Who are you as a Content Creator, Artist or Brand?
Who are you as a Content Creator, Artist or Brand?
Who are you? What do you do? How do you do it? When do you do it? All are questions that you need to know about being a content creator or having your personal artist brand.
You need to be honest about what your image or style is, your message or story, whose attention you’re trying to get. Without that, you won’t make educated career choices, and you definitely won’t have an image that aligns with you.
An authentic and relatable image is like the perfect outfit. You’ll look great, feel great, and be much more likely to achieve your goals. You have to get to the bottom of what makes you “you.”
Here are a few ideas to get you there:
What Are Your Goals as a Content Creator, Artist or Brand?
Setting a goal seems like a logical first step for people looking to be seen as a Content Creator, Artist or Brand, but I don’t mean goals like, “I want to be a Content Creator” or “I want to look cool on Instagram”. These dreams are great, but they don’t take in the amount of personal work actually required.
In order to drive more business in the online world, you’ll need to start generating a lot of online activity: creating and posting content, carving out a social media presence, running promotional campaigns, engagement with followers, etc.
With all of that, it makes sense to dig deeper into what your specific goals are first. Otherwise, you waste the opportunity to use those online efforts as the backbone for your career one to five years down the road. Looking good on Instagram is just a piece of the puzzle, what is the end goal?
What are you looking to achieve in the next few years? Do you want to write a Billboard Hot 100 hit or would you rather be touring a new city every month? Do you want to be making $500 per month with this or do you want to be making $3000 per month?
Your answers to these questions guide your whole plan. Without them, you’re just driving without hands on the wheel. If you know what content you are looking to create, check out my Creator Program to get started.
What Is Your Value as a Content Creator, Artist or Brand?
Most people would agree that you shouldn’t start a business if you don’t know what you are going to sell. Well, the same goes for being a Content Creator of your music or passion.
Before posting that next status, picture or video, you’ll want to identify the unique value you are proposing.
Basically, you need to understand
What benefit are you offering?
Who are you offering it to?
How are you solving their problem?
What makes you different from others?
If you don’t know the answer to one or more questions, I find it’s useful to first write down what you’re passionate about and why you do it. As a Content Creator, you then be able to piece together what audience you’d like to capture the most and how you can connect with that audience better than anyone else.
Does your Content Creator, Artist or Brand Have a Story?
The Hero’s Journey as some would call it. People attach to stories. The personal struggle to rise up from nothing. Every person in your life has a story and that story is precisely why they are in your life to begin with.
Uncovering your own story arc is key to creating a narrative that your audience will remember and relate to. Your story should come naturally if you ask yourself the right questions:
What challenges have I faced and overcome?
What goals have I reached or currently reaching?
How have I become better?
Sometimes it helps to talk this out with a friend or family member to get an outside perspective from the narrative in your head. Being a Content Creator requires you to reach outside the box for insight on developing your strategy.
What is the Personality of You or Your Brand?
Your personality is what makes you, you. It sets you apart from the others and helps craft your niche. Do you have multiple passions? How do they build into the character you are today?
Think over your own traits, write them down. Remember, people typically describe themselves a bit more favorably than others would. And since “others” will be the ones engaging with you online, their perception is the more important.
Don’t risk expressing an inauthentic brand. Ask family, friends, and acquaintances to describe you. Bring all the ideas together and choose what you connect with the most.
Label It With a Name or Phrase
Once you’ve got all your information, it’s time to whittle it down to a name or phrase. Just a few sentences that you’ll refer to in order to keep consistent as you begin building, engaging, and retaining your audience.
You can use the same information to craft a name or phrase that’s incredibly exciting or extremely boring, so try to add some pizzazz.
Here are some ideas for search outlets:
Browse Pinterest for options: make idea boards
Google: images, videos, blogs, podcasts
Inspired by another Content Creator: mentor, shadow, replicate in your own design
When you’re done, you should feel a lot more at ease. There is a sense of relief in having an authentic image as a Content Creator, Artist or Brand. Your personal image aligns perfectly with who you are, how you feel, and where you go next! Maybe it’s teaming up with collaborators to make content on a regular basis? Just be careful. When you put yourself in the spotlight, there can be drama. So, think smart and be YOU.
