Biz Shizzle - Ironing Out Your Brand

If you are in business, you have a brand. That brand may simply be YOU or it may be a product you’re offering (ex: Martha Stewart is a brand; Post-Its are a brand – both are recognizable by their name).

Building a trusted and recognizable brand is the key to a sustainable business. After all, people buy from those they know, like and trust. (Although sometimes questionable people/brands also tend to sell well too. I’m looking at you, Kardashians.)

How do you create a solid brand, especially if you are new or in an unusual career (like, ahem, tarot)?

You’ll need:

You or your product (whether it’s you providing a service or a product, it’s all part of brand you)
A logo and tagline (something people can recognize)
Your own authentic voice (no copycats, please)
Presence (aka be seen in different places)
Good customer care (it is always about the client experience)

It all comes down to putting your true self (or product) out there – and doing it often. People need to see the real you and they need to see you enough so that your image/name is drilled into their brain (which sounds kinda sci fi when you think about it).

What that boils down to is representing yourself in an authentic way. You can do this by being clear and honest with the public:

Have a recent photo of you. That old pic from 1983 won’t do. Neither will that symbol or cartoon character you’re using to represent you. People want to know who they are doing business with. They want to see the the person/people behind the product or brand name.
Speak with your own voice. Don’t try to put on phony airs or imitating someone else in your industry. People can always spot when someone is trying to be a carbon copy of someone else.
Create a unique logo along with a snappy tagline. You may want to consider hiring a graphic designer and copywriter to help you with this part. Again, you want to be different from your peers – your images and taglines should be exclusive to your brand, not a weak copy of anyone else’s work.
Make sure that you are consistent with your branding (same logos, biz name, pics, etc) on all of your social media platforms. Everything should match.

Next, consider what your message is. What are you selling? How do you help people? What is your point of view? In other words, what do you have to say or sell? If you are not clear on what you are offering, people aren’t going to dig to try and figure it out. They’ll go somewhere else.

Once you’ve got your message and brand sussed out, you’ve got to get “out there” with your bad self. That means you need to show up where your potential peeps like to linger.

In the real world: lectures, networking events, local gatherings.

In the online world: regular blogging, guest blogging, social media, online radio shows, YouTube videos, online classes, joint ventures.

It’s not hard to find tons of places to spread your message. Get creative! Don’t let the old “but I’m an introvert” excuse get in your way – I’m an uber shy gal and I still put my shizz out there. Just take a deep breath ‘n jump in.

Once you start dazzling people with your killer personality, and mad skillz (or trill products), keep this one truth in mind: ultimately, it’s about making real connections and offering quality work. That means forming sincere relationships and bringing your best to the table, every time. Resist the urge to get all bent out of shape over your “numbers”. It’s less about SEO and more about PEOPLE. Good brands realize that and put the human touch and professionalism into every interaction.

Now let’s say that you are going along fine for a while but then suddenly your brand goes sideways. For example, maybe you do something really bad (like say something controversial that pisses a bunch of your fans off). Or an unhappy client leaves a bad smack talking review on some site. Or worse yet, some asshat troll starts trouble on your blog. What do you do?

If you’ve screwed up royally, apologize immediately. Make amends and make the situation right. Your apology needs to be heart felt. Don’t point fingers or make excuses for your behavior. Man up and do the right thing.
If a former client is talking trash, address it politely, once . Then move on. Getting into wars or back and forth will damage your brand. (You may also want to contact the client privately to see if you can remedy the situation.)
If you are being attacked by some online jerk, don’t give it any attention or engage in any way. It’s not worth it. Ignoring haters is not easy but it’s the best policy. Remember, everyone is entitled to their opinion and not everyone is going to love you. That’s okay. Tune out the twits and lavish all your attention on the ones who love and support your work.
If your situation is dire (massive front page scandal worthy), consider hiring a PR agent. A good one might help you elevate your brand and gracefully remove the mud from your name.

Need more info on branding? Check out these experts:

A SUSTAINABLE business is built on good will, strong customer service, transparency and truth. Stick with those principles and you’ll build a brand that endures.

“My brands are an extension of me. They’re close to me. It’s not like running GM, where there’s no emotional attachment.” ~ JayZ

Blessings!

Theresa

What are your thoughts on branding? I’d love to hear your wisdom in the comment section below: