Building A Personal Brand: When Does It Become Too Much?

Up until a year ago, I worked at a digital media publication based in Nigeria. I was there for over two years, and in that time, I can count the number of times I posted on LinkedIn. I have never been one for publicity and this naturally seeped into my work. This year, however, I started working in the venture capital industry. Now, this is an industry that revolves around the connections and relationships you can build. Whether you are new to the industry or have been in it for a while, you should be able to build and sell a story around what you do. Story-telling is also what helps you position yourself as a thought leader in the space, a necessity in an industry that is becoming quite saturated. Simply put, venture capital has shown me the importance of building a brand.

In this social media age, personal branding has become a buzzword, which honestly is part of why it has never held much appeal for me. We are encouraged to showcase our lives, skills, and personalities online. It’s like creating a brand out of ourselves, or as Dr Silk Ogbu put it in our Management Communications class today, thinking of ourselves as a brand that people pay for. But, I often wonder: when does personal branding become too much? When does it become meaningless ‘packaging’, as is said in Nigerian parlance? 

At first glance, personal branding seems harmless; what could possibly be wrong with wanting to stand out in the digital crowd? But when you think about how carefully we curate our online presence, it can result in more harm than good if caution is not applied. 

There is a fine line between sharing your life and oversharing. In the pursuit of personal branding, some cross that line without realizing it. Suddenly, every meal, every thought, and every emotion is broadcast to the world. The line between personal and public blurs, and you start to set expectations for yourself (or allow others to set expectations for you) that you cannot reach.

What about the impact on mental health? Constantly projecting an idealized version of ourselves can lead to stress, a not-so-good idea considering that we live in a world that is nearly bursting at its seams. The pressure to maintain a flawless image can be overwhelming, because let us face it, real life is messy. Moreover, the quest for personal branding often comes with a side of comparison and this constant comparison only fosters feelings of inadequacy and self-doubt. It makes you think of yourself as less than you are and makes your personal branding counter-productive if you actually think about it.

Then there is the risk of authenticity getting lost in the pursuit of a personal brand. When every post is calculated for likes and follows, are we truly being ourselves? Authenticity is magnetic, and people connect with realness. There is no harm in sharing the highs, but we must not forget to acknowledge the lows. That is what makes us human.

Personal branding can also have dire consequences on the kind of connections we build. In a world saturated with personal brands, genuine, organic connections can get tossed aside. Conversations become performative, centred around projecting an image rather than sharing experiences. We become entertainers scrambling for the spotlight, forgetting that real connections are built on shared moments, vulnerabilities, and genuine conversations.

Let us not forget the time factor. Managing a personal brand is time-consuming yet no one has more than 24 hours in a day. Crafting the perfect caption, responding to comments, and maintaining a consistent online presence can be a full-time job; it is no wonder that some hire brand managers to ease the work that goes into building their brand. It begs the question: at what point does personal branding start to consume more time than it is worth?

In the end, it is about finding a balance. Embrace personal branding, but do not let it overshadow your true self. Share your successes, but also your struggles. Connect with others genuinely, not just for the sake of growing your online presence. Personal branding is great, but when the curated version of yourself starts to swallow up the real you, it becomes important to step back and recalibrate. 

In a nutshell, moderation is key when building a personal brand, and all things considered, authenticity will always be the most compelling brand.