Personal Brand Building Part 1 of 3
I made this entry on Saturday, October 17th, 2009 at 6:42 pm
Branding has been on my mind quite a bit lately, and how a brand is perceived. During the last few days I have looked at not only product and company branding but personal branding. That is what I want to write to you about today. I recently read a very strong book from Rockable press entitled: Rockstar Personal Branding. I can say that it is slap full of useful information and processes on how to create a personal brand. I wanted to share a little with you what I got out of the book. I highly recommend this book so check it out at Rockable Press
When I ordered this book, I had a very vague thought on personal branding and how it could affect me, and my overall business. Everyone knows that a brand, whether it be a company, product or in this case personal, represents a core set of qualities and traits. What you may not know is how to pinpoint those qualities and traits in a way that represents you and how you want people to perceive you, your services, your products, or your company.
Why is branding important?
Easy, it separates you from the crowd. A personal brand will differentiate you from thousands of others who are possibly in the same business, or even the same group of people. There are literally, thousands of web designers, freelance writers, photographers, and bloggers. What is going to separate you from all others? Your personal brand will. A lot of the times, people tend to think that a logo is all there is to a brand. That is a notion that is largely misperceived. A brand is everything from your logo, to your website, to your business cards, the way you interact with customers, and the list goes on and on. Let’s dive into the subject and find out how you can build your personal brand to be a rememberable and effective one!
Decide what you do:
Firstly, you have to decide what you are going to provide to your clients. I am going to use web designers as an example. If you are a web designer, do you provide everything that has to do with web design and interactivity such as web design, print media, logos, coding, flash, etc? Or do you focus on one thing such as web design and coding? Once you have this established, you can work on what defines your core values and what is going to separate you from the rest of your competitors.
Go ahead, tell the world about you:
When you are pitching a sale or even simple text on your website, tell the world something that will define exactly what you do, any accomplishments you have, clients you have worked for, and make it interesting. Here is an example:
The above example outlines who Jimmy is, what he does, who he has worked for, and the equipment he uses, which tells the client the quality of work they should expect. Of course, your sales pitch or intro text can be any size in length, however I recommend to keep it short and sweet.
This is only the start of this 3 part series of personal brand building tips, so stay plugged in to the blog and share with your friends. Also if you have anything to chime in on, please do so below!
When I ordered this book, I had a very vague thought on personal branding and how it could affect me, and my overall business. Everyone knows that a brand, whether it be a company, product or in this case personal, represents a core set of qualities and traits. What you may not know is how to pinpoint those qualities and traits in a way that represents you and how you want people to perceive you, your services, your products, or your company.
Why is branding important?
Easy, it separates you from the crowd. A personal brand will differentiate you from thousands of others who are possibly in the same business, or even the same group of people. There are literally, thousands of web designers, freelance writers, photographers, and bloggers. What is going to separate you from all others? Your personal brand will. A lot of the times, people tend to think that a logo is all there is to a brand. That is a notion that is largely misperceived. A brand is everything from your logo, to your website, to your business cards, the way you interact with customers, and the list goes on and on. Let’s dive into the subject and find out how you can build your personal brand to be a rememberable and effective one!
Decide what you do:
Firstly, you have to decide what you are going to provide to your clients. I am going to use web designers as an example. If you are a web designer, do you provide everything that has to do with web design and interactivity such as web design, print media, logos, coding, flash, etc? Or do you focus on one thing such as web design and coding? Once you have this established, you can work on what defines your core values and what is going to separate you from the rest of your competitors.
Go ahead, tell the world about you:
When you are pitching a sale or even simple text on your website, tell the world something that will define exactly what you do, any accomplishments you have, clients you have worked for, and make it interesting. Here is an example:
Hello, my name is Jimmy and I am a freelance photographer providing quality wedding photography to individuals in the Chicago area. I have had the privilege of working with some great people including the major of Chicago, providing black and white photo shoots of the wedding and engagement. I provide all photography, touchups, and printing for my clients. I use the highest quality equipment from the start using Nikon and Canon products to shoot and print shots.
The above example outlines who Jimmy is, what he does, who he has worked for, and the equipment he uses, which tells the client the quality of work they should expect. Of course, your sales pitch or intro text can be any size in length, however I recommend to keep it short and sweet.
This is only the start of this 3 part series of personal brand building tips, so stay plugged in to the blog and share with your friends. Also if you have anything to chime in on, please do so below!
Hi,
Interesting, I`ll quote it on my site later.