You Need Two Personalities. (Stay With Me.)

Before you call my therapist, let me explain.

I'm not saying you need to become one of those people with multiple personalities. One is plenty.

But if you own a business, you do need to show up in two places.

You have your real-life personality...the one people meet at networking events, coffee shops, conferences, client meetings, school pickup, the grocery store when you're wearing leggings that have definitely seen better days.

And then there's your internet personality.

Not in the fake influencer sense. I don't mean you suddenly need to point at floating text bubbles or start every Reel with, "Three things I wish I knew..." (gag me)

I mean the version of you that exists online should make people feel exactly the way they felt after meeting you in person.

Because here's what happens almost every single time.

You meet someone at an event.

You have a great conversation. You laugh. You instantly click. They walk away thinking, I really like her.

And then, because we're all professional internet stalkers now, they look you up before they get home.

Don't act surprised. You do it too.

Someone hands you a business card and before you've even started your car you're on Instagram trying to figure out if they're actually as cool as they seemed.

The internet has become the world's longest first date.

And this is where so many business owners accidentally shoot themselves in the foot.

Imagine you meet someone who's confident, warm, funny, approachable and clearly knows what she's talking about.

Then you open her website.

The headshot looks like it was cropped from a family wedding in 2017.

Half the photos are blurry.

The branding is giving "I made this at 11:48 p.m. during a mental breakdown."

It's confusing.

Not because she's any less amazing.

But because the experience doesn't match.

Our brains are constantly looking for consistency. We want confirmation that our gut instinct was right.

Strong branding doesn't convince people to trust you.

It confirms that they already should.

That's such an important distinction.

Your brand photos aren't there to make you look prettier.

They're there to remove friction.

They're saying, "Yep. You're in the right place."

It's kind of like walking into Target.

You know exactly where you are before you even read the sign.

The colors.

The lighting.

The vibe.

Everything feels intentional.

Now imagine if you walked into Target and it looked like a gas station.

You'd have questions.

That's exactly what happens when your online presence doesn't match the experience of meeting you.

Now before anyone thinks I'm saying brand photos are magic...

They're not.

If you're rude, flaky, impossible to communicate with or treat people like walking dollar signs, no amount of gorgeous photography is going to save you.

You can't Photoshop being a decent human.

You still have to be the kind of person people actually want to spend time with.

Community will always matter more than content.

Relationships will always matter more than reach.

Algorithms change every other Tuesday.

People don't.

I've gotten some of my favorite clients because someone knew someone who said, "You have to talk to Jenna."

Not because they saw the perfect Reel.

Not because I had the trendiest audio.

Because another human trusted me enough to recommend me.

That's how businesses grow.

One conversation turns into another.

One introduction turns into another.

One room full of women cheering each other on becomes a referral network that lasts for years.

And when those people inevitably look you up later?

That's where your brand steps in and says, "Hi again."

Your website shouldn't introduce a completely different version of you.

It should feel like continuing the conversation you already started.

Like the online version of pulling up another chair and saying, "Okay...where were we?"

That's why I care so much about both community and branding.

One without the other feels incomplete.

You can have the most beautiful brand photos in the world, but if nobody enjoys working with you, you'll eventually get found out.

On the flip side, you can be the nicest human on the planet, but if your online presence looks like you disappeared after 2019, people won't always stick around long enough to find out how incredible you are.

You need both.

You need the handshake and the homepage.

The hug and the headshots.

The real-life connection and the online confirmation.

Honestly? That's the whole reason I created Build Your Brand.

Yes, you'll meet incredible women.

Yes, you'll leave with new connections.

Yes, you'll probably exchange Instagram handles before the afternoon is over.

But I also want you to think about what happens after that.

Because after the hugs goodbye...

After the conversations...

After everyone gets back home...

They're going to look you up.

And I want your website, your social media, and your brand photos to make them smile and think,

"Yep. She's exactly who I hoped she'd be."

That's when branding has done its job.

Not by pretending to be someone you're not.

But by making sure the internet gets to meet the same amazing human everyone else already did.