It is a hard thing to prop up a falling reputation. Politicians have always struggled with their image and personal branding. In fact, many of them never take branding seriously. The truth is if you don’t take care of your image then you risk being branded all manner of things. Many politicians assume being a public figure is enough but there is a danger in thinking like that. In a world where competition is getting tougher and tougher, with novice politicians sweeping the floor with veteran politicians at the ballot, it is easy to see why the image that you cultivate for yourself as a politician is important.
In a world where image is golden, as a politician, you are likely to be branded based on the scandals that you have instead of based on the good work that you do. The image that you craft for yourself as a politician in the mind of the voters, determines how much you will need to work to win an election. A good image or brand is easier to sell, easier to be trusted, and easier to vote for. Indeed, if you have a good brand, you attract voters easily instead of chasing after them and spend fewer resources on your campaigns.
As a politician, the image that you cultivate over time will either enhance or extinguish your political career. A political brand serves more sensibilities than needs. How the voters feel about you is more important than what you have done in the past for it bears little influence on today. The truth is that our brains value feelings more than facts. It is important the image that you build makes you trusted and favorable compared to your competitors. A good image is like a child that lifts up its arms that asks to be picked up.
What Is Personal Branding?
In the political space, personal branding is the process of creating and maintaining a clear, powerful, compelling image and reputation of self that elicits a favorable perception from the people that you lead and the country at large in a way that advances your influence and career as a politician.
It is about cultivating an image and reputation that is as authentic and as unique as your fingerprint. It is about creating an authentic image that is memorable for your constituents and that ensures that you remain their favored choice in elections.
As a public figure, once you create a compelling personal political brand, everything you do becomes part of your branding. That includes, which projects you undertake, who you are seen with, how you talk, what you say, the issues that you speak about, what you drive, what you eat, how your home looks, how you walk, how you shake hands, which charities you support, which church you attend, the words you use. It also involves the way you dress, the words you use when you speak, the messages you convey in social media posts, and the image you project in public and online.
Personal branding is important because it connects the image you create for yourself with the image others have of you. When there is no gap between who you are and what your voters think of you, then we say you have a strong brand. And strong brands ensure that you easily win elections because you are easily trusted.
Why Should Politicians Care about Personal Branding?
Politicians should care about personal branding because it can help them build their careers. Having a strong, consistent image of themselves will allow them to get their message across to voters in a way that resonates with them and makes them want to vote for them. It also makes it easier for voters to trust them.
Knowing that they have a consistent image of themselves will help them avoid missteps and help them put their best foot forward at all times. It can also help them move up in their political careers.
If a politician is interested in going from the ward level to the constituency level, to the county level, and finally to the national level, they need to make a lot of important contacts. Having a strong, consistent image of themselves will make it easier for them to get in the door and make the right impression on the right people.
Establishing a connection is one of the most difficult things. Yet it is the key to any relationship. Without a connection, the leaders find it difficult to interact and influence audiences. Connections help us to establish trust which is the foundation of leadership. Good branding helps politicians establish strong connections with their voters.
Simple Strategies for Successful Personal Branding for Politicians
Build a Branding Strategy: A river that cannot be controlled is bound to burst its banks. The first step in successful branding is to create a strategy that will control and guide your brand. You need to decide what core values you want to promote, what issues you want to champion, what image you want to portray, what you want to be known for, and what you want to be remembered for. Most importantly how will you achieve those objectives? Without a clear brand strategy, your brand navigates the political landscape like driving in fog without a yellow line to guide you. You will soon crash!
Be Authentic: This is one of the most important things to keep in mind when creating your personal branding strategy. Be yourself at all times. If you want to stand out, you have to be unabashedly your most authentic self and passionate about something to the point of obsession. People can sense inauthenticity a mile away and you risk coming across as pretentious if you aren’t genuine in your approach-and people hate fakes. Do not be like a leopard that has beautiful skin but an evil heart. Whatever image you choose to wear as your brand, make sure it represents who you are.
Be Consistent: Once you have created your brand, you need to stick to it. This means having a consistent visual and verbal message wherever you are. You have to speak on the same issues over and over again. Be consistent in your looks, your speech, and your demeanor. Avoid the temptation to speak on issues that are outside your brand strategy. Strong brands are consistent and deliberate in everything that they do. Durability in politics is achieved through a commitment to a central idea over time and the capacity to transcend change.
Check your blind spots: Just as you want to be consistent, you also want to be aware of your blind spots. This means being realistic about the people you want to reach and making sure that your brand is appealing to them. Remember you cannot appeal to everyone, but you must appeal to the majority. At the same time do not be afraid of speaking about controversial issues if they are within your brand strategy.
Keep an eye on your competition: The political landscape is always changing. This means that your competition is ever-present and you need to be aware of their personal brand as well. It is important that you remain visible to your constituents, and maintain a connection with the grassroots. Whatever your competitors do, stick to your brand and its message and appeal. It is important that there remains a clear difference between your brand and your competitors.
Stay on top of trends: As with any other marketing strategy, you need to keep up to date with the latest trends and changes in the industry. This is how you remain relevant. Speak on issues when they are hot but also avoid rumors. Verify information before commenting or sharing information. You do not want to be found naked with the tide truth goes with the water.
Bottom Line
The truth is that it’s probably too late for any of our veteran politicians to change their personal brands. Rebranding a veteran politician is like turning a cargo ship 180 degrees. It takes a lot of effort and dedication to do so and it would be near-impossible for them to create a new image from scratch. That being said, we always have the opportunity to start fresh with new politicians. For the new politicians in our county, national and senate parliaments; those that are emerging that will soon be competing in elections, take time to think about your political brand. Take time to build an image for it gives you latitude in the political arena just like the Yiddish say, “One who has the reputation of an early riser may safely lie in bed until noon.”
