Building a brand is essential to your success because if done correctly, a brand is something that people will remember.
What do people do when they are trying to solve a problem?
They think about the potential solution, and if they remember you, they will knock on your door seeking your help. This can help you distinguish yourself, and thereby open the doors to many opportunities, and make you more successful.
In this blog post, I talk about two types of brands: 1) personal brand (also your professional brand) and 2) business brand.
1. What is a personal brand?
A personal brand should be a reflection of your superior qualities and strong characteristics.
When you get an introduction to a potential client or employer, you want your personal brand to reflect your best qualities and give them a reason to hire you or do business with you. If you’re unsure about what are your best qualities, get feedback from your family, friends, or a job coach.
Think about the impression you want to give when you first walk into a job interview. You only get one chance to make a first impression, so a pleasing appearance, firm handshake, eye contact, and smile are essential. This is your first step to building your personal brand.
2. How can a personal brand guide you to success?
The next thing you need is to craft your “elevator pitch.” Your elevator pitch is a thirty second story consisting of your name, your past experience (whether it’s academic or employment), and a highlight of the qualities that you bring to the table. It should be no more than five points and brief enough to fit onto a cue card.
When you’re networking, use your elevator pitch to make the right impression. Preparing an elevator pitch is also useful when you first meet a potential employer, client, or team member.
3. Be memorable (for the right reasons)
Your brand should be unique so that people will remember, and recall you when they are looking for your services. This is why building a brand is essential to your success. Who is going to win that client, project or job? Of course it will be the candidate with the most memorable personal brand.
The person who gets the job is successful because they have a strong, memorable personal brand. You have only an hour or so job interview to make a good impression and convince them you’re the right person for the job.
This will also be helpful when you’re trying to win referrals and new opportunities to your business.
4. How often should you revise your brand?
A brand should be revised as often as needed. For example, if you’ve acquired a new skill set, or reached a milestone in your business, it’s a good idea to make these achievements stand out. Keep your elevator pitch current so that it remains relevant.
5. Your personal brand includes your social media
Your personal brand is not only the impression you give in person, but also the impression you give through your social media. So bear this in mind when you are posting through Twitter, Facebook or LinkedIn. Posts must always be professional. It also helps to post strategically and think about what you want your audience to see when they search for you online. What would you want your employer or client to see when they visit your social media?
6. What is a business brand?
A business brand is similar to your personal brand, except that with a business brand, you are trying to promote a specific image for your business that will drive sales and referrals. You want people to think of your business when they want to solve a problem.
7. Why a brand is essential for the success of your business
A brand is needed not just to make a sale, but also for both customers/clients and team members to have clear expectations of your business. A brand should guide your team members on how to deliver the mission and values of your business.
Why should they choose you among all other competitors?
Businesses can basically offer the same product, but why choose one brand over another? This is the question that your brand should answer.
Consider what emotions are stirred when using words or phrases, slogans, logos, and colour palettes to build your brand.
You want to target the right demographic and market with your brand. Is your product low end or high end, exclusive and luxurious, or casual and mass market?
Don’t confuse your audience with contradictory messaging. Your audience would rather understand than be confused about your business. If they’re confused, they’ll move on to the next business who can help them solve their problem more quickly because they don’t want to spend time trying to figure out what your business can offer.
8. How can you use your brand capture your audience’s attention?
To do that your brand needs to tell a story. Make your customer the hero of the story, not your business. Use your imagination when crafting the story. Think of the problem you are trying to solve for your audience.
Branding will help you target the right customer. It gives you focus so you don’t waste time advertising to the wrong people.
9. Your brand unites your team members to one common goal
A brand is not only useful for your audience, it can inspire the team members who help run your business. As an entrepreneur, you are a leader and one of the ways to help lead your team is to remind them why they are along for the journey. If their goals are aligned with your brand, you will find that they are more motivated to make your business a success.
10. Conclusions
The reason why building a brand is essential to your success is because a brand is memorable: no need to repeat yourself because your brand does it all for you. A brand should invoke the desire to do business with you or continue the conversation. By cultivating the right impression, your brand can work for you and pay off in the long run.