Why Your Personal Brand Matters

(Republished 2020-10-07)

If you jump right into advertising or marketing, and miss to build your personal brand, then you may waste a lot of time and money. In this article I will help you to avoid that.
Don’t worry if you have to try a few attempts at branding, before you get a good results. Just start, or start over, and keep going, you will get better. Exceptional branding is not instant, or luck. It is a practiced art.

Personal branding is not just a fad or buzz word on the interwebs. It is business. Big business. And it is the future.
Business has always been about products and service. But now more then ever before, it is about branding. And not just the branding of multinationals companies. But people. It is personal now.

What Happens When Someone Googles You?

Today, people are googling each other more and more. Especially when they encounter you, but don’t know who you are. They look to Google to tell them. So, being found online, the way you want to be found, is very important, and should be your priority. How you appear in the search engines speaks directly to your character. Are you credible? Can you be trusted? Are you at least presentable? There is no longer room for weak excuses about how you look, or not being into ‘techie’ stuff.

Even if you are a newbie, or tech illiterate, now with the power of the internet you can create a look you enjoy and are proud of. So, if you are serious about your personal brand, then your must understand some foundational basics first, and then strategically implement some of my recommendations below.

Being Found Online The Way You Want

Branding is different from marketing. Branding comes first. Branding is who you are. Marketing is what you say. Branding is your identity. Marketing is your activity. So, start with branding first. Marketing, or getting your message out, comes later.

Branding is being yourself. But it is being your best self. Dirty laundry is for the washing machine, not your blog. Keep a long-term focus. Important here is to know ‘Who you are”. Online you can be whatever you want. Just pick something you like, something you are good at, want to be good at, want to do, or just really like to talk about.

Your Blog And Domain Name

Getting a domain name is a good place to start and then link your social media accounts to your website / blog. You should if it is possible the same name here.
If you want a domain name associated to your name, and your name is John Smith, you may should consider not to take ‘johnsmith.xxx’, because if you Google ‘John Smith’ you will se that Google has over 400 hundred million unique reference. How are you going to stand out? If you want to have a blog about flowers, you may consider ‘johnsmithsflowers.xxx’ because it will make you more unique and you will stand out from the rest ‘John Smiths’. Make sure it is something you like, but also easy or others to remember and spell. ‘johnsmith4850.xxx’ for example is not a good idea.

So, if your domain name is ‘johnsmithsflowers.xxx’ it will be ideal for your brand name to have a Facebook Fan Page with the name ‘facebook.com/johnsmithsflowers/’, and a YouTube channel with the same name etc.

Write down ideas on paper. Don’t worry about buying dotcom domains if you are not serious. But, if you do find the right dotcom, then don’t wait, grab it. Because good domain names disappear quickly.
Searching for a dotcom (.com) domain first is a good idea, because it is still the first suffix most people think of when they think of a website.

“Branding is Your First Impression

Marketing is Your Relationship

Without a Good First Impression,

You Probably Won’t Get a Chance to Start a Relationship.”

Your Online Profile

If you don’t like using your own photo, then use a company logo. All your accounts can have this same logo uploaded. Just be consistence. And if you change your logo design, then reload the new version to all your accounts. Even if you don’t have a business, you can still use a logo. Some people prefer using a visual aid or nickname to help distinguish themselves.

Just like your picture, you also need contact information that also looks genuine and reputable. The first thin any social media website asks is for you to setup a username, email etc. Your email address should be your domain, for example ‘contact@johnsmithsflowers.xxx’, this is so much more professional then ‘johnsmithsflowers@gmail.com. Most webhotels offers email accounts to your domain name.

Make a checklist of all your online profiles and contact information. Care enough to create the account names you really want. Safeguard this. Be intentional about your profiles. This is your brand! Don’t be sloppy with your band and online profiles. Make your brand an investment worthy of your time and care!

Ending Up

This is just a start of your branding journey. If you follow this small tips you will have a good start with branding you and your business.
Social Media has a significant role in your brand and your business, and you can make much success with your brand if you use the power of social media right but that is something I will talk about later.

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