The role consistency plays in building your professional personal brand

𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝗼𝗳𝘁𝗲𝗻 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝗵𝗿𝗮𝘀𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝙘𝙤𝙣𝙨𝙞𝙨𝙩𝙚𝙣𝙘𝙮 𝙞𝙨 𝙠𝙚𝙮 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝗽𝘂𝗯𝗹𝗶𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘁, 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝘆𝗼𝘂’𝗿𝗲 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗱𝘂𝗰𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮 𝗽𝗼𝗱𝗰𝗮𝘀𝘁, 𝗮 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗧𝘂𝗯𝗲 𝘀𝗵𝗼𝘄, 𝗮 𝗯𝗹𝗼𝗴, 𝗼𝗿 𝗽𝗼𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗼𝗻 𝘀𝗼𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝗺𝗲𝗱𝗶𝗮?

But, here’s where things can go awry, because many people equate consistency with 𝙛𝙧𝙚𝙦𝙪𝙚𝙣𝙘𝙮. And yes, publishing on a regular basis certainly is important when you’re trying to build and audience for your thoughts, insights and ideas.

However, there’s more to consistency than just publishing regularly to a schedule, as crucial as that is. ‘Consistency is key’ also relates to:

(a) 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗻𝗰𝘆 𝗼𝗳 (𝗽𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗯𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗱) 𝘃𝗼𝗶𝗰𝗲

The unique way in which you present yourself to the world. THINK: an authentic and distinctive representation of your professional self: an amalgamation of who you are and the unique value you bring to the table, including your principles, your mission and vision, the way you think, plus your individual personality.

This package – when represented by the words we use and the actions we take – defines our voice, one that is uniquely ours. It all boils down to understanding why what you say matters, and that your authentic message is true to you.

I’ve read before that over time our journey becomes our voice, and I kinda like that. It’s a matter of being able to package and communicate that through our content (and other means).

(b) 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗻𝗰𝘆 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗼𝗻𝗲

This is the expression of your voice, the way in which you deliver your story or message (and thus how you want to be perceived) i.e. is it friendly and warm, enthusiastic, bold/confident, quiet and intellectual, or downright snarky?

If you’re producing videos or doing live-streams, our ‘physical’ tone will also come into play (THINK: facial expressions and hand gestures; you could throw in ‘trademark’ clothing or apparel here as well).

So there you have it folks: CONSISTENCY IS KEY => frequency / tone / voice.

𝙔𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙫𝙤𝙞𝙘𝙚 𝙞𝙨 𝙪𝙣𝙞𝙦𝙪𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙨𝙝𝙤𝙪𝙡𝙙𝙣’𝙩 𝙘𝙝𝙖𝙣𝙜𝙚.

When it comes to tone, it can change depending on the circumstances, but perhaps best not to incorporate too many ‘tone swings’ as this can create a bit of disconnect (which can, over time, erode trust).

For example, if someone who’s typically brash and in your face – i.e. a Gary Vaynerchuk – all of a sudden came across as soft and cuddly, this would feel a little disconcerting, no?

At the end of the day, what we’re talking about here is building visibility and trust.

It’s hard enough to cut through with our content today, the very least we can do is make sure we show up and put our best foot forward.

Onwards!

💪 If you’d like to discuss how I might be able to help you build your thought leader brand and cut through the noise on social media, please book in for a no-obligation free Zoom chat.