Developing what’s called a “personal brand” is a great way to achieve an edge over the competition. Suppose, for example, that your business has excellent products and services. You advertise to produce leads, pay attention to customer service and use the latest technology. Yet you aren’t the “go-to” business in your field.
The problem is that you haven’t effectively branded yourself, says personal branding expert Tim O’Brien. For professionals and other small business ventures, YOU are the product.
O’Brien, founder of Rainmaker U., says how you market yourself can be more important than your products, your prices or even how smart you are.
He offers these tips:
Target your message more precisely. Don’t try to be everything to everyone. Try focusing your message on a select audience and work on becoming a dominant force in your niche.
Create your differentiator. What makes you different or better in your customers’ eyes? Your target audience wants to do business with the company it believes is the best. O’Brien says, “If you are a commercial litigator, do you want to be known as affable and easy-going? Perhaps, but your customer is probably looking for characteristics like tenacious and forceful.”
Build your personal brand around benefits. Your brand will appeal to prospective customers only if it offers what they’re looking for. So don’t build your brand in a vacuum. Put the message in terms that translate to what your target audiences want.
Stick to one benefit if you can, and build around that. Pick one thing that is relevant in your industry and that resonates with you. For example, if you are a real estate agent who is friendly, patient and relentless, which of those qualities would probably benefit clients the most? “Relentlessness,” suggests O’Brien. “You could be known as not stopping until a sale meets a client’s total satisfaction, or until you find the perfect home for a client.”
Develop your personal branding ‘catch phrase.’ This won’t be appropriate for all professions, but for many a well-crafted slogan can convey a tremendous amount of information.
These resources can help in your quest to build a personal brand:
* Get more information on Rainmaker U. and O’Brien’s book “The Power of Personal Branding” at www.thepersonalbrandinggroup.com.
* Martin Lindstrom, at www.martinlindstrom.com, is one of the savviest branding experts around.
* Visit Dan Schawbel’s Personal Branding Blog at personalbrandingblog.wordpress.com.
Daniel Kehrer can be reached at editor@business.com.
