Personal branding, as you would know it, is about everything you do; going by the term, it is you as a brand.
Every
job, every social and personal endeavor is tied to your personal brand.
You can’t go wrong if you focus on that. Dapo Oyebanjo, famously known
as D'banj has some lessons for us:
#7. Blow your trumpet. Not the Harmonica.
There’s
a mental appeal to “I’m Dbanj!” . Everytime. Bursting out your
speakers, you recognise the voice and probably hum along. For some
people, this may come across as a gratuitous display but we overlook the
psychological impact it spawns.
Whatever motive or element of
character prompts the action doesn’t matter. The message remains clear.
If you don’t praise yourself, or “toot your own horn”, who will?
You
don’t need to rub it in people’s faces that you graduated with a first
class degree from Harvard, there are a bazillion people like you
already. But you should always pitch yourself. You are a brand remember?
And brands are not made to sit in the laps of its makers but to be
shipped, pitched, sweet-talked, into the minds of people.
#6. Your network says a lot about you.
Successful
people are not lone rangers and Dbanj makes no mistake about it. The
acclaimed nephew to Snoop Lion makes seemingly strategic moves to be
with/around people who have gained high level of popularity and are
loved by a number of people; Kanye West for example..
Move with
people who’d stretch you beyond your comfort zone. You carry on a more
appealing brand when you spend time with quality people.
“You now
have to decide what ‘image’ you want for your brand. Image means
personality. Products, like people, have personalities, and they can
make or break them in the market place.” – David Ogilvy
#5. Match your style with your personality.
Seriously, the “dress how you want to be addressed” saying works. You look like a farmer, you’ll be addressed that way.
Confident, poised, Dbanj lives up to his taste and matches it with his style. Every darn detail.
According
to a research in psychology, attractive people are more likely to get
successful faster than average people who probably pay little attention
to their appearances. It’s not a wonder why he bags awards and signs
deals after deals.
#4. It’s OK to “fake it till you make it”.
Perception
is everything in our world today. Dbanj probably ended up looking like
Rick-Ross-hit-the-gym in his bid to throw a new look with Kanye’s
signature beard, but that’s a reflection of where he aspires to be.
Most
successful people start out (early on) with mentors or notable persons
they want to take after, usually; they turn out more refined and very
very successful.
Whatever you aspire to be, look out for people
doing remarkably well – study their biographies, updates on their
achievements and basically any information you can find on them. Pick
out what you like most about these people and modify to suit your
person.
#3. Be innovative.
Dbanj “invented” the
following words/slogans – in order of preference; Tongolo, kokolet,The
koko, Eja nla, (the reincarnation of) Oliver Twist, why me?, Oshey!
File! etc etc. I might just feel good about myself if you called me a
Kokolet – it wouldn’t matter whether I’m having a bad hair day or not.
These widely accepted catchwords are all accrued to the energetic
crooner himself, making it very possible for him to create a name around
his passion.
#2. Entertain people.
You’ll agree most
of Dbanj’s songs were hits, topping charts in Nigeria and around the
world. His performances and (which people add to their collection of
dance moves), or that he speaks gibberish sometimes; Dbanj is recognised
as an entertainer.
You want people to enjoy having you as
company? Find out what makes them tick, know a little more about them,
it’ll set you a stage and perhaps earn you a standing ovation.
#1. Stand out. Be unique.
Dbanj
stood out for introducing the harmonica into his first few songs, a
fusion with pop that rocked for a long time. Yes the harmonica stood him
out. His “marriage” to Don Jazzy stood him out.
To strengthen
the headlines, Taiwo Oyebanjo was referred to as Dbanj’s sister; it
simply attracted more attention; largely because of his fame – which
would have been impossible if Dbanj chose to stick to the rules.
You
want people to enjoy having you as company? Find out what makes them
tick, know a little more about them, it’ll set you a stage and perhaps
earn you a standing ovation.
No comments:
Post a Comment