialist . So we really go deep in this episode to talk about how our personal brand is kind of an external representation of who we feel inside and how to make that an authentic representation and how we can help our personal brand to feel good on us . I really hope you enjoy this . Artie was very generous with her insights , really opening up the curtain and letting us see the work that she does with her clients to help them to find the personal brand that they feel proud and excited about showing to the world . So welcome , enjoy and I'll see you on the other side . Welcome , artie , how are you ?
Speaker 1I am wonderful , and it's just so lovely to reconnect again , and this is this alone , is the power of personal brand right ? How , how many years ago we connected , stay connected , sort of you know , seeing each other's being on each other's radar on linkedin .
Speaker 2and then here we are beautiful , yes indeed , and linkedin has really been where I have seen you and your personal brand shine through , and you're one of only a handful of individuals whose posts I always see and like a little bit envious , in all honesty , because they're just always so like a beautiful representation of you , like they feel good to receive , without kind of ickiness of sales . It's kind of just very natural . You do this well , oh appreciate that .
Speaker 1Thank you that . That that means a lot really , like intentional time and effort does go into those posts , so it means a lot to to get those encouraging words back . Thank you so how ?
Speaker 2how has your journey been really to find your personal brand ? Because when I first met you , I think you were involved in your parents' business , the Bangalore Olofsson business and then since then you kind of weaved your own business out . So how is that journey to ? I guess it's once you find your own personal brand . Then you're like wow , this is something I'm really passionate about and this is something that I know that I can serve for other people .
Speaker 1Yeah , that's it , and that's quite a big question . How has it been ? I think it's been , honestly , it's an introspective journey . That's that's probably where it really really starts . And you know ,
Discovering and Building Your Personal Brand
Speaker 1it's really what ?
Speaker 1Probably in the last seven to ten years , maybe seven years or so , since you know you're getting more awareness around personal brand and definitely in the last two years , you know it's become more and more and more of a thing , and I remember a few years ago where people were like , oh so what do you think it's going to be the trend for brand and you know business and stuff , and it was always this thing like , really important , build your personal brand , build your personal brand , your personal profile . It's going to be equally as important or , if not , you know , more important than also building your business brand , because they are so interconnected . But coming back to your question , gosh , you know I don't think there is a thing of well , today I'm going to start my personal brand journey . It's been going on . It's more of how have I become more aware that I am a brand and what am I going to do about it ?
Speaker 1I am a brand and what am I going to do about it ? Because I've often had business owners saying , oh , you know , should I start my personal brand or I don't want to ? And my answer is always like , you already are a personal brand . It's now about how are you going to get really intentional about getting known for what it is you actually want to be known for ? So we've all , always have , been personal brands . You know we already are representing something I love . Yeah , I love that .
Speaker 2Let's just dive deeper into that . How you're already a personal brand . How do you want to start becoming known for what you are ?
Speaker 1Yep , yep , you know , there's always that . There's that very famous saying by Jeff Bezos your brand is what other people say about you when you're not in the room , and what I like to do is take that a combination of created perceptions , and it is those perceptions that form associations and emotional connections to your brand . So we , what we really need to do , is start thinking about what beliefs are we forming in people's minds , so , when we are out of that room , that they are saying what we want them to say about us , and that's probably a good place to start . So , when people are out of that room , are they actually saying what we want them to say about us ? And it comes from us , right ? Whatever we put out there is what people are going to know and believe about us .
Speaker 2Beautiful , beautiful put out there is what people are going to know and believe about us beautiful , beautiful .
Speaker 2And this just touches on so much of the work that I do to help people reconnect with themselves .
Speaker 2Because if we don't know kind of the pivotal stories that have really shaped our worldview , if we don't know what stories are really alive for us that we want to be sharing , if we haven't done that kind of the work , then when we're in company those stories are not going to be naturally flowing . And I guess that's when that's when people just start becoming passive , kind of passively involved in conversations and they're not proactively expressing themselves in a way that they want to be seen . And this is so important for people who move location , who the people in their lives do not know them , they haven't got that background of them . So we need to really be reconnecting with ourselves so that , so that people can get to know the real essence of you , so important , so important . So I'd love to just get a little bit of a sneak preview behind the scenes of , like , how you would work with clients who are unsure of what their personal brand is . Maybe they've been in business a few years and they're realizing that actually they are their spokesperson , like how ?
Speaker 1do you ?
Speaker 1get under the skin of it and really help them to to get out of themselves what their personal brand might look or feel like yeah , yeah , no , and it's a really good question because I can tell you , majority of the time when people come to me , um , you know , inquiry call , networking , that kind of thing , or you know , do you know what , artie ? I just , you know , I just don't know how to show up on social media , I don't know what to say about my business , I'm not articulating it very well , you know , I don't know what kind of content to put out there . So nobody really actually comes to me saying , artie , I need brand strategy . Ever , it's always these other things . And what that actually means is that , in essence , they don't have clarity around their own . Well , their brand narrative and that brand narrative is actually a combination of their business and personal brand . They , they aren't two separate , separate things because , you know , especially if we're service-based businesses as well , right , because if there's somebody who's delivering that service , it's going to be connected to , to , to the brand in in in that sense .
Speaker 1So , in terms of when I'm working with somebody , first and foremost , what I do and help them understand is what brand is . There's so many different definitions , so many different thoughts about branding . You know , I've been on calls where , like I'm really , you know , I'm so stressed about my logo and my color palette and , you know , for me I'm like it's the last thing you need to be stressed about . What you really want to be thinking about is what are your brand fundamentals ? You know , what do you stand for , what's your essence , what's your personality , all of these things , because then it's the brand that will inform the branding which is the whole sort of you know , logo messaging , logo messaging visuals , graphics and color palette and typography and that side of things .
Speaker 1So , coming back to so , my first step is actually helping them to understand brand and the role it plays in your business , because what you may want for your business and what a competitor may want , it's two completely different things . Everyone's got their own different journeys , values , beliefs , stories , experiences , expertise that they bring to the table , even if they are a business that is delivering similar outcomes . So , first and foremost , we need to understand who are you ? Well , what is a brand ? And then , who are you ? Well , what is a brand ? And then who are you as a brand ? I always say you know , the business sells a product and service and the brand is the identity that attracts people to the business you know , I love that word , I love that word attract as well because this is the whole thing with , I guess , soul aligned businesses .
Speaker 2We're not looking to sell , we're looking to attract people into our energy , people that are aligned clients so we're not . We're not selling , we are serving exactly I guess in that way , as a personal brand , it's a , it's a way for you to show yourself , to attract those ideal clients into your orbit , absolutely and in a way that feels really good for everybody .
Speaker 1Yeah , and it's a form of expression , isn't it In that sense ? And coming back to attract , what then that also does ? It doesn't feel like such a oh , this is so hard . You know that kind of thing . When you're in that energy of attract because you're pulling people towards you , as opposed to push , push , push , push , push , push , it's hard work , isn't it ? Whereas when you really understand who you are for , who you're serving , why you're serving them , why you , in that sense , you then start to also eliminate who you're not for , therefore giving more space for attraction beautiful , beautiful , which is why niching is so important
Building a Strong Personal Brand
Speaker 1.
Speaker 2I was um . I was part of a hackathon a few weeks ago um , for it's for island health here on Vancouver Island and it was the . I . I put a challenge into it which was how to combat loneliness on Vancouver Island , which was selected by island health as a wild card , which is amazing . So it's a huge opportunity . I got to pitch my idea , I built a team and over the course of 48 hours we came up with a solution which we did .
Speaker 2We did reach the finals , which we then presented to a room of like 300 people . We didn't get any further , but I was really , really stoked to have got that far because it gave me brilliant practice in front of a good number of people and great networking opportunity . But one of the really big takes I got from that was how challenging it is to create a solution for the general public , because that's what it , that's what it was , and they wanted you to be as inclusive with your solution as you possibly could . And I went away from there with a lot of reflection . I've spent weeks reflecting on it and just thinking , gosh , I feel blessed that I can now kind of go back to my niche .
Speaker 2It is really like expats , repatriate people who move people that I really understand the problems that they're facing um and I and I think down the line I will definitely be looking to expand this out to encompass and be accessible to a lot more people . But niching just makes our life easier because we can really become masters within that niche .
Speaker 1Exactly , and it makes your audience's life easier . You know if they are looking for something specific and they're going into Google and stuff and they've got you know eight , ten different options and then they've got the one that is actually really niched down to what it is that they really want . It's just an easier pick , isn't it ? You're helping them save time , and we know how time poor we all are anyway . So when you're already you know eliminating and you're out maneuvering your competition through and I say ethically outmaneuvering your competition , you know , through your own niche and through your own strengths and stuff like that , at the end of the day , we're here to serve our audience , so if we make their journey to us easier , then they're gonna love us even more and I guess , thinking about that journey and thinking about making it easy .
Speaker 2there's so many tools out there where we can express our personal brand spreading ourselves too thinly , Like maybe when we've got virtual assistants and they can be publishing on our behalf and responding on our behalf . The game might change . But when we are solopreneurs , actually having too many different platforms can consume so much of our energy . Do you work with your clients in that way to decide which platforms are actually the right fit for their personal brand ?
Speaker 1yeah , yeah . So , coming back to how I work with with my clients , so I've created a proven brand maximizer framework that I take businesses through , whether it's the one person business or and I only mainly work with owner managed businesses , so I'm not in the corporate space and stuff like that , but regardless of what size they are . So some of the people mainly work with owner-managed businesses , so I'm not in the corporate space and stuff like that , but regardless of what size they are . So some of the people I work with they've got a team of 150 , 300 people . Some of them are the one-person business .
Speaker 1But what is the key thing behind all of this ? Whether you are managing your platforms and stuff , as I'm taking them through the platform , it is about getting deeper into understanding the fundamentals . So the internal strategics around the purpose , mission , vision , values , all of those kind of things . And then we've got the external around the positioning , customer identity , tone of voice and USPs and all of those other external things . Once these things are pieced together , this is what I then call is a brand narrative starts coming together . Once you have that and that understanding , that will then start dictating . Oh , that's where my audience are . They're not on TikTok , they're actually on LinkedIn and I've had clients who've got a bit of presence on TikTok . They're actually on LinkedIn and I've had clients who've got a bit of presence on TikTok and it's almost like what are you doing there , you know kind of thing . When , actually , when we've looked at their sort of all different audience clusters and that's the other thing , you know , we don't just only have one audience profile Majority .
Speaker 1A lot of us businesses also have what I would call audience , different audience clusters and it's okay to talk to them separately in different places , in different places , and you know I've had clients that but but I've only and I'm like no , it's okay , you can even create landing pages for your different audience profiles , but you know the overall brand and what you stand for , why you're doing what you're doing . The mission , purpose , vision doesn't change , but who you're serving for , for for this particular , this product or this product or this service , that can change , that's okay , that's fine and it will . You know , in a business cycle , this will change . So , therefore , understanding that customer identity will help to then dictate where you need to spend your time and effort and money and energy according to your vision of your short , medium and long term goals .
Speaker 1Because some of this work doesn't get done with business owners . It feels like I'm all over the place , I'm hitting a brick wall . You , you know , my competitors are just running circles around us , that kind of thing . It's this deeper work , these these fundamentals that need to be looked into . Um , and it will start drawing out a picture beautiful , beautiful .
Speaker 2Yeah , what's coming up for me there is just thinking about my personal um brand and visibility and on Instagram , for example , I very much speak to my , my individual clients , kind of the expats , repatriates , location , independent entrepreneurs . And then on LinkedIn , I'm more speaking to corporates and HR leaders to bring me in to deliver workshops to their globally mobile workforce so yeah , I , unintentionally I'm doing this a little bit . I can definitely get better , yeah , yeah .
Speaker 1And the beautiful thing is , when you've got a brand um , you've got that clear , distinctive brand voice and you know what you stand for , that then , beautifully , will weave into everything else that you do . So , even if you are aiming for the individuals on instagram or you know the corporates on linkedin , that that should you know and will then weave into the messaging and stuff . So there is this sort of uh like an over overarching purpose mission vision .
Speaker 2That that links to that and I I honestly , since working in PR agencies for other brands for myself , I've never got into scheduling um , which does mean that social media can then become quite time consuming um but I think I think my issue with scheduling a little bit is I do like um , being more authentic and like when I get some inspiration , just like creating something , putting it out there , try not to think too desperately hard about it , but then it can really be a bit more time consuming . So I wonder if you've got any guidance for other people who are finding that polarity between authenticity and scheduling and how that plays out .
Speaker 1Oh , I've got a confession to make I don't schedule . I actually don't , simply because , like you , I'm very much like , when I'm feeling in flow and inspired , saying that , um , but I I am consistent with it . So I know I am going to be posting three to five times a week on linkedin on um , specific topics and stuff like that , because if I know I'm about to launch something , there's a lead up to what I want to be bringing to other people's awareness about this , and you know how I've got into it , the story , you know , because you can't put everything in one post either , um , so that's not to say that you know there is some background work going on . So , even like I'm even the tube and and I get , I'll get ideas at the most random time , like , really like , oh , my God , that's an amazing thing to kind of say , or whatever . So if I'm on the tube , it will start going into my notes and then , when I've come home , you know I've gone for a coffee I'm like , oh , that's enough , it starts getting pieced together . And then I'm like , right , okay , I know this will be a good day to put this out , this out , this out . So , yeah , I don't have this big plan of scheduling .
Speaker 1However , however , I do work with clients and you know they do have a team and all of those kinds of things . So we do look at sort of brand pillars , content pillars , things like that . So then their team can actually have a bit of a structure of like , right , what do we , you know how , what do we want to be known for and how do we now execute what we want to be known for ? So you know , that takes a bit of planning . So then their team because , you know , for some social media posts there's a lot of well , for a lot of social , there's a lot of education that needs to happen .
Speaker 1So when there are sort of more educational things some of it a little bit more generic but in your obviously in your own tone and stuff and personality and essence , those kinds of things can be scheduled , because that doesn't matter if it goes out in a January or a March or you know that kind of thing . So there are things that , yes , definitely can do about planning , schedule , schedule that in . But then for me , and in the kind of space that I'm in and the kind of work that I do , I get inspired , you know , from my clients , from something I've watched on tv , an experience that I've had with a brand , and I'll talk about it . I get inspired just from going from a walk and something comes up you know , totally mostly from a walk in nature .
Speaker 2Totally I hear you and I guess one really big thing is about how noisy everything is . Like we go online and there's just , it's just noise . Um , and I wonder , I wonder if you've got any advice for people who they want to be authentic to their own personal brand but they also want to kind of break through some of that noise . Is there any real nugget that you found that you're like this really can work to help you cut through ?
Speaker 1Yeah , yeah and yeah , you're right , it it's . It's so noisy and it is about sort of thinking .
Building a Personal Brand With Intention
Speaker 1Firstly , why does this actually matter to me ? Because you know we've been constantly told you need to build a personal brand . You need to be build a personal brand . If you yourself aren't connected to why you want to build a personal brand , that's going to be one an issue , because you know what it's like when somebody just tells you to do something . You might do it for a little while and be like , okay , I'm disconnected , don't really care , don't know why I'm really doing this .
Speaker 1Why do you want to build a personal brand ? How does that one benefit you ? How does that two benefit the people that are going to experience you ? You know , because I always kind of say you know , a personal brand is the stamp of value that you deliver to others . There's this misconception it's all about your whole personal life and you know it's . Yes , there are elements of your personal life . That's why it's called personal brand , but it doesn't have to be your private life .
Speaker 1I know lots of brilliant LinkedIn content creators . I don't even know what their partners , kids . You know what anyone looks like , but they , I feel like I do know them a bit more on a personal level in that sense , because of how they share things , and that's connected to coming back to your own purpose , mission , vision , what you know . What's my objective here ? What do I want to achieve by building my personal brand ? Who do I want to influence ? Who do I want to impact in that sense ? You know who do I want to influence ? Who do I want to impact in that sense , you know ? Who do I want to attract to me ? Who do I want to be the obvious choice for ?
Speaker 2and I love what you you mentioned there for about how . How do you want people to experience you ?
Speaker 1yeah , exactly . So then , in terms of cutting through the noise , you don't even then have to try and cut through the noise , because when you start piecing these things together , it becomes an extension of you . On social media , I've often had clients who , should I be online and offline ? I'm like be the same person , same person , you know , because there are going to be times where someone's going to experience you online and they're going to be like oh , can we jump on a call ? Or they'll meet you at a networking event . I mean , this has happened to me so many times recently . What was that ? An in-person networking event ? And they're like , oh , you're Artie Palmer , aren't you you ? And I'm like , yeah , I am had no idea who they were , but it just felt she was just like . I just feel like I know you and like you know I love your post and what you're putting out there and stuff . At the same time , I didn't feel like , oh , violated or whatever , because I've chosen to put out what I've put out intentionally to create perceptions around . You know , brand building , brand visibility , personal branding , brand mindful branding , all of those kinds of things . So it's all been in my control , you know , in that sense . So when it starts to actually feel like , actually , I don't mind if I say this online , offline , that kind of thing .
Speaker 1You then start creating your own voice , your own distinctive style and personality and that kind of thing , and it's not going to just happen overnight . It takes time for people to get a sense of your style and your essence and what you talk about , how you talk about it . There's a dime a dozen brand strategists out there , loads of them . But I know you know what , what makes mine different , what makes me different , and I I've got no qualms . In fact , I'm like it's great that there are some if they are , you know , brilliant brand strategists out there , because if we're all on that same page around helping people with their mission and purpose , and that we're just creating more of an impactful world , I can't serve eight billion people by myself , yeah , you know . So I'm quite happy there's all these other brand strategists , um out there , but it is about finding your own and that's going to take a bit of time as well . You know you may end up bit of trial and error and that kind of thing .
Speaker 1One of the things that I felt worked really well , and I still do this . If it's new stuff and whatever . I'll go and observe what others are doing and seeing how it's landing . How are they presenting it , what words are they using ? And that's not for me to go and copy their words , I'm just kind of observing and then see how it makes me feel seeing it written that way , the imagery that they would I feel comfortable using a , um , a bold , vibrant background . No , I wouldn't , that's not me , you know . So it's also about feeling into what is you , what isn't you ?
Speaker 2you know it's reminding me of , like PR days , doing competitor audits . Yeah , I love that for personal brand . And something else you said that really struck me was mindful mindful branding yes , let's talk AI , and I have definitely seen a uplift in content since the emergence of AI . How do you feel about AI content ? Can it help us , can it hinder us ? Can it help us , can it hinder us , and do you have any ideas of how it's going to play out as we shift forward and it becomes more and more adopted ?
Speaker 1Well , personally I can spot it a mile off , especially as you know it's . It's kind of come in and then you've seen that person's post before and then suddenly it's like you're like yeah , that's not them , that's not their voice , that's not what they've talked about before in that way .
Speaker 2So how does it make you feel then , when you see that it's clearly AI ? Does that change your perception about that person a little bit ?
Speaker 1Part of me makes me feel cringe . You know , part of me feels like , was that a bit lazy of them ? You know , because it's a brilliant tool , right , it's great you can go in there and put this , but then just talking about cutting through the noise , now you're getting even more generic . I see so many generic things and I'm like you're now not helping your brand , you're hurting your brand . I think it is a brilliant tool , but it's about also knowing how to use it to enhance your brand , about also knowing how to use it to enhance your brand , but in order to enhance it , it still comes back to knowing what are your brand fundamentals , who are you as a brand , as an identity ? So you can maybe use it as a tool , as an extension of , you know , to refine a message , that kind of thing .
Speaker 1I've , I've used it . I , I do use it because I'll then , you know , put in what it is that I want to say in my way . And then you know , I've asked it for a couple of prompts , and that's the other thing is about giving it effective prompts . It is about , you know , sort of mastering that I haven't mastered it from what , the little sort of trial and errors that I've done with it . When you get really clear on the prompts , it really is great for guidance to accelerate something quickly . You know , we may spend like hours and hours thinking about something , but you can use it , you know , to help create and brainstorm even ideas and stuff like that . So I think it's like I said . Said I think it's a brilliant tool used well , when it's used well . I had a conversation with somebody last week actually we met up in a cafe , we went for brunch and was telling me about his new uh oh , that was a , did you ?
Speaker 2see that .
Speaker 1Yeah , yeah , I generated thumbs down yeah , exactly didn't like what I was saying about AI . Um , so we went for brunch and he was telling me about his new , new business idea and he was just oh , you know , I've got , I've got my you know purpose and mission . And I said I'd love to see it , you know . So he pulled out his phone , showed me his website and I could see the statement and I was reading them and he was waiting for my . What my reaction was ? First thing I said to him was just like you've got this from AI , you've got this from chat GPT , haven't you ? And he looks at me , goes yeah , how did you know ? I was just like , just the three minutes before that , how you were talking to me about your brand , your business and the personality , the enthusiasm behind it .
Speaker 1It's not expressed in these words here at all . There's quite a disconnect , and that's because the work hasn't been done . He's got some thoughts in his mind about OK , this is what . And then he's probably written write me a purpose statement . But AI is going to do that . It can write you beautiful , you know . It can write you lots of purpose statements and stuff like that . But what AI won't do is delve into your why and be able to challenge your beliefs and probe into that and you know , understand your story of why you're doing what you're doing , what has brought you to this specific journey . It's not going to delve into all of that . Therefore , it's going to give you this very surface that the other five million people can also have access to whereas when you yeah the tone , the tone is just , it's just different , isn't it ?
Speaker 2it's not a personal edge to the tone exactly , exactly , exactly um .
Speaker 1And when you already have an existing um online presence , and not even just online presence , you're already meeting people offline and stuff and then suddenly you know that that tone changes because of your . You know , because you're using AI in just a very generic way .
Speaker 2It gets noticed , it gets noticed and I wonder , like I wrote an article recently for a magazine called island parent all about um looking after your social needs as a , as a working parent and I felt compelled . After I'd spent time writing this article , I actually put on the top of it this was not generated by AI , they didn't print that but , sharing it with the editor , I felt compelled to write it . And I do wonder going into the future , do you think people are going to have to be transparent about their AI usage in ?
Speaker 1a way ? I hope so , because it takes time , doesn't it to , to piece something like that together with emotion , with personality . Um , yeah , who knows , it's going to be an interesting time with , or for , publications , beyond all of these kind of things . It's going to be an interesting time with full publications , beyond all of these kind of things . It's going to be just so easily accessible and it's going to get better exactly , exactly
Impact of AI on Personal Branding
Speaker 1like um .
Speaker 2Last year I was involved in a tedx and one of the speakers , peter scott . He was talking all about ai and it was actually before it became mainstream because it was last year , mainstream because it was last year . And um , he , he does speak at quite a few TEDx's like he's a , he's a , he's a recurring TEDx speaker . One of the things he says is he doesn't use AI to generate his talks and he's like I know that my talks could be better if I did , but I've kind of said this now so I can't really get back on it .
Speaker 2Kind of made a stand , whilst acknowledging that he could probably find words easier using AI . If writing isn't necessarily his thing and I guess , coming from a communications background , I have no excuse . Like I can write . I you know I'm blessed that I've had that um background , whereas I guess for a lot of people where writing doesn't come as easily , then they might be let off for leaning on ai some more and I guess in that respect it um balances the playing field for for everybody yeah , yeah , that's a good point .
Speaker 1That is a good point , and I guess it still comes back to getting the essence of the , the , the brand , back in , even if you are using it . And you know writing isn't your number one top skill which probably isn't for most of us , right but if you don't want to get lost in the noise , it has to come from a place of authenticity , your own values , your own journey , your own expertise , knowledge . You know stories , stories . Ai is never going , never gonna well , and let me not say never . But you know ai isn't gonna know your story . It doesn't , it's not gonna piece that together . You're still gonna have to do that and then use the platform to enhance or refine , in that sense .
Speaker 2And I'm just thinking about another of the TEDx speakers from last year , candice , who I have had on my podcast actually Candice Neveu and she was invited to speak at that TEDx . She did still have to audition . So leading up to the audition she was thinking about her speech and then early one morning she just woke up with inspiration and wrote it . And I guess , in a way , ai is maybe encouraging us not to , you know , have that kind of oh God , I know I need to do that , I know I need to do that and then trust that we will find the words . Once we know what we need to do , we will find those words for what we want to do , and maybe it will be that you sit down in one session and you just write it out and that's your first draft .
Speaker 2I don't know that this is a leading question , but that's just what's coming up for me . Like , are we and I have a spiritual mentor we spoke about when we connected last time and , um , he , he had some real concerns with ai , because when it first came , I was like , oh my goodness , bill , this is so exciting , you can ask it anything . And and I was really excited . And he's like but what about if you ask yourself and just allow the response to come ?
Speaker 1how like challenging that I'm like good point , that's so wise yeah , yeah , and this is I guess that's the bit I get a little bit concerned , because obviously there are pros and cons , right , um , will it make people just more lazy ? Will it just make people lazy ? You know what's going to happen to people writing books . You know people would write books with so much passion and so much like right , and I want to put this out into the world and I'll pour their heart and soul into it . And now you can go into AI and say write me a book on , you know , but obviously , again , it's not going to have your personal story in there , you know , from from just just one prompt . In that sense , yes , you can maybe write it and then put it in there and it may refine it , but yeah , it does . You know , I've had those thoughts like what , what happens to that , that , that sort of the book industry in that sense as well and I guess again that comes back to your personal brand .
Speaker 2If you've built yourself a brand that is attracting a real niche and then you publish a book because people want more of you , that's it . Books aren't going to just sell themselves anymore because it's going to get flooded . Everybody's going to have a book , aren't they ? If we can , everybody could have a book . So people then buy the individual and then that individual serves , sells the book exactly .
Speaker 1And , and you know , nowadays I don't think it's just about , oh , you know , being a published author . I've got a book . It's about how does that sit in the strategy of your bigger picture , that mission , that vision , purpose ? You know inquiry calls where they're like , yeah , I just want to . You know , I want to launch a book or I want to create a membership program . Okay , good , what kind of presence , audience do you have around you community ? And she was just like no , I don't really . Actually , I just wanted to , because , you know , I've been told that I need membership groups , I can make passive income . And or , you know , you know just been told that I need membership groups , I can make passive income . And or , you know , you know , just make different kind of income rather than the one-to-one um and or , if I've got a book , then I'll get a lot more exposure and visibility . I'm like , okay , who's going to be buying your book ? For ? What do they know you for ? And she was just like , yeah , that's a good point , they don't really know me for this , but this is what my book's going to be about .
Speaker 1And you know , sometimes people are doing it around something that matters to them , that they're passionate about they . You know that they're really purposeful about and people are buying into that purpose and mission . You know , we see it all the time and I do . I , I advocate brands I don't even buy from , but because I'm just like what an amazing brand , I'll go and put them in front of other people . Um , maybe it's just not right for me , for whatever reason , you know um , but however , I'd advocate them because I'm buying into their purpose , their mission and and that that's the power of brand . So , if you're , then if you they're not an individual that you know has a strong um , you know you're advocating a certain really positive change in the world for something or other . That's what people are buying into .
Speaker 1And then you know that then gets granular into products and services and stuff like that . But then when you've got something like that , that's where then really beautiful collaborations happen , that's where then you have that natural journey . Do you know what ? Actually , I'm going to write a book now , because I know I can bring so much knowledge and we can , you know , create more of an impact by putting these words out there and educating , teaching people through my book or whatever it is in that sense , membership , that kind of thing . So now people actually have got more of a buy-in and it helps . It gives them a bit of an identity as well . You know , like you've got the brand like Patagonia you wear , that you already feel like you're a certain type of person . It already gives you a certain kind of identity .
Speaker 2I love the brand Patagonia . Um , yeah , just such a purposeful brand and , yeah , just sounds like one of the best places to work . You're all just surfing at lunchtime , aren't they very cool ? Um , something that was coming up for me then , just thinking about individuals publishing books . I know , not , neither of us are necessarily in this space , but something that I keep seeing recently is people having a chapter of a book and , like I've been involved in summits . So for a summit , you are one of many guest speakers and then you obviously promote that to your , to your audience , and then you've got maybe 12 or 20 speakers who are all promoting the summit for their audiences . So , I guess , in the same way , publishing a book where you just own a chapter of it , and then you're standing side by side , all of these other experts in their field also then you're all public , you're all sharing that .
Speaker 1Yeah , this , this is an intriguing strategy yeah , yeah , collaborations right , I mean you're , then you're tapping into various audiences all at the same time . You know you've got a wider reach um , if it's just me alone , whereas when you've got 10 different authors in that same book and everyone's got their own followers and following and you , you know it's got some sort of you know force for good . It's a great way to reach more people and make more impact .
Speaker 2I saw a beautiful post yesterday and it said at the top it's all about cooperation , not competition .
Speaker 1Absolutely , and it does . Does it does make sense , you know , if we can , if you are inclined in that way to be a mission-led , purpose-driven , purpose-centered business , and you've got other people who are on a similar kind of path and you can both impact collectively , why not ? Why not right ?
Speaker 2arty just thinking about . We are coming towards the end of our conversation . Is there any kind of key takeaway that you think for solopreneurs or people with maybe small to medium-sized teams that haven't really put a lot of thought into their own personal brand strategy ? What , where , where could they start ? What's like the number one piece that you think with the weekend coming up like , just think about this as you're walking around the lake for your weekend hike . What should they be thinking about ?
Speaker 1Sure
Brand Clarity and Communication Strategies
Speaker 1, sure , I mean . I always like to say you know , if your brand isn't clear on the inside , it won't be clear on the outside . So it is about going inwardly and I'll just leave you with my brand journey wheel . So I'll just quickly share what that is in three steps . So the first one is step one is clarify . Step two is create and step three is communicate . A lot of business owners go straight to communicate because they're thinking I want to promote and grow and get sales and make money and all of that kind of thing , but what they haven't done is done . The step one , which is clarify , so that is the discover and define . Discover and define who you are as a brand . Honestly , this step is invaluable when I've worked with clients what it's done and how it's accelerated , not only their journey , what it's done for their own energy , their enthusiasm , the clarity it's brought in terms of to get focused and have that direction . The clarity it's brought in terms of to get focused and have that direction . It's one of the best things you can do for yourself , because what comes out of that will then help you to really determine where am I heading from here . And we all like a bit of where am I heading from here ? We don't want to keep hitting brick walls . So , you know , clarify , discover and define internal strategic fundamentals , external . So , like I said , those , those fundamentals purpose , mission , vision , values plays a massive , massive role in , you know , determining your actions and behaviors . Really , really important , understanding what do we stand for as a brand , what are our values , what determines our actions and behaviors .
Speaker 1In that sense , moving into create , once you've got that clarity , you've clarified all of this , that will then help to create , create your visual identity , the logo , colors , typography or you know , fonts and that kind of thing , and it will also help to create the kind of services that you actually , that your audience actually needs . Sometimes there's a very sort of right , let's just put this service and product out there , but where has any research actually been done ? Do we know that the audience , the market , needs this ? So , getting that into the sort of actually , even as a business , you need to do that research anyway , right , you need to have that mvp and , uh , that kind of thing . So , knowing that there is some sort of need for the product or service , um , in that , create space , then that will help to create .
Speaker 1You know all of that side of thing product services , visual identity system and then also identity , your social media , your website because now , like I say , it's the brand that will then inform the branding and then the branding will help to inform the marketing . So this is where you then communicate . You then communicate authentically , you communicate in a very precise way and concise way to the audience that you actually want to attract and work with . Or it may not even and I say audience clusters , that's just not , that's not always like your end client . That could also be other collaborators , influencers , communities , networks , that kind of thing , networks , that kind of thing .
Speaker 1So you know , it's about then getting really precise about what it is that you want , who you want to attract , and communicating that in a very sort of intentional way . And this is why I say mindful branding , because now you're making really conscious choices about how you're showing up , what you're saying who to , why should they care ? All of these kind of things . So you know you're not just coming from a oh , let me just guess . You know , let me just put some content out , because I've been told to post three times a week . It's getting making really conscious choices about the business , the brand yourself , how you want to be known all of that kind of thing , and that all comes from clarify .
Speaker 2I'm just about to start a sub stack , so I've parked my original newsletter uh , kind of rethought what that wants to look like . So I think with this new sub stack , I'm going to be really introducing the topic of social well-being and social connection , and the importance of really focusing on this is individuals . Um , have you got any recommendations for me or anybody who may be in my shoes ? That's about to really like . I've done the work to define who my audience is and now I want to speak to them .
Speaker 1Yeah , yeah , yeah , exactly that , you know . Speak to your audience . It's that emotional connection . It goes beyond . You know , obviously , the demographics , but really what are they feeling ? What do they want ? What's going on in their daily life ? Really take that time to understand that , not assume .
Speaker 1Have conversations with the people that you actually want to attract , work with , collaborate with , you know , understand what's going on for them and and you know that that's that's such a beautiful connection piece , because then you can start bringing that into your content and then what that starts doing , it starts positioning you as the person who knows , because who knows how they're feeling , what's going on for them , and when you start addressing that side of things rather than I , I , I , I when you start addressing that side of things , it's about them and again it comes , you're pulling them in to then say , right , okay , how can I serve you ? This is , or this is how I can serve you . You know we've . It's helping them to feel and everything's very much about how we make other people feel right . It's helping them to feel like , look , I see you , I understand you , I care for you , I want to , I want to help you from where you are now to where you want to get to , this is what I'm training or this is how I've helped other clients . So evidencing that social proof is also important .
Speaker 1A lot of business owners are like , oh , I don't want to blow my own trumpet and I'm like you need to blow your own trumpet . People need to know that you are , you know you can evidence your expertise , your knowledge , you know your results . So when somebody gives you a testimonial , put it on your social media . It's a great thing to hear . Why wouldn't you ? That's all your hard work and what that then does . It then evidences in other people's mind .
Speaker 1Okay , she can provide from you know , pain point to solution , to transformation . That's what we want . All of us want transformation . So it is really understanding the transformations people want and the pain points that they are experiencing and you being that vehicle I like to say a brand is a vehicle to serve , grow and impact and you being the vehicle that's going to take them from pain point to transformation , from pinpoint to transformation , because when they have the transformation , they become generally , maybe you know better people . You know more loving , more kind , more caring . You know they put more clarity . Therefore they're not feeling low and down and all of those kind of things , and therefore we're creating more of a positive energy .
Speaker 2And would you imagine kind of one person on the other side ? So you're writing and you kind of see that individual person , you're literally writing to you .
Speaker 1Yeah , yeah , yeah , it's really important actually to do that , because you know it can be quite easy to get lost in like , okay , I'm starting to write for this person , and then you know , and then you're like that's when it starts getting generic , whereas when you , when you've done the customer identity piece , and we know , okay , it's this , this , this is the person I'm writing for today , or this month , that kind of thing .
Speaker 1It just makes it so much more , so much more easier , because now you've got them in mind , you know what kind of pain points , challenges , what's not happening in their life that they would actually desire . You can then take them on that journey through your content , through your website , through dialogue when you're at networking events . You know the number of times I can go into a networking event and share a story . Story and storytelling and narrative is another really , really key part of being able to have dialogue around something that's that's relatable and relevant to to these people as well . You know in in that sense , because if you just go out and like I just do brand strategy and I can sell you my brand strategy package , I'll be like , yeah , don't get it , whatever , but it's about making it understandable . Relatable , you know , helping them feel understood . And you know always say brand is an energy , it is felt , and when you're saying it with such authentic , that genuine , I know where I'm coming from , I know the kind of change I want to see in this world , I know what I can do for you .
Speaker 1All of this , you know , builds confidence in people and builds that ultimately , people buy from trust and when they feel that transference of trust going on and that might not just happen in the one meeting you have , but over time , from your social posts and there's that consistency and congruency and everything that transference of trust happens . And for some people they need a bit more transference of trust . Some people will be like , oh , I've been seeing your post for three months , I want to work with you . Some people it's been two years , but it's important to have that . You know , that's what we're ultimately where . That's when people ultimately buy , when they have that emotional connection . I trust this person , I trust this brand , I trust this business .
Speaker 2Thank you so much for all of your sharings . I do feel like I just want to touch on one final point from our conversation that we had a couple of weeks ago and we were talking about the the transition of a repatriate , the the transition of a repatriate , and we touched on your experience moving back to the UK after living in Malaysia for a while and years and the getting used to the way that people operate yeah , oh gosh , I I still do miss that where you could just pick up the phone and say finish your work seven , eight o'clock , let's meet , you know .
Speaker 1Um , yeah , that that was quite a bit of a big shocker in terms of what's helped me and stuff . It is just probably getting those dates put in in advance . Whoever you want to see , who you really really want to see , just make it happen .
Speaker 2You know , even if it is two weeks , one month , three months , uh down the line , and like maybe just getting into the flow of the local norms for people , for expats who are moving around .
Speaker 1I guess it's trying to understand what those local norms and customs are yeah , yeah , because the other thing I used to do is just call people straight , you know , just be like off the bat , call people when I felt like talking to them , kind of thing .
Navigating Communication in Social Circles
Speaker 1Yeah , that's also a bit of messaging first what time is good for you , that kind of thing . So , yeah , it is probably just and you know , there's different groups of friends and family as well , right , and you've got sort of the acquaintances and then you've got your inner circle where , yeah , they don't care and I don't care what time they pick up the phone , and then you've got your inner circle where , yeah , they don't care and I don't care what time they pick , pick up the phone and call you , and that kind of thing . Um , yeah , it's probably even just asking each other is it okay for me to buzz you or would you prefer we , you know , whatsapp or whatever , that that kind of thing , and that that kind of communication is probably key as well , isn't it in that sense ?
Speaker 2yeah , especially with new , with new connections , when you've been moving , when you've moved somewhere or you've moved back from somewhere . Yeah , understanding that where you've come from is quite different . So thank you for that just last piece . I just felt like that was a nugget really worth sharing , because I know I really resonated with that experience myself . I thank you and appreciate you for your time . Where is the place where you most spend your time , that that you think , um , people come find me here , because this is really where you see , see , the most of me yeah , linkedin , linkedin definitely .
Speaker 1I'm consistently posting over there brand tips and all sorts , all sorts bit of mindset , bit of spirituality , bit of everything from my personal , from my brand in that sense .
Speaker 2Beautiful and a beautiful brand . It is Artie Palmer . Thank you so much for your time . It's been a pleasure .
Speaker 1Yes , yeah , absolute pleasure , thank you . Thank you for having me .
