Branding III:  You Are Your Brand

Here’s a secret that successful marketers know: customers don’t buy a product. They buy you.

• Your personality.
• Your experience.
• The unique qualities only you possess.

There was a time when “branding” meant a corporate-looking logo and a slick catalog, but in today’s online marketplace, the real value is not in appearing to be a big company, but rather in just being you. And your personality shines through in a variety of ways.

Your Authentic Voice

How you speak and write and even how you act on camera or in an audio interview has the power to instantly identify you to your audience. You can see this in action if you scroll through your Facebook feed. It’s easy to know who has posted a particular image or status update, just by recognizing the voice with which they generally speak.

Here’s an even more important aspect of your “voice” though: it has the power to attract a specific audience. In recent years, a few high profile coaches and product sellers have become celebrities of a sort, largely because of their harsh, “don’t hold back” language.

Ash Ambirge over at www.TheMiddleFingerProject.org makes no apologies for her use of offensive words, and her fans love her for it. And those that don’t? Well, as she says right on her home page, her site and services are “not for humorless bores.”

Snarkiness and foul language is not the only way to go, though. Carrie Wilkerson has built her brand almost entirely on her ability to be kind and generous. She always has a nice word, never appears defeated or overwhelmed, and is an inspiration to her fans and clients.

While very different in their approach, these two women have one thing in common: authenticity. It’s clear that if you were to meet either of them in person, they would speak and act exactly as they do online. And their brands are stronger for it.

Your Story

How did you get to where you are today? The backstory—which to you might seem boring and uneventful—is a powerful tool that can help solidify your brand and attract just the right audience.

Melissa Ingold tells of being a struggling single mother, and of creating an online business rather than simply choosing to work one dead-end job after another. Her success is an inspiration to her audience, and is a huge part of her branding.

Kelly McCausey speaks often of how she got started online when she was looking for a way to earn just a few extra dollars every month to keep the lights on. Creating graphics at $5 each quickly turned into a full-time online career.

Your story doesn’t have to be dramatic, and you certainly don’t have to share more than you’re comfortable with, but it does have to be yours. Be your true self, and you’ll never have to worry about attracting the right audience. They will self-select, and your perfect client will find you.

Personally I got introduced to the concept of working from home for myself back in 1985 when I came across a book called “The Lazy Man’s Way to Riches” by Joe Karbo.  Great title of course is what drew me in.  It was all about mail order which I could not see myself doing (too much administrative work!) but the work-from-home concept stuck with me.

My “Submarine Guy” brand was a natural spinoff from my Navy career in the U. S. Navy Submarine Force.  I was doing that for 24 years so it is kind of ingrained in me!

Your Look and Feel

Branding is also about a common look and feel, especially in the online world.  It does not have to be complicated however!

Consider having a standard head-shot picture of yourself that you use across the social media platforms, your blog, your videos, etc.  I spent about $200 to get a set of shots from a local photographer in his home studio.  I got a 150 or so from him and selected two for my “brand” that I use across all the stated media.

You can get a great header picture for your blog from free sites like www.Pixabay.com See mine at http://www.SubmarineGuy.com I also use it as PowerPoint backgrounds, snippets for my Twitter account, etc.

That photo (actually there are two I use) which I got for free from www.PixaBay.com has served MANY purposes in providing me a common look/feel across my marketing media.  PixaBay is a good place to get pictures because they screen them to ensure there are no copy-write restrictions on them so you are free to use them for personal or business purposes.

Other easy branding elements you can use are intros and outros for your videos.  See what I mean on this video:  https://youtu.be/EdFHOB8ZaTM  You will see my “intro” at the start and if you scroll to the end, a different call to action type of outro at the end.  (this is a cool video on Call To Actions if you want to watch the whole thing… well worth your while.)  Subscribe to my YouTube channel while you are there.

If you would like to get a cool intro/outro or other video for your brand, my partner (and wife) runs www.TopDogCopy.com and can do them for you.  She did mine!  You can get hold of her to discuss on her site.

Tomorrow’s topic: Targeting Your Offers for Bigger Profits

Feel free to email or call me at any time.

Here’s to Your Business Success,
Fred Raley
703-203-4648
www.SubmarineGuy.com
Fred@SubmarineGuy.com

Copyright © Submarine Guy. All Rights Reserved.