| It's a tough question. How do you brand yourself?
Well we all know how hard many companies work to brand themselves
and their products/services. IBM is probably the more classic example.
Everyone knows who IBM is.
Kleenex is another example. Is Kleenex actually Kleenex? No, of
course not. We could call it nose tissue or something else, but
when you hear Kleenex you think of nose tissue and know EXACTLY
what Kleenex is.
A friend of mine said it's much harder to brand yourself when you
are offering a service versus offering a physical & tangible
product. I don't know if this is completely true. I know of a couple
people who are known by only their name. For example, Patti
Wilson is a common name in the Silicon Valley. Patti does career
counceling and has a very impressive website but when you hear "Patti
Wilson" you don't think of her company, which is Career Company.
You think of "Patti Wilson". The second person is Andreas
in the technial writing world.
These two individuals are people who have worked within a specific
capacity and as a result have become fairly well-known within a
specific geographic region. They are also heavily networked.
So, let's play devil's advocate here for just one moment. Let's
say that you offer an excellant service and are NOT WELL KNOWN.
How do you brand yourself then? Are you stuck behind everyone else,
especially those who are so well-networked such as Andreas and Patti?
Not necessairly. I will tell you something that is SO OBVIOUS,
you are going to laugh. Your messaging MUST BE CLEAR -- ABSOLUTELY
CLEAR.
What do I mean, you ask. How can you tell me such an obvious thing?
Well guess what? It's not so obvious. If you messaging is not absolutely
clear and you don't articulate the service you offer well, then
how is anyone going to remember your name when a specific need comes
into their mind.
A couple of years ago, I worked with the SBA and SBDC TAP programs.
I learned very quickly WHY businesses get into trouble reaching
the next level or becoming larger. A lot of the trouble is due to
a lack of clarification for services offered, the image they want
to convey, and the overall messaging that is presented to others
including potential clients.
You must stick to what you have developed your services and business
on. For example, if customer service is your number one priority,
then it is up to you to get that message across. Along with getting
that message across, it must be consistent is every aspect of your
business whether it is operations, promotion & marketing, your
newsletter, your quality of service rendered, etc.
Here's another example. I look at my business and I constantly
say to myself, things must be done with integrity. I have to feel
good that what I did was honest and integral. Now I am a fairly
technical person who holds this belief dearly to my heart. For me,
I can't see doing business any other way.
Let's take another step forward here. Ideals and themes like integrity
are very hard to communicate through logos, marketing collaterals,
branding icons, etc. So, how would I get the message across through
multiple fascets that I, Stephanie Ann Cota, am an intergral person?
Again, we come to fact that it is really YOU you are branding. Let's
look at Kleenex. Kleenex has integrity. They have lots of integrity
behind that brand. If they didn't, people wouldn't feel confident
to buy Kleenex for their nose. In other words, that brand has to
have to integrity in order to be a brand.
To break it down even further for yourself, think of it like this.
All of the large concepts and ideals you admire can be used to brand
yourself. It's even better if you believe in those ideals and concepts
you are branding yourself under because your message will be clear
and IT WILL BE consistent as a result. This is what I mean.
Second, if you are a contractor or a sole priortership, having
a strong website with strong content will benefit you greatly. First
off, this gets your company out there in the public domain. Bringing
discussion to the table is not a bad thing. This is one thing a
website does for you.
Second, if you have a particular product or service, having a website
with a lot of strong content will increase your search engine ranking.
If you can't be found, then you basically don't exist. I am speaking
in a business sense strickly when I say this. I'll say it again...
IF YOU CAN'T BE FOUND, THEN YOU DON'T EXIST. Look at all of the
major competitors in any industry. They can all be found and they
all toot their horns, saying HERE I AM. Now, please don't get me
wrong here but you must be promoting yourself and your products
and /or services.
Please stay tuned for part two of Branding You! and read my newsletter
writing story. |
