Inventing your Personal Brand
Inventing your Personal Brand
Today, change occurs at a pace faster than ever before. In fact, things are shifting so fast, we believe it is reasonable to say, "If you and your business aren't building a presence online, then you will flat-line." Online changes happen even faster than in the real world. Interestingly, in terms of a business model, these changes are happening in a direction that is more like that of pre-industrial age business than the business model that has been prevalent for the past 60-100 years.
Think of business years ago. John owned a blacksmith shop and he attracted customers because in his town, John's reputation was good. Notice that it wasn't "Blacksmithing, LLC" that had a good reputation but John himself. When people came into town, and asked about a blacksmith, they found out about John. Business was more about people doing business with people in those days.
Due to technology and the Internet, business is once again becoming a person to person business. Sure, in today's world we have corporations to limit liability and gain the best tax advantage but personal branding is becoming important once again. The difference is when John was starting his business, he learned it from what he saw before him and there was no Internet. Now, people have forgotten how to brand themselves. The internet is also a new way of "getting the word out.
These days, in order for your business to survive, no matter what you are doing, no matter the industry, and no matter the circumstances you must be online and you must brand yourself. You don't want to find yourself playing catch up when it comes to this trust us.
There is a simple way to identify how to brand yourself online. The first question to ask yourself is, "If I am an expert in just one thing what would it be?" This question will help you narrow down your passions, your interests, and your biggest skill set. Remember, for right now, just pick one thing.
Next, you want to look at how you want to be found online. When people search Google, Bing, or Yahoo, what search are they most likely to use to find you. What would you like that search term to be that finds you? This is your niche market. Understanding your niche is about nothing more than identifying who you are and who you are becoming. Do not take this lightly! It is absolutely crucial that you identify who you are becoming because it will be a guide for everything you do online and perhaps even offline as well.
Now let's talk about how big a brand you want to build. Think of building a brand like building an actual building. Before you can start building you need to know if you are creating a one story building or a 50 story skyscraper because they require different actions.
In the online world, knowing the size of the brand you are creating will guide you to the actions you need to take and the order to do them. Optimization is a big word in the online world and it is all about efficiency. Clearly defining who you are, the path you are on, and where you want to end up so that anyone and everyone can understand it, is OPTIMIZATION.
If you want to brand a slogan, now is the time. The slogan must encompass who you are, the path you are on, and where you are going. Slogans are great and can become your key phrase but make sure it is extremely relevant and appropriate to what we have discussed.
Then there is perhaps the most important question you could ever ask yourself. Would you follow you?
The Internet is buzzing with talk of email lists, social media followers, and lots of other cool terms that sound neat. Yes, there are ways you can manufacture higher numbers and force growth but the real point in all this is being completely missed. Would you follow you? If the answer is "no" then no matter how many people you have on email lists, or following you on Twitter and Facebook, your success will be temporary. You may attract people but you won't keep them.
Remember John the blacksmith? Well he may have been the only shop in town, but sooner or later, if he didn't provide quality service and add value, he'd be out of business. You are the same as John except it is highly unlikely you are the only business in town since your town today is the entire online world!
Take action and create the brand you want. The online world awaits your new brand!
By,
Michael Bloxton,
President & CEO,
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