Do you want to be seen, noticed or remain hidden in the world of social media? One of the 2021's crucial question is: How much should you be seen? How do you balance personal privacy and visibility at the same time? Is showing up different from showing off?
Nona Walia
How do you want to be seen is the most important question everyone should be asking in the world of social media, zoom calls and online work life. Creating your powerful personal brand in a pandemic is all about being seen right. Australian brand expert and photographer Songy Knox’s groundbreaking book How Do You Want To Be Seen is the ultimate branding book for 2021.
Her superpower is giving sustainable and compelling process to build personal brand and grow businesses. So, whether you are shy, introverted professional or gregarious -- this book is for you. In an exclusive interview from Australia, she talks about personal branding in a pandemic world and Power of Being Seen.
If you are debating whether you want to remain hidden or be seen. For her SEEN is:
S: Self discovery
E: Embrace the audience
E: Enhance your image
N: New You
What inspired you to write the book?
When I first began as a small business owner, I felt that my work is good enough to speak for itself. It, of course, didn't. There are lots of people doing what I do. Some are great, and others are not so great. But then these people were doing (felt like) so much better because they were great at branding. I had to find a way to brand myself, but at the time, all available resources were written by men, and none of them resonated with me. I had spent years researching philosophy, psychology and marketing to find a method that worked for me. After that, I felt that I need to share what I learned hence the book!
To be seen or to remain hidden, what works in the world of social media for people who want great personal branding? Is there anything like being out there too much?
This is an interesting question. It's about finding your own boundaries. Not everyone needs to be seen by millions of people. For some brands, it may only have to be seen by a few thousand. It's about knowing what it is that you're doing for whom and for what purpose. The key to determining the scope of your 'being seen' is knowing your personal values and purpose. There is no moral judgement here. A lot of times, it's really mechanical as well.
What’s your advice for those who are overwhelmed and queazy at selling themselves too much?
Branding isn't selling. Branding is giving the audience (of your choosing) a shorthand (mental shortcut) to find and connect with your brand. The uneasy feeling is something we can overcome when we come to understand that it isn't about us. It's about the people we seek to serve.
How has the pandemic changed the way we want to be seen?
It's more important than ever before with the pandemic. We can no longer rely on in-person connections and relationships. This means, we need to have a more clear message that we can deliver online. We need to be more mindful about how we show up - consistently. This requires a lot more careful consideration from our written communications to presenting our ideas over a video conferencing tool.
The new rules in your book of bring your power back?
I refer to it as IOI Process in my book. Where we look inwards reviewing/reaffirming our values and strengths (I), then we look outwards towards whom we seek to serve (O), and finally, we come back to ourselves for inwards reflection (I).
How can people continually transform and enhance their brands?
Branding is an interactive process. I coach my clients to review their brands (based on the framework above) every year.
Showing up vs Showing off — what’s the big difference?
For me, there are two ways to look at this. When we’re sharing something online or talking to others about our work, we could be feeling that we’re showing off instead of showing up. OR when we’re browsing social media, and we come across posts from others and we feel that someone is showing off instead of showing up.
When you feel like you’re showing off....
This feeling may come up when you’re not operating within your personal values of integrity or alignment. Questions to ask yourself when you feel that way is:
Is what I’m sharing aligned with my own values?
Is what I’m sharing going to help my audience (my clients)?
What purpose is it (sharing your ideas/products/achievements etc.) serving?
The point to get back to, as always, is that your brand building (marketing) isn’t about you. It’s about the people you seek to serve.
When you feel like others are showing off
This feeling does come up for me sometimes as well. When I notice that feeling, I ask myself:
What part of me is feeling this way?
What do I have to believe to feel this way?
I would like to tell you that, on a personal level, it doesn’t matter even one iota what people are sharing and how people are showing up. What matters is how you perceive what’s happening around you.
Often, when a negative feeling comes up in this context, the first thing to do is to question yourself. More often than not, when I see something that grates me, that is something that I have rejected or repressed within myself. We want to know what that is because it’s all part of our self-awareness that we’re continually developing.
What happens to those who don’t want to be seen?
It's ultimately their choice. There's nothing right or wrong about the choices they make. What is important is understanding the consequences and owning that. For example, one can't really complain about the business not doing well if one has decided not to be seen. Being seen means being heard and recognised by the audience who needs your service.
What is the big dilemma ahead in the world of social media?
The collective anxiety about privacy while everyone worrying about not measuring up against others.