The Greatest

Personal branding is mostly about staying relevant (to your preferred audience) and being unique. So let’s focus on your uniqueness this week.

‘I’m free to be the greatest, I’m alive
I’m free to be the greatest here tonight, the greatest
The greatest, the greatest alive’

Who better to use as a great example than the great Sia. These are lyrics from her hit “The Greatest” and I will explain to you why focusing on your unique qualities is really important and how it will be your road to authentic personal branding.

I truly believe that everyone has a unique something that is just very much “you” and is precisely useful to those around you.

But so often I hear:
1. ‘I am not special and have nothing to offer.
2. ‘I don’t know what my uniqueness is.’
3. ‘Huh, I should focus on being unique?’

Yasss girl, because fitting in is overrated! You have to determine what makes you unique.

So what can we learn from Sia?

1. Do it your way, don’t be a copycat.
Sia refuses to show her face. On TV, in magazines and even in her live performances. She always sings with her back to the audience, accepts her awards through someone else wearing her signature wig, hides her face in the photoshoots she appears in. She does not want to be seen. That is kinda not how a lot of popstars act, right? But we have come to know this as her unique thing.

2. Tell the world where to look.
Her signature haircut is at the center of her personal brand. About this she said: ‘I thought, well, what about my blonde bob? If Amy Winehouse was the beehive…’. That is how she is known to the world.

3. Do what you enjoy doing the most and what comes easily.
Sia isn’t only a singer, but also a very successful songwriter. In the past few years, she has written numerous hits for Rihanna (Diamonds), Beyonce (Pretty Hurts), Britney Spears (Perfume) or Ne-Yo (Let Me Love You). Other credits include Christina Aguilera, Lea Michele, Katy Perry, Rita Ora and even this year’s Worldcup song!  About songwriting she says: ‘I really feel like I’ve nailed songwriting, it’s my specialty, it’s what I’m good at. It’s my special skill. It’s what I got when God was handing out things. I feel lucky about it, it comes really easily to me’.

4. Be clear on what matters to you, what you think is important.
She doesn’t want to be famous. She is very clear about that. That is also why she does not show her face.  ‘I’ve been writing pop songs for pop stars for a couple years and see what their lives are like and that’s just not something I want.’

5. Embrace your eccentricities (things you find weird or strange about yourself).
The fact that she never does interviews or promotion has been weird, but now has worked for her because now her brand is a mystery brand. We all like the fact that she is a weird artist. She build her brand her way.

‘Don’t give up, I won’t give up
Don’t give up, no no no
Don’t give up, I won’t give up
Don’t give up, no no no’

If you want to find out more about personal branding, come to my free personal branding masterclass on Sunday. I will explain to you how this will not only further your career, but also give you more confidence!

XOXO,

Nancy