Branding

Personal Branding (Notes from a seminar by Judith Dauphinails, with some modification)

What is branding?
Branding is not about creating an image but about value and emotion. It is not what we sell but what we stand for.
For example, Volve has been known for “Safe” and Apple as “Think differently”.

Why branding?
Benefits of branding:
• Recognition
• Be Sought after
• Charge a premium
• Thrive during economic downturn
• Attract and retain
“Your visibility is more important than your ability”.
Our ability is necessary but not sufficient for long lasting success.

What should be our brands? How to know?
• Know ourselves
• Identify our attitude
• Define our brand community
Articulate our vision and purpose
• Vision: what we would like to see transformed
• Purpose: our role in executing the vision
Identify our strength and motivational needs
• What things that we really stand out in our work environment
Identify our Values and Passion
• Name top of each
Clarify our Goals
• Make list, prioritize and identify most logical next steps toward the goal

What others say about us is our brand.

Branding component
Rational attributes: results-oriented, detail oriented, dependable, and decisive
Emotional attributes: compassionate, luxurious

It is the emotional attributes making people buy.
For example: Cars are just transportation vehicle but there are so many brands. Some value in cars let us buy one but not another.

Branding statement
• Mandatory value statement
• Position rather than presenting
Position: tell a story from the customer’s point of view
Presenting: tell a story from our point of view
Focus on what we can provide/deliver to our customer

Logo
An easy art (not a picture) can be a logo.
Name with word art, font, color can be a logo. Such as Google, IBM.

Color
Yellow: Bright
Blue: trust, credible. (IBM)
Red: Power (Adobe)
…

Branding community
• Join professional organization
• Join Chamber of Commerce
• Take a freelance project
• Try teaching a class at a community college
• Write an opinion piece for your local newspaper, or book reviews
• Secure a speaking engagement on a panel
• Network

Resources
• For Branding: ducttapemarketing.com, reach.com
• Business card: overnightprint.com, vistaprint.com($), cranes.com($), 123print.com
• Different fonts: Dafonts.com
• Crowdspring.com

Blog
Typepad.com, wordpress.org,
Blogger.com

3C’s of brand communication
• Clarity: We express your unique promise of value
• Consistency: We always send the same message in content and style
• Constancy: We communicate frequently

Inspiration
Brand you. Be Distinct or be Extinct.—Tom Peters.