Are You Up for a Personal Brand?
When it comes time to develop a brand, you will need to consider whether it should be based on your company or on Y-O-U.
The following questions should help you decide.
1. Does the brand represent a company, independent of me, or am I the basis for the company?
2. Do I have more than one company or major product and will that confuse the brand? (For example, do I sell dog food at one site and vitamins at another?)
3. Am I a very public spokesman for the brand? (Will you feature yourself in videos, product literature, etc.?) "Even individuals need to develop a brand for themselves …. Whatever your area of expertise, you can take steps to make people think of YOU when they think of your field." Accelepoint Webzine
4. Am I building a company that I hope to someday sell and is it critical that I remain affiliated with the business for it to maintain that brand? (Colonel Sanders was a spokesman for Kentucky Fried Chicken for many years after selling it to John Y. Brown. He was definitely part of the brand. Can you picture him hawking designer shoes in his white suit? Likewise, could you picture Calvin Klein dishing up fried chicken?)
5. Will my personal reputation harm the brand in any way, and likewise, am I willing to be a public persona with all the lack of privacy that could entail? Now, when you ARE the brand, such as selling your services as a consultant or educator, you have no choice. You must build yourself as the brand. But even that can be adjusted eventually; consider Lynda.com who began with making a few video tutorials and now is one of the largest online learning sites for technical people. She has hundreds of experts who prepare videos in her studio to maintain consistency of presentation. Her name, her brand, but the brand of quality superseded her own personal reputation.
Still aren't sure how best to proceed? You can always email me and I will be happy to send you my recommendation based on your unique circumstances.
Kim Garst has been a Mompreneur for almost 20 years and has built a 7 figure income from her home. Currently she shares her business and marketing savvy through coaching and consulting with clients around the world. Kim specializes in helping you get more sales, more leads and more clients utilizing social media and the Internet as a whole. Her systems are easy to implement and get quick results for small businesses as well as new and established solopreneurs.
About Kim
Thank you Kim for highlighting the importance of personal branding in business. I know so many of my clients often come to me confused as to whether to focus on their personal brand or their business. It's great for you to share the clear differences here.
Kim, building a personal brand when you ARE the brand is probably one of the more challenging adventures! Point #2 about having more than one company or product is something I deal with and often come across with other professionals. What would be a recommendation for those areas?
Personally, I think it is very hard to build traffic to one site much less multiple sites. When you ARE the brand, it makes it easier to be the umbrella for all your interests (both business and personal) versus separating your interests onto multiple domains. I think those that do business with us want to know who we are outside of our business interests…some anyway
. I am a big proponent of being real and connecting with people who want to connect with me.
Thanks, Kim, for setting out the questions we need to ask ourselves about personal or company branding. This is something I need to ponder on as I have no idea which way to go, but at least you have given me a basis to work from.
This group was a great idea. I've gotten lots of connections, insight, new ideas, and I know where to go when I need an opinion or an opinion or direction!
Great Food for thought…especially when it comes to being a Very Public Spokesperson for the brand. It really makes me think long and hard about my overall strategy!
Great stuff Kim, as always!
Nice Article Kim! Very concise and great information. Thanks!
Great post Kim! I am sooo glad I was invited to join the "You Can Do" Social Media Marketing group!
I started out on twitter just as a place to meet and talk with new people. As I started my own business and became an advocate for causes and such, getting the name out there for my brand was important and still is. However, I have the relationships via my name. People locally are familiar with what the company does, but it's ME that they know.
I think that big brands like Ford are a great example of having a CEO who blogs. It allows people from around the world to know the person who is the head honcho. It also makes a brand friendlier to the public, and it also allows people to have a direct connection with the people who can make change if someone lower in the company isn't doing their job.
Great post Kim!!! Thanks for sharing such great info!
Justin
Once again Kim you are a leader in internet marketing. You give the nuts of bolts of doing the right things the best way. I want to be the President of the Kim Garst Fan Club because you are constantly leading by example!
Blessings~ Tammy
Great info on branding Kim! I know a lot of business professionals end up getting stuck at this point so this process sure is helpful! =)
Kim, I remember Ali Brown's branding person say if your name is not known then don't use your name in the url. I do have my name in my domain but have others not used as well. Thanks for your wisdom.
I think branding is totally dependent on your circumstances and what you are marketing and even then, you have to make a choice and run with it.
Kim, great article! Number 4 really resonated with me because many people do not consider what their participation is going to be long-term and it's critical to get clarity on that early and then, follow a plan for that exit time.
Great advice, your always a wealth of information. Cheers!
This is excellent information for anyone bringing their business online. As for me personally, there are great tips because I do represent several companies and products as well as our own auto transport business. Thanks for your expert advice in leading us to higher profits, Kim.
This was some good advice for me. Before reading this post I hadn't really thought of my blog as a brand. Thanks for the info!
Great food for thought in your article Kim. It helped to clarify some of my own thoughts about my business and brand, plus add some more points to consider. Appreciate the insight!
Great advice, thanks Kim! Recruiters are extremely aware of personal brands and we feel that from a company standpoint, everyone recruits for the company via their voice and brand.
Trying this it.
Oh so helpful Kim. I'm getting so close to finalizing the tagline. Thanks for your tips and wisdom!!!
Hi Kim,
I am new to your page. I identify with your world and with this article. I am a Mompreneur, too. I am involved with 2 different businesses. I am TheMarriageArchitect and I help business owners delegate to high level Virtual Assistants. More importantly, I have an amazing husband and 7 kids! I also love the social media world, networking and helping people attain their personal and professional goals. I know that I need to brand myself and not my company and work on my LI and FB pages to represent myself and my companies. Thanks for the great tips. I am happy to be in touch! Can I help you reach your target client?
Great information. It is definitely something to think about. I need to define my direction and streamline my activities. I think a consult is in order! Thanks!
First time here. I love your style. I can feel the love!
Kim, thanks for sharing this great information! Very helpful indeed!
Appreciate you dropping by!
Another great post that leaves me with more to ponder… thanks for keeping me busy Kim! ;p
Thanks Kim for this article. I think that for consultant like me it's necessary to develop their personal brand along with the brand of their company. When a company is in start up phase much of the success depends on the founders ability to influence clients and investors and here a personal brand comes handy.
This is incredibly true, Hamza!
With regards to whether the brand should be personal or interchangable – I run a few websites for the local community which would function independent of me, but I also have a web presence which can only be me and would not work otherwise.
This doesn't have much to do with websites, but I wonder what will happen to Berkshire Hathaway when Warren Buffet is no longer around? He's built a mega brand and it's all him (with Charlie Munger in the wings). What will happen to the stock when the guy at the center of it all departs?