Branding.and being “on brand” are terms and phrases I’m sure we’ve heard being thrown about in certain circles, but if someone asked you “what does brand mean?”, can we really state what it is as a whole?
If you’re like me, you can pinpoint certain things a corporate entity does that resonates with us that make them memorable long after their product or service is out of sight. But is that all that branding is? Just a recognizable logo or color scheme or an easily identifiable product we buy and consume? In short this is just a part of branding because there is so much more involved in making you remember and recall the company or product at a later time.
By definition, a brand, according to investopedia,
is a product or service that has a unique and immediately recognizable identity that distinguishes itself from others in its industry.
Coca-Cola, Pepsi, McDonalds, Burger King, Mazda, Honda - They’re all examples of products and services that are unique (although this could be debatable!) and have immediately recognizable identities that help them distinguish themselves from their competition.
I learned in various marketing classes that effective branding is considered one of the most important factors businesses have to help them with longevity and sustainability in the industry. Branding helps guide the consumers expectations when interacting with a particular product or company and can be the "X" factor of a consumer choosing one product over another. Could this concept be brought down in scale to a personal level? Could a person develop a "brand" that could be marketable to others, whether in personal or professional relationships? The answer is YES. You CAN develop a "personal brand" in which others will know what to expect from you and what you can deliver.
Defining Your Brand
Whether we like to admit it or not, we all carry a brand that lets others know who we are, what we're all about, and what they can expect from and of us. Our personal brand is found in our reputation (which is built from our daily interactions with others). Much like a business we can control a lot of how we are perceived, but instead of having a marketing team to accomplish this we only have ourselves and our personality to do this job (which should make controlling the "brand" a lot easier!).
This was apparent recently when an observation was made of interactions between coworkers and their clients. In one instance, the coworker was faced with a potentially unpleasant situation and was noticeably absent for the entire interaction! This was not the first time this behavior was observed and it led me to make a mental note that this person would not be reliable in the future if similar situations came up. They had established the way they behave in certain situations and in essence established their "brand".
There are so many more factors in creating an effective personal brand that one simple blog post could not possibly cover them all in detail. If this is a subject that you'd like more information on let me know and I'll take a deeper dive in upcoming blogs.
A personal brand is your identity and your clients introduction to you. Some of the strongest tools a business has to grow their client base is word-of-mouth advertising (which does include reviews on websites). If your first impression isn't a positive lasting one, what can be done to change this image and in turn help create growth? What would your friends, family, or clients say about you to others if you weren't in the same room as them?
Cheers,
-JP
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