I have a confession to make.

You know me as someone who deals in branding, and it’s true—I help small businesses build and grow their brands through storytelling, helpful marketing, and authentic communication. And I love what I do.

But as a consumer I have always been a little brand resistant. Brand immune, even.

For the longest time, I barely noticed brands at all.

If a friend happened to like a shirt I was wearing, and asked where I bought it, I’d shrug and reach for the back of my collar. I didn’t remember, but she could check the tag?

Aside from a few years in elementary school when I had to have a No Fear T-shirt and Guess jeans, I was never particularly devoted to brands or drawn to advertising.

For the longest time, I didn’t see big brands as having anything to do with ME.

But digital technology has revolutionized not only how we communicate, but how we brand. Our unprecedented opportunities for connecting and sharing allow for a new intimacy between business owner and customer. Brands have become less abstract and impenetrable, and more human.

There’s nothing better than a smart, kind and interesting human. A real person with stories, values, and a purpose. That’s a brand I can get behind.

So that’s what I do.

The best brands are people

To build a human brand, you have to tell your origin story in a simple, clear and concrete way. Nothing else will stick.

Think about an entrepreneur, leader or author you admire. I bet you know their story and enough about them to picture their day-to-day life. You understand the passion, brilliance and grit that propelled them to greatness.

Here are three things you can start doing today to get your human brand out there.

1. Tell your origin story, even if it feels uncomfortable.

Sometimes our origin stories include some awkward or embarrassing elements. Details that we fear will make us sound stupid or look weak. But think of it this way: stories about struggle are also about resilience. Stories about being unhappy are also about the quest for happiness. Stories about things we’ve done that we regret illuminate our present values, and how we’ve striven to become a better person.

[Tweet “The truth makes you human. Be human.”]

2. Be yourself.

Show your real personality, however you can. If you record video or audio don’t worry too much about sounding polished or professional or like someone in particular—no matter how much you admire them. Just be yourself. It’s okay if you trip up once or twice. Your sentences don’t have to perfect. If something funny happens, laugh. If you want to wear an outrageous hat, wear it.

Same goes for your copy. Write how you speak. Don’t try to sound like another business owner. Try to avoid slipping into overly formal or jargonistic language. Even if what you do is technical…how do you explain it to your neighbour? Say it like that.

3. Show the details.

You don’t have to bare and show all. But little details about your life make you three-dimensional in the eyes of your readers and followers—no matter how far away they live. This builds that know, like and trust factor we all need to grow our businesses online.

Speaking of which, I’m off to spend a drizzly long weekend with my parents, who are in town visiting from Ontario!

I’d love to know which of these appeal to you the most, or, on the flipside, which aspect of branding-made-human is hardest for you!

xo