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6 Steps To Laying Out Your Competitive Strategy
Why do so many companies languish and watch as their business turns into a zero profit zone, while others seem to thrive? When you look at your business, whether it’s a new venture or a company with a long history, can you answer the...

Buyer Beware Business Opportunity Scams Abound
Most business opportunities are not worth investing a penny into. The ones that are generally are called Franchises. The value in a franchise is that it comes with the branding already done for you. People will recognize a Subway or McDonalds no...

Know Who You Are —And Your Brand Will Follow
One in a series of 5, How to brand Know Who You Are—And Your Brand Is on its Way By Karen Post Having a brand is powerful. It adds value to your balance sheet, attracts superstar employees and allows for greater profit margins. Your brand...

Start doing online business using B2B Portals in Six Steps
I registered with a B2B site but what’s next? This is a question many first time users of B2B marketplaces ask themselves. A few expect that the registration itself will bring them a number of new customers. In some cases this might by true!...

The Incredible Image -- 8 Steps to Put Your Business' Best Foot Forward
Look into the mirror? Do you see your image--the You that others see? Image counts Big-Time in today's super - competitive and demanding world. But the secret to developing a strong brand identity is to crystallize--in your target market's...

 
Brand Moi™, Make your Mark with a Personal Brand

Directed toward professionals and business leaders who want to excel with a personal brando want
Brand Moi™—Make your Mark and Succeed. By Karen Post

Personal Branding for Professional Speakers. For any professional speaker, a strong identity and a distinct market position are key factors in achieving optimum business success. They can supersede academic credentials, experience and even your skill sets as a competitive edge. The power of perception allows you to make a unique mark in the minds of your industry, peers, customers, and prospects.

Companies and organizations worldwide spend enormous resources on building their brand. They know that a sound brand adds value to their existence, secures customer and employee loyalty and enhances profits. For professional speakers, the same fundamental brand building principles apply. A personal brand can deliver significant professional benefits and opportunities: command higher fees, earn more money, increase your market share and even enjoy a celebrity status.

Whether you are referring to a product, an organization or an individual professional, a brand is a mental imprint, which conveys a personality, promise and unique position. Brands are visual, emotional, rational and cultural. Powerful brands start at the core of one’s existence and spread throughout every point of contact with their target audience.

When you see a Volvo, you think safety, when you fly Southwest Airlines, you think cheap fares and when you ship FedEx, you think overnight. Some brands are so strong that we as consumers actually replace the common noun with their brand name, like Xerox—photo copies, Jell-O—flavored gelatin and Kleenex—facial tissues. These established brands make selection easier and enhance the value and satisfaction from the experience. As consumers, we have a distinct mental image of these companies or products. When someone says your name, what do people think? That’s the essence of Brand Moi™. It is your personal mark that makes you special, memorable, desirable and worth money in the bank.

Brands are not just for big companies. Personal branding, just like big company branding starts with a value based strategic scheme and is followed by a tactical action plan. The universal branding principles are: know who you are, be unique, connect with those who want what you have, deliver a great experience and always speak loudly even when you whisper.

Brand Moi™ is your personal identity or brand. Build your brand plan from your core being and always be consistent with your values, or consider a new profession. 1) Start with defining what you offer the market, your brand proposition. This applies to speakers, business people to sales professionals to corporate employees. Do you cut hair? Provide financial advice? Or speak on business manners? 2) Articulate your brand promise. This may include your talents, skill set, competencies and attitude. 3) Clarify your unique brand position. What makes you different and distinct from your competition? Don’t even think about saying depth of content and quality delivery, that answer is way too general. 4) Describe your brand personality, just like you would an acquaintance. Include qualities, attributes, characteristics and traits.

Developing a personal brand strategy is usually the toughest part of creating a Brand Moi™. As you answer these questions make a list of whatever comes to mind, then ask your peers, customers and industry colleagues for their feedback. Filter through everything, follow your head and heart and


strive end up with a simple, concise snapshot of YOU!

“Land your Brand™” with a focused tactical action plan. This is where many professional speakers can sink their brand in a minute if they don’t adhere to their brand plan with passion and commitment. Remember, audiences derive their impressions from what they see, hear, read, experience and even smell! All your points of contact with your target market should pass your strict brand standards code. And don’t try to be all things to all people. Stick with you core purpose. • Small names are big. If you’re serious about building a powerful Brand Moi™, I would start with your professional name. Can people pronounce it? Does it have a meaning that would hurt what your brand promises? For example, I would consider a name change if your name were Tom Paine and you practiced dentistry. If your brand plan includes achieving celebrity status in your industry or in a mass market, short, memorable names are best.

• What they, see they believe. Next I recommend auditing your graphics and visual presentations. This includes every piece of correspondence that you can control. If you are an independent speaker this means your web presence, business cards, letterhead, thank you cards, proposals, advertising and all business forms. If you work for a company as speaker that has their own brand, this may means internal communications and personal correspondence to your customers and peers. Your wardrobe and personal appearance expresses your brand everyday. Make sure it’s saying what you intended.

• Speak loudly even when you whisper. Audio points of contact are also brand important! From your recorded message on your phone, to your on hold noise, to how you answer your phone, they all add to your brand imprint.

• Deliver a great experience, every time. Doing business with you should be a rewarding, memorable experience. Your environment whether your place of business or where you host events should be brand sensitive and support your message. Signage, your office, your desk and the cleanliness of your car speak about you also. All elements of your customer service and interactions with your market reinforce your brand.

• Your words are the language of your brand. Do your written documents and words scream your brand? Are they consistent with your brand promise, personality and unique position? If not, it’s edit time. Your writing style, choice of words and content are the foundation to your brand communication. This means emails, proposals, letters, keynotes and by-line articles.

Brand Moi™ is essencial. As a professional speaker everyday you compete with many other speakers for bookings, consulting and budgets, you need a brand. Just like the products on the grocery store selves, it’s a cluttered, aggressive environment. It’s human nature to gravitate to people you like, trust and can relate to. Connect to their souls. Stand out. Be heard. Make your mark and tout the very unique and special being you are!

About the Author

About the author Karen Post, The Branding Diva™, is an author, national speaker and consultant on branding, marketing and communication issues. For nearly 20 years she has provided branding counsel and communication programs for individuals; start-ups; local, regional and national companies; politicians; and nonprofit organizations. For more information contact Karen Post at kp@brandingdiva.com or visit her at www.brandingdiva.com.


 

Brand - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The brand, and "branding" and brand equity have become increasingly important ... From the perspective of brand owners, branded products or services also ...
en.wikipedia.org
 
Branding - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Livestock branding, the marking of animals to indicate ownership; Human branding, ... Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Branding" ...
en.wikipedia.org
 
AllAboutBranding.com : Home
Provides resources and opinions on branding. Includes brand development, management and communications.
www.allaboutbranding.com
 
brandchannel.com | branding resource produced by Interbrand | brands
An international online exchange and resource about brand marketing and branding.
www.brandchannel.com
 
Branding Company Corporate Branding Internet Brand Identity ...
Brand Identity Guru Inc. creates, develops and promotes powerful brands. Our clients enjoy an array of innovative, creative and powerful branding solutions ...
www.brandidentityguru.com
 
Branding Blog
Branding and positioning news and opinion.
www.brandingblog.com
 
Branding Asia
Free articles, news and columns on branding in Asia. Market research and Asian marketing.
www.brandingasia.com
 
Pages tagged with "branding" on del.icio.us
All items tagged branding ??? view popular ... industrie./design and branding consultant specialists./ · save this. by kittim to design branding graphic ...
del.icio.us
 
The Brand Called You
Big companies understand the importance of brands. Today, in the Age of the Individual, you have to be your own brand. Here's what it takes to be the CEO of ...
www.fastcompany.com
 
Branding: See what people are saying right now on Technorati
See all blog posts tagged with branding on Technorati.
www.technorati.com
 
Mozilla Branding
The purpose of this document is to describe mozilla.org's branding strategy during and after the release of what has generally been called Mozilla 1.4. ...
www.mozilla.org
 
What Brand Are You? A branding viral by The Design Conspiracy
What Brand Are You? has since been picked out as Site Of The Day by the likes of the Financial Times, Yahoo, USA Today and BBC News, and has received more ...
www.whatbrandareyou.com
 
Julie & Company: Affordable branding, web design, graphic design ...
Julie & Company creates stellar branding, integrated marketing, advertising, web design, web development, Flash, trade show booths - all at affordable ...
www.julieandcompany.com
 
Forty Media - Web Design, Web Development, Branding, Great Websites
a professional web design agency based in Phoenix, Arizona.
www.fortymedia.com
 
Branding - Yahoo! Small Business
Find information to help grow your online business with business plans, Thomas Register, news articles and more.
smallbusiness.yahoo.com
 
Lexicon
Lexicon Branding appears on KTVU News; Lexicon Branding creates Ridgeline for Honda, Viiv for Intel, and GameTap for Turner Broadcasting System, Inc. ...
www.lexicon-branding.com
 
Branding and Usability
We're finding that a site's usability can dramatically affect branding. ... There are two basic techniques for branding: direct experience and indirect ...
www.uie.com
 
iMedia Connection: Research & Metrics - Branding
Majority of marketers feel branding opportunities -- online and offline -- aren't ... IAB case studies prove real-world power of online in branding mix. ...
www.imediaconnection.com
 
Small Business Marketing And Branding
Small business marketing and branding advice and how-to guides for small business owners. Learn how to start and grow your own successful business.
smallbusinessbranding.com
 
Beyond Branding
Beyond Branding, published in hardcover in 2003 and paperback in 2005, presents innovative business models for the survival of 21st century organizations.
www.beyond-branding.com
 
 

 

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