With so many lifestyles and community-driven brands out there, it's a massive struggle to decide if you're "you" or "many" when it comes to how you present yourself online as well as offline in your marketing efforts.
When you build lifestyle community brands, the entire idea and the benefit of it is that it isn't you, one face, one voice, one spokesperson. But it takes time to get there.
Also, when you have the community, it's about many people sharing your message and spreading your word, which is a positive thing because all the marketing efforts aren't necessarily on you. Still, your message can be distorted along the way.
How do you decide if you should take a "you" approach or a "many" approach regarding social media and your marketing efforts?
It comes down to, in the end: what are we trying to get from all of this?
If you're trying to create yourself as an influencer, "you." If you're very controlling about the message, and that's a positive thing, not a negative, then it should be "you." If you're trying to build a brand recognition name so that you can become a speaker or potentially sell the business or something like that along the way, "you."
If you're trying to create a movement that is so not about you, and you never want it to be about you, "many." If you're trying to just create change, "many."
Most of us really should be focusing on ourselves. We don't like to say it, and we don't like to admit it, but it totally plays with every social story about being a narcissist out there, but it's truly what is the best for us in the end and, more importantly, best for the brand as well. We are the faces of our businesses. We are the heart of the messages. And yes, down the way, we'll have followers, but they will always be behind us because these followers are looking for a leader, and that's you. That's your heart, and that's your message, and so you have to stand out there. You can always have people by your side, but in the end, you're the one leading the charge.
For many lifestyle and community-driven brands, you got to be fearless, you got to be bold, and you got to be the leader.