Life is marketing
“I'm a natural-born marketer... And so are you!"

I am a mother, partner, daughter, sister, woman, human being, friend, marketer, personal brand strategist, Fascinate® certified advisor, solopreneur, blogger, coach, authenticity warrior, people enthusiast, good girl,… 

All these “labels” are part of my life and make me the person I am today. For a long time, if someone asked me what I did, I would immediately answer: I am a marketer. Because that is what you do when people raise that question. You drop a job title, whilst you have much more to offer and much more roles in life.

But then it hit me. Every role someone undertakes inhibits a touch of marketing. So maybe my answer “I am a marketer” isn’t limited to my professional life, but embraces my whole existence. I am already a marketer since 1982, the year I was born! Everyone is a marketer. Each and everyone of us is responsible for something at first sight left to marketers: his/her personal brand. Like it or not, uncomfortable with this idea or not, opting out is not an option…

Indeed marketing was for years and still is my life, but in fact I need to turn it around: life is marketing! You do marketing 24/7/365, throughout your whole life. It starts with the name you receive at birth (there is a whole business around baby naming!), ends with the text on your tomb stone indicating how you wanted to be remembered and everything in between those key moments like your romantic dates, your choice of friends, your social media posts, the values you pass to your kids, the political or religious movement you join,… Same goes for your career (getting an idea across in a meeting, striving for that promotion, closing a deal, having a job interview,…) and your appearance (the clothes you wear, how you shake hands, the car you drive, your interior,…).

All the countless life marking moments and human interactions along with everyday life rituals are enriched with a branding flavour and involve the process of marketing something to someone. Marketing is often finding a solution to a problem. Aren’t you trying to solve constantly an issue both in your professional life and at a personal level? Well, isn’t life then indeed… marketing? I am absolutely convinced that marketing is fundamental to what makes us human!

In life we have different roles to play:

• roles you are born into (human being, woman, daughter, sister,…)
• roles we have by choice (mother, partner, friend, marketer, personal brander, solopreneur,…)
• roles labeled by items we identify with (authenticity warrior,…)
• roles without official titles (good girl, smart one,…)

Thanks to our innate marketing sense we understand very well which of our qualities are effective and successful in one role and which ones we need to deploy in another area. So as a “marketer” you figure out very quickly when a makeover is required. Every role has the enduring marks of marketing on it.

I know and I regret, as an authenticity warrior, that marketing is often confused with being fluffy or fake or selling hot air. But I am a marketing believer! So I address marketing sceptics with pride! In my opinion real marketing is about being completely authentic. Marketing yourself, hence personal branding, is about being your best and most authentic self possible. In other words, marketing and authenticity are no antonyms at all. They go hand in hand. Marketing is not something you do, it is who you are!

I have written a whole whitepaper about the true meaning of authenticity (grab the essay here). So I will keep it short and to the point here. When you act differently in one role compared to another, it isn’t about being inauthentic. It is about applying a kind of copy paste special of yourself. You are yourself with just a little tweak considering the context you are in and using your appropriate strengths. Because what is the point of filling a role whilst having the feeling at that moment of doing a performance?    

For now, remember your life is the main act and you have the chance of taking up different roles and write the next scene yourself to sparkle even more. To do so, it is important to master the art of authenticity and to know that marketing yourself is a life skill. So, nice to meet you, I’m a natural-born marketer… And so are you!

What are the different roles you play? And how do you add your own personal flavour? I am curious… Don't hesitate to send me a message at [email protected] 

Self-portraits made by myself... From left to right: Woman - Marketer - Mother...
Don't take yourself too serious. Laugh with your own ridiculousness!