Making your brand stand-out with vulnerability

Vulnerability can be your brand differentiator

When’s the last time you felt vulnerable? Like really exposed? It’s not a nice feeling most of the time. That’s why we avoid it. We naturally dodge situations that cause us pain.

However many things that cause mental and emotional discomfort are healthy. Vulnerability is one of them. It could be the most painful & valuable mental state we possess.

But it’s also a good one to get more comfortable being in. In fact, vulnerability is good for you. Good for your friends, family & colleagues. And, it’s also good for your brand.

Keeping your truth inside so the world can’t see it often backfires. Even as a business owner you are a human selling to, hiring and partnering with other humans. They want to know you. It’s our natural desire to trust and be seen.

If you have the urge for more authenticity and connection, it could be time to expose some of the things that you have the urge to keep tucked away.

Of course, this doesn’t mean that you have to be sobby or sappy.

There is strength in vulnerability when you are being in service to others. 

If you are sharing a truth or story because you are truly trying to help someone else, it’ll likely be at just the right level.

Why add vulnerability to your brand?

Because it creates a lasting impression.

Last week I listened to several podcasts. The one that stood out for me was Shelley Hitz on the Sarah R. Bagley podcast. What impressed me was the level of confidence she had revealing her dirt. Now, a lot of people reveal their dark stuff but this is a very Christian woman talking about things that non-religious women would have a hard time telling the world.

She had so much strength in her story that I was wildly impressed. She was open, grounded and very professional. She nailed it!

Ways to add vulnerability to your brand

Sharing your story

Like in the example above, telling people more about the powerful things that have happened in your life to make you who you are is common. It demonstrates how you got through tough times. It can qualify you as someone who has transformed and capable of helping your clients also transform.

Sharing your wisdom

Revealing your deepest wisdom to people can also be a big asset to your brand. It may seem obvious that we would all want to do that but our deepest wisdom can come with strong opinions.

It takes vulnerability to reveal our evolved thinking. Not everyone will like it. And that’s a risk. But a risk that may serve to draw in more of your superfans. The very people who will grow your business for you.

Revealing your intellectual property

Again, revealing your best intel seems like the obvious thing to do. But most of us begin our business journey thinking that we have to hold our process close to us. We worry that our competitors are going to take our brilliant ideas and use them to attract all our potential clients.

And then we realize the world is a pretty huge marketplace and this won’t likely happen.

After a few years we start to get that unless we are on the cutting-edge of scientific discovery, everyone has their own unique way of delivering value. You just need to focus on your passion, methods that get results and know the types of clients who you do your best work with intimately.

You’ll figure all of that out faster by letting them in on your latest discoveries and methodology.

If you don’t share it, you won’t entice more prospects into your tribe nor will you get valuable feedback on new offers by current clients.

Tips for gauging just the right level of vulnerability to share:

• Wait 24 hours publicly sharing what you wrote or plan to say. Does your gut still say, “I need to do this!”.
• Ask a trusted friend to review your words.
• Put yourself in your best clients shoes. Will they appreciate or benefit from this info?

Do you need to position your brand with more of your best truths & value in it? Book a free 30 minute consultation with me to find out how you can be doing more work that you love doing and less of everything else and earn a better income!