Establishing a personal brand is difficult, but if a baby pigmy hippo can do it, so can you. Who would have thought that personal brands could learn from a weeks-old hippo tucked away in a zoo in Thailand? Not us! But here we are. Read on to get some personal branding tips from the latest Internet sensation.
First, some history in case you have no idea who Moo Deng is:
On Wednesday, 10 July, baby pygmy hippo Moo Deng was born in the Khao Kheow Open Zoo in Bang Phra, Thailand. Soon after, the zoo's social media manager started sharing photos and videos of her, and so the world got to know Moo Deng.
Some of the biggest brands in the world, like Windows, Google and the WNBA, even created content surrounding the star to match their brands. It's safe to say that she quickly became everyone's favourite personality.
Moo Deng's popularity attracted thousands of visitors to her home. At one point, the zoo had to reduce visiting hours for Moo Deng to weekends with a limit of five minutes per person. The keepers stated concern for her and her family's safety.
Nevertheless, Moo Deng has maintained her status as an international treasure, and might we just say that her personal brand is to thank for it.
media update's in-house Moo Deng fan Joreke Kleynhans brings you the latest personal branding tips as told by the queen of our social media feeds.
Define Your Purpose
All brands need to exist with good reason. Being who you are is great; it's just not really a good enough reason for having a personal brand. The most impactful and long-lasting personal brands exist to make a positive difference in the world.
Moo Deng's purpose was clear from the beginning: spreading awareness about how adorable pygmy hippos are.
Express Yourself Authentically
Audiences are profoundly talented at spotting people who pretend to be someone they're not. Authenticity is likable and establishes credibility.
While showing your true self might cost you some fans, it will also increase the loyalty of those who do stick around — not to mention how hard it would be to keep up an act for the rest of your career!
If Moo Deng had pretended to be demure, the first time she screamed on camera might have scared off her fans. But her authenticity made it so that they expected and adored her unpredictability.
Protect Your Public Image
To stay authentic and bolster your purpose, you need to fiercely protect the way the public perceives you. Publicists and consultants are experts in communicating your personal brand. You, however, are the only expert in what you want your brand to be.
Moo Deng knows what she wants (and more importantly, what she doesn't want) and she is not afraid to show it!
Don't Shy Away From the Spotlight
If you are trying to build a personal brand from scratch while shying away from the spotlight, you might be standing in the way of your own success.
Your target audience needs to see and hear from you as often as possible. Show up for those who care about you, especially when knowledge about your personal brand starts to pick up. This will cement your presence in their minds and insert you into their frame of reference.
Moo Deng's success might have been short-lived had we only seen her once. Instead, her consistency paid off and built her a brand that now interests millions of people globally.
Represent Your Personal Brand in All You Do
Embracing your brand on every level goes hand-in-hand with authenticity. Those who really step into the position when building their personal brand incorporate it into everything they do.
This way, you can make your personal brand work for you instead of working for your personal brand into oblivion.
Hard work pays off! Moo Deng's personal branding is so successful that her brand now works for her, even when she's sleeping.
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*Image courtesy of JanNatsicha on Canva