In a book we’ve been reading for my Social Media class, The New Rules of Marketing and PR by David Meerman Scott, I’ve had the opportunity to read professional ideas about what it means to build a brand. Obviously, I don’t currently have a specific “brand” that I’m building in terms of a corporation or a long-term job, but I do want to establish myself and build the brand of me; Kate Woodward, young professional. I think that I struggle with this most right now because I have no idea exactly what I want to do yet. I’m sure most college students have the whole “I have lots of dreams, but don’t know what my calling is yet” dilemma during their first years of studying, and that’s where I stand right now.
It’s not that I don’t know what I like, it’s just that I like so many things that I’m not sure how I could speak on one topic and commit to that being my platform permanently. I love the outdoors, but I’m not sure that I want to write solely about the outdoors, or whether or not I know enough to be a thought-leader. Similarly, I love travel, but I don’t want to be another travel blogger. Not to mention I don’t travel enough to consistently write about it…
However, at this point in time, I don’t think I have to know what I want to do with my life or write about only one topic. Being in college studying public relations gives me the latitude to write freely about whatever subjects I find interesting that also offer people an idea of the type of person that I am. I’m currently a waitress at a restaurant nearby, and an intern at a non-profit. Those things are relevant to me right now. Of course I don’t necessarily want to be a waitress for the rest of my life, but I can write from a place of understanding good service because of my experiences.
I think that one of the most important things, that I know others my age struggle with, is to remember that we don’t have to commit to anything just yet. No one expects us to do anything to “build our brand” besides learn and grow as individuals. I think that should be true for people of any age. No one should be bound by anyone else’s expectations, but everyone should continue to learn, gather information, do the things they love, collect experiences, and then share those things with other people. We all stand to learn from one another, and, in sharing our experiences, that is building our brand.
So maybe I was wrong in thinking that I’ll only be writing about how to “improve platforms” and “applying book ideas to your social media plan.” Maybe, instead of pretending I’m incredibly knowledgable (which would be me faking it ’til I make it…), I’ll just share the experiences that make me, me. Branding aside, that’s what gives life meaning anyway.
The Transition Artist 