I’m not a star-struck groupie, but occasionally someone with celebrity status wows me. At this moment, it’s Taylor Swift.
Not so much because of her music but because of her command of her personal brand.
Swift recently had wiped out all of her social media accounts, leaving fans and the media wondering whether she had been hacked or planning a big announcement. It turns out the social network purge was intentional. It was Swift’s way of not only generating buzz about her new single “Look What You Made Me Do,” but also of announcing her updated personal brand.
Unlike other celebrities who have undergone lofty persona fluctuations (Miley Cyrus and Britney Spears, for example), Swift has made it perfectly clear that SHE is in charge. This change has been no accident. It’s not a manifestation of feeling victimized or misunderstood.
Swift’s new brand image is 100 percent on purpose—and she is masterfully executing it.
Yours and my personal brands may never gain the prominence that Swift’s has, nor will we likely see the need to re-invent ourselves to the degree she has. But we can learn a few things from how she has handled her personal brand.
Know who you are, how you want others to perceive your personal brand, and why it’s important that you project that image. Swift exudes self-confidence because she knows exactly who she is and what she stands for. That level of self-assurance and intent is especially critical if you decide to make a change to your personal brand. Change for the sake of change will look more like a mid-life crisis than a carefully calculated decision.
As Swift’s song “Shake It Off” goes, “Haters gonna hate, hate, hate, hate, hate…” When you’re a professional whose personal brand is out there on social media and in the business community, you’ll have followers who embrace and support who you are and others who constantly criticize and demean. Focus not on the naysayers whose sole purpose is to drag you down. Instead, put your energy into building relationships and loyalty with the people who appreciate you and your talents.
Swift hasn’t let the media or the public define her personal brand. She has told us who she is. Your words, your actions, your style, your affiliations…you have the capacity to control all of the components that contribute to your personal brand. Take charge of them, so you can maintain power over your personal brand rather than relinquishing that control to others.
Whether you’re a Taylor Swift fan or one of the haters, there’s no denying her badass mastery of personal branding.
Your turn: What other celebrities and public figures do believe have solid personal branding strategies? What personal branding challenges have you faced?
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