How to Start a Personal Branding Campaign That Works

When you're an entrepreneur, business is always on. There’s always a new challenge to solve or idea to work on. The day never ends at 5 o'clock, even when you really wish it would.

The same is true for American politics in an election year. None of us can escape the national conversation about what this election means for our future and who’s going to be sitting behind the desk in the Oval Office.

So naturally, when there are two things I can’t get off my mind, I start to draw connections between them. Campaigns, in many ways, are just one big marketing event all about personal branding.

Since my business is built on content creation, especially for those looking to build personal brands, I want to share some lessons I see playing out in the election that are relevant for anyone trying to build a personal brand in the midst of this political season.

Let's see if I can do this without pissing off 50% of you.

Table of Contents

Key Findings

To win the trust of your audience, your content needs to be genuine and helpful

Social media platforms prioritize content that engages and retains viewers. This means businesses must create high-quality, eye-catching content to stay visible.

Content creation isn’t optional—it’s essential to stay competitive, create content that resonates, leverages platform algorithms, and builds trust.

The Power of Repetition: Your Message, Their Mantra

Notice how politicians repeat themselves more than that weird uncle at Thanksgiving? They hammer home their messages until you could recite them in your sleep.

“Make America Great Again”

“We're not going back"

"Yes we can"

These slogans aren’t just catchy—they’re designed to stick in your brain like a Pharrell song. For personal branding, repetition is key, but it has to be something people actually care about. Repeating a boring message is like shouting into the void—no one’s listening and no one is motivated to take action.

Tactical Takeaway: Develop a core message that encapsulates your brand’s value proposition. Then, repeat it across all channels with the tenacity of a politician running for office. Your audience should be able to recite your key points in their sleep.

@cbsnews As Kamala Harris once said, “You exist in the context of all in which you live and what came before you.” Here’s the context of her viral "coconut tree" remarks, which have taken on a second life after President Biden endorsed her for the Democratic nomination. #kamalaharris #biden #2024election #election #presidentialelection #politics ♬ original sound – cbsnews

Defining the Narrative: Be the Author of Your Story (and Your Competitor’s)

You have to tell your story – no one else is going to tell it for you. Candidates understand this, and it's why they go through great lengths to share their biography. That biography is then used to tell a story and relate it to their policy position.

Not only do they loudly tell their story, but political candidates spend as much time defining their opposition as they do defining themselves. This is because once an idea takes root, it's very hard to change people's perception, regardless of the facts.

Outside of an election, your competition isn’t just other people; it’s also things like competing tools, alternative workflows, or other companies. Be clear about why you’re the real deal and what others lack.

Sometimes the best offense is a good defence… but other times the best offense is having the best offense.

Recent Highlight: Joe Biden recently dropped out of the presidential race after a poor debate performance that highlighted his age. The takeaway? If you don’t define your narrative, others will—and it might not be flattering.

Tactical Takeaway: Don’t just focus on your strengths; strategically highlight how you differ from competitors. Create a narrative that positions your brand as the hero and market gaps as the villain. You need to paint a picture where there are clear contrasts between you and the alternatives. Just remember, in marketing as in politics, mudslinging can backfire—stay classy, San Diego.

Channel Optimization: Fish Where the Fish Are

Political campaigns invest heavily in voter data to target their messaging effectively. They know exactly which channels reach their desired audience. From demographics to geography, both political campaigns and businesses need to know who they are talking to and what they care about. A young woman in Georgia who spends 4 hours/day on TikTok will care about different issues than an older man in Arizona who watches 30 minutes of local news in the morning.

With limited times and limited budgets, they focus on the channels that are most likely to drive action for their campaigns – name ID, donations, and ultimately votes.

Tactical Takeaway: Invest in market research and analytics. Understand where your audience spends their time and tailor your approach to each platform. And know your key performance indicators – all of your efforts should tie back to a key objective. Speak to what your customers want to hear, not what you wish they'd want to hear.

Show, Don't Tell

Political campaigns have long recognized the power of images and video. From televised debates to viral social media clips, video content dominates the political landscape. Smart campaigns start with video and repurpose it across all channels.

Campaigns also always make sure that for events, a camera is rolling. If you don't remember to have a camera capturing a moment, you'll miss out some of your most raw, authentic moments that can connect with you audience.

Recent Highlight: After a dramatic assassination attempt, Donald Trump was left with a bloody ear and a photo that went viral. The image became a powerful piece of content showing resilience. And after an underwhelming debate performance that highlighted his age was seen by 50 million people, Joe Biden dropped out of the presidential race.

Tactical Takeaway: Prioritize video in your content strategy. Start by creating high-quality, long-form video content—think speeches, interviews, or product demonstrations. Then, slice and dice this content for maximum impact:

• Extract soundbites for short-form videos on TikTok or Instagram Reels

• Create longer segments for YouTube or your website

• Transcribe the content for blog posts or whitepapers

• Pull quotes for social media posts or email campaigns

• Use screenshots for infographics or presentation slides

• Remember, a single well-produced video can fuel your content calendar for weeks

It’s like the marketing equivalent of meal prepping—cook once, eat all week. Just make sure your content stays fresher than that week-old salad in the back of your fridge.

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A post shared by Evan Vucci (@evanvucci)

Emotional Resonance: Feel, Then Deal

Successful political campaigns tap into the emotions and values of their constituents. They know that people vote with their hearts as much as their heads. Remember, logic makes people think, but emotion makes them act.

Many of us get frustrated about politics not getting into the details of policy. The reason usually is that politicians have an easier time activating their voters by talking about the end result of their policies, versus their policies in detail. In sales, this is called selling the result, not the features.

Tactical Takeaway: Identify the emotional drivers of your target audience. Craft your messaging to resonate with these feelings, whether it’s aspiration, security, or the burning desire to finally organize that junk drawer.

Keep it short. You care about the details, but your customers only care about the end result. Focus on that end result.

Rapid Response: Newsjacking with Finesse

Political teams are always ready to capitalize on breaking news or opponents’ gaffes. They know the news cycle waits for no one, much like that last slice of pizza at an office party.

Recent Highlight: Kamala Harris’s viral “coconut tree” video is a prime example of seizing a moment. Her off-the-cuff remark was initially dismissed as kind of strange, but was eventually became a giant viral hit. Sometimes your most successful content isn’t what you expect – and not at time you expect it.

Tactical Takeaway: Stay agile and attuned to your industry’s news and trends. Develop a rapid response protocol to capitalize on relevant events quickly. But remember, not every trend needs your hot take—choose wisely, lest you become the brand equivalent of that relative everyone mutes on Facebook. Build a content library so that when the right moment arrives, you strike gold.

Social Proof: Endorsements, But Make It Strategic

Politicians love to tout endorsements from respected figures and organizations. It’s like the grown-up version of having the cool kids vouch for you in high school.

Tactical Takeaway: Cultivate relationships with influencers and thought leaders in your industry. Showcase customer testimonials and case studies. Remember, in the world of marketing, you’re only as good as the company you keep (and the reviews you don’t desperately beg for).

Collab posts, tagging, webinars with partners… use each other's audience to reach more people.

In Conclusion

While we may not all have our eyes on the White House, these political marketing tactics can elevate any brand’s strategy. By mastering these approaches, you’ll be well on your way to winning the votes—er, customers—in your own market race. Just remember, unlike in politics, in business, you have to actually deliver on your promises. No pressure.

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