Is Your “Brand” Confusing?
Last week I scribbled about the future of the social health community. This week I’m in Australia speaking about screaming babies, practical parenting, and social media — such divergent things.
I’ve listened to author Tim Sanders suggest that a person needs to stick to just one thing or folks will be confused about who you really ARE – your “brand” will get fuzzy. I’m not sure. While having a niche is important, it’s not everything.
Case in point: Steven B. Johnson is one of this generation’s most talented nonfiction authors. By day he oversees his social startup outside.in. By night he travels the globe speaking about his bestselling books, among them Ghostmaps and The Invention of Air. In his free time you’ll find him writing cover features for Time magazine.
And then there’s Daniel Pink, former speechwriter for Al Gore and peripatetic bestselling author, speaker, and thinker. Manga, motivation, videos on travel tips — nothing is outside his realm it seems.
Two remarkable people defined more by their curiosity and thinking than the imposed confines of a tangible niche — and it works for them. I’m guessing that Johnson and Pink don’t spend a lot of time fashioning their look. They just “do” — and do it well. Perhaps that’s how I’d like to be seen.
*This blog post was originally published at 33 Charts*
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