Better than never: Branding when we're over 50

Helane Androne

English Professor | Writing Life Coach | Actor & VO Artist

8 articles

November 22, 2023

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I have friends of various ages, but more and more I’m noticing some of us are in a season of our lives where we want fewer barriers and more impact, less overtime and more living. We want meaningful, impactful work that is fulfilling. And a big part of that is getting ourselves out “there” and doing something that brings us joy, something that makes our lives more interesting and aligned with our creative energy.

Here's something else that I know is true: At this point, I know myself very well. AND, if you're over 50, chances are you also have a much better sense of what you love and what you don’t, what you do well, and what is a challenge, who you want to impact and why. What’s beautiful about that? It means you and I have already been working on our brand.

Honestly, if you're over 50, you definitely already have a brand. Back in the day, we used to call it a reputation. But sometimes we get a little nervous that it’s too late to make our brand work for us. Or, we worry that we can’t keep up with our full-time work life AND the new opportunities that conscious branding might afford. Even more difficult is the reality that most of us have done a lot of things by now. How do we integrate all that into a single "brand" that makes sense?

And then there are the tech-spectations of branding: Social media can make us want to crawl in a corner…unless it’s animal voice over reels. (Those moments are important to my mental health.) I mean, "branding" also suggests that we need brand "assets," right? Yes, that's true.

But your brand assets align with your ideal clients and, unless you're after teenagers as your ideal clients, you don't have to engage with Snapchat--or TikTok for that matter. (Also, business cards are still brand assets too.)

I'm over 50 and, like you, I'm unavailable for the BS. I already have a job. I've got a life that's calendared and scripted. I'm not interested in doing anything in this season that doesn't bring me joy.

As a proud, AARP card-carrying, fiercely-50-something, I want to share some branding takeaways I’m learning while I’m out here integrating a brand that includes English professor, Actor, Writer, and Entrepreneur.

So there are 7 simple steps I've learned that we 50+ folks can do to jumpstart our branded life, without feeling like we're starting from scratch, living below our maturity level, or--God forbid--adding another thing to our lives that doesn't serve us.

Branding To Do List

Here's my branding to do list:

1. Mine your stories.

Your brand is YOU, and so all you need to do to brand yourself in this season is to be TRUE to that self. How are you called to impact others? The answer emerges from the stories that come out of your life--and there are plenty. Once you dig into your stories, you can drill down to the message you want to share. We’ve come a long way, and being over 50 means that we are further along in our story, so our message already has weight!

2. Narrow your clients/audience. Who do you want to serve? What do you want to do for them? Map out what you have to offer and why that is important and useful to your favorite kind of client. When you narrow your audience into a specific niche, it helps you speak to them more personally, and it helps you make strategic decisions about how you spend your time.

Being over 50 means we’ve known lots of people--and we probably have a lot fewer hang ups with leaving certain folks alone. That means we already know how to "niche" down. I definitely don’t struggle nearly as much with myself about who I (don't) want to deal with.

3. Audit your skills and talents. We have experienced a lot of different work environments, different kinds of people, and we’ve come to develop a lot of skills and talents…Some of those we trained for, some of those just came with all of the life’ing we’ve done over time.

Think about all the experiences you’ve had that have been transformative for how you see the world and how you work. Write those things down. Have you learned how to problem solve with a special process or style? What kind of training and skills have you acquired? What outcomes have you seen? Take another look at that resume or CV and do some translation work: How do those skills apply to the people you really want to serve? How will the person you’ve become make a difference in the lives of those clients? You need to audit your skills and talents to really direct your brand and how you represent it.

4. Do your research. Now that you want to step out, learn about the communities that are already out there operating in the areas you want to move in. Being over 50 means we know a lot of things, but it doesn’t mean we know everything about the areas that we want to step into. And this part can be really hard, because some of us haven’t had to put ourselves in the position of being a student of anything for a very long time.

Building your brand over 50 means that you do have to become a learner again. We have to step into this season still ready to learn, ready to grow, ready to engage. I am constantly investing in training and in just trying to find out what is available to me. I’m exploring all the time. I’m listening to podcasts while I’m walking on the treadmill, driving in my car, or waiting for my kids. Always, always, always be learning.

Also, find out what the struggles are for the people you want to serve. What are they (publicly) looking for? What struggles do you recognize and know you can help with? You can’t really build your brand if you have no understanding of what is already out there, what people are struggling with, and what kind of support there is for what you do.

5. Get connected to build your team. Start networking and making connections with others. Learn from what they’re doing. Check small business websites for free seminars and workshops you can attend. Go to events that are designed for interaction. Start building your accountability team so that you can stay on track.

Most of us are more confident than we have ever been in our lives during this season, so use that confidence to get yourself into the rooms that you want to be in. One of the wonderful things about being over 50 and getting this process started is that you don’t have that much to lose. You have plenty to gain and there are people waiting for you out "there"! So it really makes a difference that you show up as YOU, and that you connect with others. Recently, a young(er), maybe 30-something, woman made her way over to me at a networking event after I had introduced myself and what I do. She was so excited to see my "mature" self there. She had been looking for mentors and accountability and support and community. She asked, exasperated, "Where are the mature BLACK WOMEN entrepreneurs out here?"

Someone is looking for you.

6. Create your brand assets. Yep, your brand needs assets. That means you need the right logo, the right website, the right social media presence, the right colors to represent your vibe, and the right style when you show up. But, you don’t have to do it alone. There are so many skilled people out here who are ready to contract with you to get that work done. You don’t have to know how to build a website, you don’t have to know how to create a logo, you don’t even have to know how to deal with social media. But you do have to know what those things are, how they work, and what they can do for you. Those assets represent you when you’re present and when you’re not. Get support to make sure they say exactly what you want them to say.

7. Deliver and Revise. Connect with people who you want to impact and do that work you’re meant to do. Reach out to those you’ve worked with directly and ask those people for testimonials (references!). Ask them about their experience with you, for real honest feedback. That is going to help you to be better, and it’s going to demonstrate that you care about their experience. That information is also going to transform your brand, which is always under revision.

You are always learning and growing and that means your brand has to grow as well. As you grow, as you serve, you will find out where the gaps are. You will find out how to do what you do even more effectively and efficiently.

That's the gist. If this helped you, please let me know. Also, let me know what struggles you’re having in this season as you’re building your vision…I want to know what information might be useful to share.

And if you want more support, accountability, or you want to work with me directly to build the vision you have for this season, just message me and I’ll reach out, get you set up with a complimentary consultation, and see if we are a good match for coaching support.

Take heart: Your gifts WILL make room for you.

—Dr. Helane