by Wondering whether to make yourself the face of your company? Worried about balancing professionalism with personal branding?
In this article, you’ll discover how to leverage your personality to build client trust and supercharge sales.
Becoming the Public Face of Your Brand
As a marketing agency owner, deciding whether to become the public face of your brand is an important consideration with significant implications. Sarah Scott, founder of Sarah Scott Studios, a full-service podcast management agency, shares her insights on personal branding for agency owners based on her experience working with clients like Facebook marketing expert Andrea Vahl and personal branding coach Christine Gritmon.
If you've given yourself the title of founder or CEO of your agency, Sarah believes you've already provided yourself the impetus to represent your brand publicly. “People do business with people,” she emphasizes, not just logos or companies. By putting yourself out there as the driving force behind your brand, you can establish trust and build meaningful relationships with your target audience.
Even if customers don't constantly interact with you directly, they need to know there's a real person behind the brand. This is especially important for small- and medium-sized companies. “We need to know that the driving force behind the things that we do is there. And it's not just some group of people that are hiding out behind a bunch of computers somewhere, plotting to take over the world,” Sarah says.
In a world of artificial intelligence (AI), it's incredibly easy to create fake content. We must assert our genuine identity, demonstrating how we genuinely look, sound, and think. Our thoughts and ideas should originate from within, not external sources or machines.
While AI can be beneficial in sparking ideas and aiding creativity, it can also be damaging if misused. Sarah believes if you don't personally represent your brand and share your authentic ideas, others can easily impersonate you, leaving you with little recourse to dispute it.
Aligning Your Personal Brand With Your Agency Brand
A common challenge of being the face of your agency is ensuring your strong personal brand aligns with your agency's messaging and values. Sarah believes that at small- and medium-sized agencies, founders automatically project their values and perspectives into their businesses.
However, the real challenge lies in ensuring that your employees' values align with your agency's. You must ensure that anyone representing or discussing your company shares those values.
If misalignment crops up, such as an agency founder not seeming their usual self when interviewing a podcast guest, it's important to dig deeper to understand and address the disconnect. Perhaps that guest's views don't quite mesh with the host's, and the host struggles to reconcile that.
As the face of your agency, you are the star of your brand, just like a podcaster is the star of their show. Your audience, which includes your clients and potential clients, engages with your agency because they want to hear your unique perspective and benefit from your expertise. While collaborators, such as podcast guests, may draw some attention, your consistent presence and authentic voice keep your audience coming back.
Sarah cautions that if a particular message doesn't represent you and your brand, you should really question whether you should be putting that content out there in the first place, even if you feel obligated to publish it. It can be detrimental in the long run. “Like, if this is not messaging that you want to have out there about you and your brand, then why are we doing this?”
Your clients and audience trust you to provide a consistent experience and perspective. By showing up as your authentic self and ensuring that all content aligns with your agency's values, you maintain that trust and keep your audience engaged with your brand.
The Challenges of Being the Face of Your Agency
Putting yourself out there can feel intimidating. Many people worry about looking perfect or saying the wrong thing. Remember, your audience wants to see the real you, flaws and all.
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GET THE DETAILSShowing your authentic self is key to connecting with your audience: share your personality, quirks, and sense of humor. At the same time, you’ll need to maintain a level of professionalism appropriate for your industry and brand image. As you progress, you’ll find a balance that feels right.
While there is a perceived need to look “perfect” on camera regarding hair, makeup, and attire, Sarah's advice is to find workarounds that make you feel confident, like scheduling content filming when you look and feel your best.
For example, when you've spent time preparing for an interview or event, consider creating additional content to maximize your efforts. Change your shirt or accessories to give the illusion of different days, and record multiple pieces of content while you're already looking and feeling your best. Remember, your audience can sense your confidence and engagement through your content. If you feel good about yourself, it will shine through and make your content more impactful.
You don't always have to show your face, either. Sharing personal stories, experiences, or thoughts related to your brand can be just as effective as letting your audience get to know the real you behind the company.
For example, you could post a personal experience, like a nightmare encounter with a plumber, on LinkedIn. Describe the situation, share what you learned from it, and offer insights your audience might find valuable.
Another challenge is the fear of being thrust into the spotlight and opening yourself up to public criticism. Sarah shares her own mental block: “I'm gonna put this thing out there, and the whole world is going to see it. And that's what scares me the most, whether it should or shouldn't.”
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She recommends starting small—post one thing, then another. Focus on continuously getting your thoughts out there versus fixating on showing your face. Your perspectives and personality are just as powerful as visuals of you.
Content Strategies and Formats to Consider
When establishing a well-crafted personal brand that reinforces your agency brand, look at your target audience first.
Experiment with these different types of content to see what resonates with your target audience:
- Personal posts or stories that relate to your brand
- Short videos sharing your insights on industry topics
- Podcast episodes featuring your thoughts on your brand's niche
- Blog posts expressing your unique perspectives
Whatever you choose, your aim should be to create content demonstrating your industry knowledge while allowing your personality to shine through. You can even leverage content you've already created, like webinars or live videos, to efficiently produce more content showcasing you.
For example, if you host an interview-style podcast, record a brief, 10-minute solo episode sharing your thoughts and takeaways from the interview. This allows your audience to hear your insights and opinions, reinforcing your position as an expert in their field.
The key is giving your audience different ways to interact with you versus just passively consuming social content. Make sure to include clear calls to action in your content. Encourage your audience to engage further with your brand by directing them to take the next step, such as signing up for your newsletter, following your company on social media platforms, or making a purchase. You can even incorporate small “humble brags” demonstrating your expertise to continue pulling people into your orbit.
Must-Have Tools and Technologies
Don't let tech hold you back, either. While it may seem daunting at first, there are user-friendly tools available. Start simple and improve your skills over time. Sarah's non-negotiables include:
- A reliable recording platform like StreamYard or Riverside
- Descript for editing, adding graphics/b-roll, creating clips, and leveraging AI
- Canva for designing graphics, thumbnails, etc.
- ManyChat for direct messaging (DM) automation
She recommends getting comfortable with whatever tools you choose and knowing you can upgrade later. The important thing is to start creating content and consistently putting yourself out there.
Measuring Your Impact and Success
To gauge if your personal branding efforts are working, look for signs of engagement:
- Are people commenting on, sharing, or saving your content?
- Are you getting DMs from interested customers?
- When you make a brand-related offer, do people say they've been following you?
Remember that while vanity metrics like views and reach can be exciting to watch climb, what matters is if people are actually engaging with you and taking steps to further interact with your brand.
Also, keep in mind that the “know, like, and trust” factor can take time. At first, you may feel like you're shouting into the void. Combat this by continuing to share your valuable perspectives and by opening up in small ways so your audience can get to know you.
Becoming the face of your brand as a marketer takes courage and effort, but the payoff is worth it. By connecting with your audience on a human level, you'll build a loyal community and attract more customers who resonate with you and your brand's values. Start putting yourself out there today—your brand will thank you!
Sarah Scott is founder of Sarah Scott Studios, a full-service podcast management agency that helps businesses get the most out of their podcasting efforts. You can find her on LinkedIn.
Brooke B. Sellas is host of the Marketing Agency Show, a Social Media Examiner production. She is founder and CEO of B Squared Media, an agency that helps people connect, converse, and convert on social media. Her book is called Conversations That Connect. Find her on X/Twitter and LinkedIn.
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