4 Tips on Creating a Personal Brand

Note:  This blog post is an excerpt of a speech I presented on March 7, 2013 at a Women in Business Event hosted by the Timmins Chamber of Commerce.

 

When you’re at a networking event, you are marketing yourself and your company, whether you own the company or you work for it.  Essentially what you’re doing is creating a brand for yourself and you are an extension of your company brand.  Today I want to give you a quick overview of what it takes to create a memorable brand.
 

People ask me all the time, “How do I get my name out there without coming across like a pushy know-it-all?”  Developing a memorable brand takes time, but first impressions go a long way in establishing your business as credible in the eyes of consumers and in the eyes of other businesses.  Not only do you want to gain the attention of your customers, but you want to establish a good rapport with other business owners, managers and community leaders.  Here are a few tips that will help you create your own personal brand.

1.        First, be unique.   The whole idea behind branding is that you distinguish yourself in a crowded marketplace. If you try and be everything to everyone, you will be nothing to no one. Your brand has to be unique to your business, and different than other things out there. And it must also be something at which you are great.  Stepping outside the box is essential.  What do you offer that your competitors don’t?  Why do customers want to come to you?  If your only differentiating factor is price, you need to take a closer look at your offerings.  What customers really want to know is how you can solve their problem.  Providing them with a unique experience is what will set you apart.  Remember we’re trying to create a positive memorable impression.

2.        Focus on benefits.  When you go shopping for something you aren’t really buying that tangible item.  What you’re buying is the benefits you’ll get from using that product or service.  Let’s relate that to your personal brand.  When you first introduce yourself to someone, what do you say about your company?  What do you say about yourself?   Think about this for a minute.  Could you clearly and completely tell someone about you and your company in less than 25 words?  We’ve all had this same conversation with someone.  You’ve just met someone new and they ask, “So, what do you do?”    Well, since people love to talk about themselves, you might find yourself answering by saying, “I am the owner of manufacturing company called ABC Manufacturing.  We make and sell widgets to the mining industry, the forestry industry and many other industrial companies.  We have clients all over the country who just love our widgets.”  By the time, you got to “we make and sell widgets...” the other guy has tuned you out.  All he wanted to know was what you have to offer. So think about developing what’s called an elevator pitch.  Focus on the benefits to other person in 25 words or less.

3.       Consistency is the one thing I stress the most when it comes to marketing.  In the consumer’s mind, advertising messages from different media and different promotional approaches all become part of a single message about the company.  Building a brand requires a lot of work and consistency in every single way you communicate to the public.  I want to reinforce this one more time.  The brand that you develop for your company is the unique vision that the public has of you. The way you communicate with your customers is absolutely vital in developing that positive impression.  Take a second to think about all of the levels of communication you distribute throughout the day.  You post on your business Facebook wall, you send out emails to current clients and to prospects, you send out email newsletters.  Have you ever given much thought as to how your communication sounds and looks?  Make sure that your emails reflect a positive, professional image of your company and are not filled with spelling and grammatical errors.  Anyone in your company who is going to interact with customers—from the receptionist through to the collections department—has to understand the importance of creating a positive interaction with the customer.  All I’m saying here is that you need to keep in mind the image that you are trying to project.  Potential customers may get the impression that either you don’t know how to spell or that you’re too lazy to take the time to correct it.  What kind of impression do you want to make?

4.       A quality brand must also deliver on its promise.   Your brand must be based in reality. What I mean is that it must be linked to the culture, style, product and service of your business and that extends to you as well. Your brand has to be, well, organic. There must be integrity in your brand and what you promise must be a close approximation of what you deliver. 

Finally, remember that your brand is an integrated effort.   A quality brand is reinforced by everything you do; where your business is located, your prices, your customer service, as well as your advertising and promotional activities.  So remember that you are an extension of your company brand.  Remember to be unique, focus on your benefits, stay consistent and deliver on what you promise.  When you use these tips you’ll be sure that you are on the right track to creating that positive memorable brand experience.