Here’s something I’ve been thinking about a LOT lately…
As more and more artificial, superficial, emotionally dead and utterly useless content floods our feeds…
Content – in its most basic form – has become DIRT CHEAP.
Anyone can crank out words, images and videos in record time thanks to AI – and the only ones who are excited about it are AI bros who like to impress other AI bros…
The truth is – our customers are NOT buying it. In fact, they are downright OVER IT… and the backlash and distrust is apparent EVERYWHERE YOU LOOK.
So, in this new age of AI, the ones who will win the “marketing game” are not the ones who can “create more content, faster”… that is a race to the bottom and is not the game I want to play…
Instead, it’s about who can “connect with more people, deeper.”…
Yup, I’m talking LESS automation and more authenticity… But saying “authentic” and BEING “authentic” are 2 totally different things.
So how do you authentically stand out and rise above the noise? Today, I’m sharing what I believe is the future of marketing and how to make a bigger impact, while working less…
Hey, Posse! What’s up? It’s Alex.
Coming at ya this week to talk about something that has ALWAYS been a passion of mine… Branding!
But not just any branding… I’m talking about personal branding.
Now before you go… oh wait, personal branding is JUST for “gurus” or “influencers” or “content creators” — I’m going to stop you right there…
Because whether you’re a freelancer who is JUST starting to look for some clients…
You’re an “Intrapreneur” who works inside an organization…
You’re a “solopreneur” who offers products or services…
Or you’re an “entrepreneur” looking to grow your audience and attract a loyal fanbase…
It has never been more important to have a personal brand than it is right now.
Now, don’t get me wrong… personal branding is nothing new…
It has always been a powerful marketing play, so why do I think you need to DOUBLE down on your personal brand right now?
Well, I’ll give you a hint…
That’s right.
Thanks to the MASSIVE influx of AI-generated content…
And how EASY it is now to put out content…
The old rule of, “Just post more and be consistent if you want to grow on social media” is no longer how you rise to the top.
Online marketing is changing RAPIDLY right before our eyes, and that’s a good thing if you are, in fact, a human reading this.
As 22X best-selling author of prolific marketer Seth Godin, has said, “Change is not a threat. It’s an opportunity”.
Because so many people with a “magic-button-get-rich-quick” mentality have jumped on this “AI content creation” train…
Our feeds are flooded with content that’s literally ALL.THE.SAME.FLAVOR.OF.DULL.
People are over it and are quickly unfollowing anyone whose content feels fake, boring or frankly… useless.
I find this recent study by Niel Patel interesting; it shows the TOP reasons why people unfollow or hide your content.
Let’s look at some of these:
- Using Clickbait… (yup, that was always douchey, now it’s even worse.)
- Posting FAKE or exaggerated content.
- Sharing BORING or uninspiring content… (see that every day!)
- Repetitive posts.
- Ignoring community feedback, (you don’t say.)
- Posting low-effort or lazy content.
- Sharing outdated content.
- And failing to personalize the experience.
Now this study doesn’t blatantly call it out, but this reeks of AI. And frankly, I love it. How’s that for a plot twist…
Because AI is now creating a void that only humans can fill.
Regardless of what you think, or may have been told… people aren’t online just to consume content.
People are online to connect.
And the more AI pumps out useless garbage content…
The bigger the connection void – or as I like to call it, the connection crisis – gets.
And YOU – the real you… your personality, humor and heart – are the only things that can fill it.
And that is why having a PERSONAL brand is so important in 2025.
Your personal brand is how you want people to see you. It’s how you show up and the values that you outwardly represent…
You have the power to define your personal brand by aligning your intentions with your actions – and THIS is what it means to be authentic…
Mix in your REAL thoughts, opinions, reflections, insights, and personality and YOU have the magic recipe to standing out and rising above the noise…
And I’ve got 3 quick and easy personal branding tips to help you get started right away. And the best part is…
You DON’T need a strategy…
You DON’T need a website or visual branding elements like a logo or color palette…
You DON’T need an email list…
All you need is YOU – and a social media account – ANY social media account…
LinkedIn, X, Instagram, TikTok, Facebook… I DON’T CARE. Pick your favorite and then follow these 3 tips to get you started…
Make sure you stay around for #3 because it’s the single most important thing to remember when building your business.
If you don’t do this, you won’t get very far.
Tip #1 – Stop Overthinking It, Just Start
Have you ever seen the Disney animated movie, “Finding Nemo”?
Well, the blue fish, Dory, repeats “Just keep swimming” over and over again.
And it gets her through A LOT of fishy situations.
Even when “just keep swimming” seems like the LAST thing she should be doing in the moment.
Well, that’s the mindset I want YOU to adopt.
So many people put off starting their personal brand until they have “everything ready”…
Or they wait to post on social media until they have “the perfect thing to say”…
Or until they already have a thriving business…
FUCK THAT.
Just start posting. Because “personal branding” is not about sharing “value bombs”…
Or trying to present yourself as an “expert” even when you’re not…
In fact, personal branding has NOTHING to do with “what you do” and EVERYTHING to do with “who you are”…
It’s you showing up as YOU. Period. The end.
86% of consumers say authenticity is important when deciding what brand to like and support. And I’d venture that number is even higher now.
And guess what?
You don’t need a strategy to tell you how to be authentic.
Show up on your stories and share about your day…
Re-post funny memes that make you laugh or that are *so relatable* to you…
Talk about your hobbies, the things you like, the movies and shows you watch, your pet peeves.
Talk about that beautiful sunrise you watched this morning…
Talk about the hard day you had with your toddler at home…
Talk about your wins and losses and hopes and dreams.
THAT is what makes you human.
And THAT is what other humans connect and relate to.
And yes, of course, part of what you talk about can be your J-O-B. What you do, how you do it, and how you can help… or even just some things you’re learning along the way as you build your busines…
But it’s not the sole focus of your content.
Ryan Levesque recently came to speak in my mastermind, REIGN, and I loved what he said…
“If you can make someone laugh, cry and learn you’re doing it right”.
So forget about checklists, strategies and perfection…
Forget about showing up as an “expert”…
You can create an impact and authority by simply sharing what’s on your mind and in your heart…
Alright, the next tip for building your personal brand asap…
Tip #2 – Skip Automation, Build Relationships
I was going through the Zoom chat after a recent FREE masterclass I hosted, I spent WEEKS researching and preparing for this masterclass.
My whole team was there to support and answer questions in the chat.
I had SO MANY past students there commenting and sharing wins in the chat.
I was sharing tons of success stories from the Posse.
And STILL, there were people who were commenting, saying things like “How do we know these emails are not AI-generated?”.
Referring to the case studies I was sharing…
I never thought me or my Posse would have to say the words “I’m real” or “Not a bot”. It would be FUNNY if it wasn’t actually super sad.
And honestly, there were a lot of other hurtful and rude comments, too on a FREE LIVE MASTERCLASS mind you, lol that I’m not even going to give any more energy or airtime too…
But my girl Tiffany said it best in the Zoom chat: “This has been wild! It feels like we’re in high school on a TV show or something. Mean Girls + a mob mentality. If you really don’t see the value, just leave. It’s so easy to do. I’ve never seen rational adults act like this.”
But honestly, it’s not like I blame these people. The level of DISTRUST in the marketing world right now is wild.
And when people are scared, they are MEAN, and while their comments aren’t cool… their fear is valid.
Their personal experiences have told them that the majority of businesses ARE leaning on AI to communicate with their customers or generate “fake” content or testimonials…
And these stats speak for themselves:
Over 75% of consumers report they are CONCERNED about businesses using AI…
So what’s the remedy to this skepticism?
Simple… you gotta show up consistently and build relationships in order to build trust.
Show people that you are REAL.
That you are RELIABLE.
That you mean what you say.
That you are consistent and follow through.
That you are a person of INTEGRITY, yes even though you run a business and have something to SELL, you can still deeply care…
And one of the best ways to do that is to genuinely engage with your people on social media.
Skip the automation and AI, when someone DMs you… message them back! Or better yet…
Reach out to THEM and start conversations.
And NO I’m not talking about just sales conversations. I’m talking about REAL, normal, genuine conversations.
This is exactly WHY I had so many amazing Posse peeps who had my BACK in the masterclass chat when the mean girl mob got their panties in a bunch. (Posse, I see you and I LOVE you… thank you).
But I promise you — it’s THESE small moments of human-to-human connection that build a sense of trust, loyalty and commitment to your brand. See how SIMPLE this can be?
AND no matter what know that you won’t be for everyone and that is OK! Go deep with the right people and forget the mean girls.
Alright the last tip to get your personal brand started asap…
Tip #3 – Fall In Love With The Process
In order to be successful in ANY business – but especially a personal brand…
You need to be unattached to the OUTCOME.
Unattached to the number of likes you get…
Unattached to how many people comment or view or share…
But you do need to be OBSESSED with the PROCESS.
And you need to be unafraid to SHOW how obsessed you are with it.
That’s why the MOST important step in building a personal brand is to be doing something you LOVE — not something you think will make you a million dollars…
Because before you can wake up as a millionaire one day…
You have to go through the awkward and painful beginner phase – where all you feel is like you’re responding and reacting and wondering what the hell you’re even doing…
I don’t care who you follow on Instagram who LOOKS like they have everything all figured out and are “consciously creating their life” and manifesting millions of dollars…
Even for those people, it took time and a lot of hard work.
EVEN IF they don’t tell you about those hard days or the long process.
If you’re caught up on the idea of what success “LOOKS LIKE” – then you’re focused on the OUTCOME.
And if that’s all you’re looking at when you get started, you will get discouraged and give up before you get there…
It will be VERY HARD to “just keep swimming” some days. But if you genuinely care about what you’re sharing, it will be a LOT easier.
When you fall in love with the PROCESS, that’s when the magic really happens.
So focus on who you can help and how.
SHOW UP and be REAL.
Make connections and build relationships with the people that MATTER… and be you unapologetically.
You already have the perfect brand. It’s YOU.
If you want help creating a brand voice guide to help you gain clarity around your values, story and WHY…
Download my FREE 11-step brand voice checklist.
And if you want a step-by-step guide on EXACTLY what to post on social media to get you started…
Make sure to check out the blog where I break down my 10-day social media challenge and give you DAILY PROMPTS to take all the guesswork out of.
I hope you loved this tutorial! Do you guys want to see MORE content on how to build your personal brand? If so drop me a comment below…
Until next time, I’m Alex. Ciao for now!
1 Comment. Leave new
Thank you, Copy posse this was a great read.