What It Really Means To Be The Face Of Your Brand
Words of advice from a public relations specialist on what it truly means to brand yourself as the face of your small business.
Alright sweet friends, so you want to be the face of your brand…Do you really know what that kind of weight holds? I could write an entire blog post on HOW to be the face of your brand but let me tell you what happens once you successfully achieve this.
When you become the face of your brand, your clients aren't going to want anyone except you. YOU have to be completely, 100%, on and available for everything. EVERYTHING! Every meeting, every phone call, every event. No one is going to want someone from your staff, they don’t want a “representative” of your company. They want YOU. For example, it'll probably take 4-6 months for people to fully acknowledge and respect an assistant. People are still going to email you, call you, and text you with their questions because YOU are the face of the brand you've created. You'll have to find a very efficient way of delegating because even though people want you to do it all, you’re going to need help. It feels wonderful to be wanted and admired but it can also be very overwhelming!
Brides- let’s talk about brides. I LOVE my brides and I become very close to them. How could I not? I’m intimately involved in their lives for 1-2 years of planning one of the biggest moments of their lives. They have entrusted me with this incredible event and I take that very seriously. They don't just want you to be a part of every aspect of their wedding, they expect you to. I've had brides move party dates so that I could be there. It's such a joy to be so included and valued, but it can also be a little bit taxing! I'll let you in on a little calculation I recently did...There are 52 weekends in a year. If I take on 12 brides a year, that’s 12 weekends that I'm working a wedding. Then if each of them invite me to their engagement party, that’s another 12 weekends. Their bridal shower? +12 weekends. Bachelorette parties? +12 weekends. That’s 48 weekends I have now committed myself to and that's JUST the bridal side of my business!
I'd never want to take for granted the trust that my clients put in me, but you have to be totally ready to be the only person that everyone wants. They want ALL of you. They want your expertise, your opinions, your time, your understanding, and your patience. I used to joke that I needed to go back to school and get a psychology degree because some days it felt like all my clients needed was a listening ear and a supportive friend to vent to. And that’s okay!! You just have to be ready to be that person for everyone.
Not only are you giving your all to your company, but you're also taking the hits for anything that goes wrong. You ARE your company now, so anything that happens is a reflection of you! It’s hard not to take things personally. It’s hard not to read a really horrible review and not feel personally attacked. The line between you and your company isn’t just blurred, it’s almost non existent. On one hand, this can be SO rewarding! A positive remark about my business can feel like a compliment directed only towards me. But on the other hand, a few nasty comments about my work can literally bring me to tears. The emotional separation between me and my company was lost when I became the face of my brand, and that’s a hard thing to prepare yourself for. Be ready to have some tough skin, dolls!
This isn't meant to scare you! Being the face of POSH PR® is the best thing I ever did, but some days it's difficult. I want you to know what you're getting into and what the responsibility of branding yourself truly holds. It isn't always glamorous and fun, there's long days and late nights. The mess of success is real, but SO worth it!!
