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What is Personal Branding
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As consumers, we are bombarded daily with thousands (at last count 6,000 messages a day) of different advertising messages!
So how is it that we choose one product over another? We do so by considering price, availability, evaluating the high touch elements of the company like customer service, respect we have for that company, and then of course product quality.
A brand therefore is the combination of aesthetic and emotions that gives the consumer a reason to choose one product over another. It communicates a unique quality or a value promise that sets a business apart from their competition.
What Does Branding Mean for Small Business Entrepreneurs?
The only way to truly succeed in the 21st century, achieve your professional goals and win in your market is to differentiate yourself and communicate your unique and authentic brand.
Everything you do is linked directly to your Personal Brand. As solo professionals and small business owners, you have a distinct advantage that larger companies do not. When it comes to your brand, you have the ability to get VERY personal.
Branding isn’t just for large corporations either. Entrepreneurs, coaches, consultants, virtual assistants, small businesses in general are now packaging themselves as products with press kits, tag lines, websites, blogs, and portfolios allowing their clients to EXPERIENCE their personal brands.
Great Personal Branding is AUTHENTIC and MEMORABLE
A common misconception is that branding is just a clever phrase for PR spin – that’s just not the case! Great personal branding is AUTHENTIC and allows you to design your business around your greatest asset – YOU! It’s not about creating a special persona that you “show off” in front of your clients. Instead, it’s about understanding what is truly unique about you: strengths, skills, values and passions – and communicating those attributes consistently to differentiate yourself and guide your business decisions.
Personal branding is all about differentiation and is what makes you outstanding so you stand out from the countless offers your target audience is bombarded with – at 6,000 messages a day only those messages that establish common ground and resonate at a personal level get noticed.
A well-defined personal brand will:
- Present a more authentic & clear impression of YOU to clients
- Attract more of the People you really love to work with
- Communicate more persuasively with your target audience
- Connect more powerfully with others online and offline
- Get more of what you want & less of what you don't
- Cut down on marketing costs & gain a stronger ROI
- Enjoy more time freedom
Being clear on your brand, being consistent in your business practices and staying visible to your target audience will open the door to great personal and professional success.
Oh, and if you wonder what personal branding has to do with the success and position of your business…it has everything to do with it!
In your service business, what is your client really buying into? If your answer was anything other than – you – it may be time to evaluate your brand and brand position in your market.
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