Out of the blue on the first leg of a trip to New York a few weeks ago, the captain’s voice came over the P.A. system “Folks, we’ve had some mechanical failure, unfortunately we can’t continue across the Pacific, and we need to return to Melbourne.” The collective frustration of those on board was palpable as we were already a few hours into the flight.
As we made our way back to Melbourne the next announcement was to “not be alarmed” as the plane dumped fuel via an outlet in the wing in preparation for a safe emergency landing.
Image: Provided
It was fascinating to watch, and I couldn’t help but think of how much fuel prices are, and how costly this whole operation was, not to mention the environmental impact. Yet to preserve the safety of everyone on board, and the viability of the plane, the only option was to jettison it.
It reminded me of how in business and in life things often don’t go to plan, and that sometimes we have to ditch really robust, solid strategies and plans that are “good” to maintain our own viability, and the personal wellbeing of ourselves and our teams.
This is especially the case when we are a personal brand – and the brand is “us”.
It’s equally applicable in small business and large enterprise, when even the best-laid strategic marketing plans get pulled, pushed, and pinched and sometimes even punctured by a ton of factors outside our control.
And occasionally things need to be jettisoned to clear the way for a clean landing, to preserve the pilot, the passengers and the vehicle itself. An assessment of what’s important, without judgment, is so important. Sometimes this may even involve the relinquishing of something of significant value – which may sting in the moment, just like turning around mid-way across the Pacific Ocean to return to the departure city, but it’s a trade-off for long-term sustainability and wellbeing.
The ability to do this creates the space we need, and our people need, to thrive as people in our daily life, or respond to unforeseen incidents – and remain “vital” as a brand.
In marketing things change, emerge, twist and turn at seemingly lightning pace. And so many factors beyond our control are in the mix. The advice and recommendations are endless.
And yet there is an underlying pull – sometimes overt, applied through external encouragement, sometimes covert (self-applied) pressure, to “put ourselves out there” to build our brand. This feeling is very real – whether it’s as the face of a business, a customer-facing professional, CEO, global entrepreneur with a team, solopreneur or B2B professional building your brand or career.
Nina Christian
Whether or not you’re in marketing, everyone is building a brand to support either a business or a career.
The only way it will go the distance is if it’s strategic, simple and sustainable.
STRATEGIC – so it helps your business or career goals
It aligns with and moves your forward to your where you desire to go.
SIMPLE – so you actually do it.
You don’t have to do mental gymnastics or go into analysis paralysis, figuring out what to do, or feeling overwhelmed.
SUSTAINABLE – so you truly enjoy it
If it’s a drag, or a chore – or feels hard – You. Just. Won’t. do. It.
Trust me – it’s not just you – this is from my experience of working with thousands of entrepreneurs, B2B professionals, business owners, even marketers and agency owners!
It’s why I advocate for a simple, adaptable system, so you’re not at the mercy of your time and availability. I’m a big believer that when it comes to your personal brand if your core marketing system takes you more than an hour a week, it’s not sustainable.
This approach is something I’ve found has enabled me to go the distance, and so it’s what I advocate for my clients and industry colleagues too. Sure, you can do more if you feel motivated and so inclined, but not at the expense of your core, consistent system that is getting you in front of the right people week after week.
One final word – even when you do have that beautiful system in place that’s strategic, simple and sustainable…..On top of that you need to keep giving yourself grace, and space.
Consistency is your trump card.
As a personal brand, you don’t lose your consistency if you fall off the horse for a little bit. That’s called life.
And you need to give yourself grace and space for that.
You only lose consistency it if you fall off your horse and then feel like it’s too much or too hard to get back on the horse, so you just let the horse ride off into the sunset.
This is why you need a brand building system that’s aligned to your strengths, interests, and is super-duper simple – that makes it super-duper do-able for you to “get back on the horse”, even when you’re not feeling it.
A simple thing that actually energises you – not depletes you.
This is a long-term journey, not a short-term sprint.
The key is to be visible, in a way that feels good to you.
The world needs positive, inspiring messages now more than ever. – THIS is the marketing that’s working right now to build authentic connections and influence.
Start simple, be strategic, and make it sustainable.
Allow the power of consistency to work FOR you (like compound interest) and do a lot of the heavy lifting as you build your visibility, credibility and impact.
Most people don’t get started or aren’t consistent and so don’t get to experience this – so know that the opportunity is yours for the taking.
See Also: Embracing Change: Rethinking the traditional marketing approach
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Nina Christian is a Marketing Futurist, & Global Marketing Mentor who helps people do their marketing in a more human way.
She is a Certified Practicing Marketer (CPM), Life Member and Fellow of the Australian Marketing Institute & AMI State Chair (Vic) and for 20 years was director of marketing agency Braveda (Winner, Best Marketing Agency, Australian Marketing Excellence Awards).
Several years ago Nina saw the world of marketing shifting – this time as people became their own brands. With this, she created a new business as a thought leader, combining her expertise in brand building with personal positioning, resulting in a breakthrough praxis known as Marketing Me® which she delivers globally to business leaders, professionals and entrepreneurs.
She is the author of the book Marketing Me: Take Charge of Your Personal Brand and Make Your Mark on the World which helps professionals who want to market themselves authentically, but don’t understand what makes them truly unique and significant or have the confidence to express their value in a way that feels good.
Being a hands-on mum of five children, Nina has developed a knack for simplifying complexity. As a result, her systems and processes are practical, accessible and impactful.