Bonus!  Learn a simple Personal Branding Hack to up your Online Game

 

So, here’s the million dollar Q…

What exactly is the difference between a brand and a business?  

A business is just an organization that markets a product, service or opportunity.

A personal brand on the other hand is the image and personality the business applies to it’s offers.

A business becomes a brand when it can transcend beyond what others in the industry are doing.  It takes an existing core equity,  or philosophy, flips it upside down,  and it infuses that new idea into everything it does, expanding its personality or vision on the product or service.

Make sense?

One of the biggest mistakes that entrepreneurs make when they start their business is that they look at what other people in their industry are doing and try to replicate it.  

There’s no doubt that I was guilty of this myself when I first started out.  But it wasn’t long before I saw the downfall in trying to do what other photographers were doing.

Your personal brand image should be your personality, your vision, your image.

A brand should build trust, rapport, and human connection.  It’s about keeping it real, being relatable, and being approachable to your ideal customer.

The only way to do this is by being yourself.

How to make the shift from Business to Personal Brand (without spending a dime)

When I say personal branding, I’m not talking about your website, logo, fonts, or colors.  I’m talking about the perception and the unique voice behind your offer.

Ask yourself this question – “How do people perceive me?”

Write down 5 adjectives of how you think people perceive you.

Don’t stop there, ask your spouse, your best friends, and your colleagues the same question.

You need to see the big picture of how people perceive you and how you perceive yourself.  You’ll start hearing the same words over and over again.

When you begin hear these words, you start to have a better and more clear understanding of what makes you different.

When you start with what makes you unique, then you will appeal to people who are looking for exactly what makes you different.

Are you light and airy or dark and moody?  Are you hip and edgy or minimalist and modern?

Find your personal branding words.  

Ask yourself if your brand and your work are telling the same story.  

• Is the perception of your brand consistent with the work that your putting out?
• Does your work support your brand?  
• Or does your brand support your work?

There’s someone out there that is looking for you right now, for exactly what makes you different.  They can’t find you because you’re blending in, but as soon as you stand out…they’re there for you!

How to make your personal brand stand out

You want to be memorable beyond just what you do.  You want to be memorable for who you really are! That’s when you’re going to connect with more people who are just like you and that’s when the real power comes into play.

You should be creating points of connection with your ideal client.  Your clients are looking for a way to relate to you.

For example, if you’re passionate about eating dessert before dinner, talk about it!  Let your followers know your quirks and idiosyncrasies.

Even though they may not do it exactly the same way, they might just be relieved that somebody out there has a ritual that other people might not understand or agree with.

Find a benchmark for conversation

Basically, your ideal client is  looking for a reason to connect with you.  A reason outside of your work that makes you who you are or that makes your work what it is.  People value you for that.

So, really go for it!

Talk about why you love it.  Reiterate it in different ways on different platforms.  Often.

Take the pressure off yourself of being someone that you think you should be and actually just talk about who you really are.

Determine why you love the things you love and be thoughtful about how you share them with others, through pictures and stories.

It makes you a real person behind the brand.  It humanizes you.

Whatever you love, find a way to incorporate it into your business.

The race against time

When someone visits your website you have approximately .08 seconds to create a spark.  This is your opportunity to create an experience that people don’t want to leave.

Ask yourself, what do you love that your clients love?

Start threading that into your brand/ into your persona.

When you partner a strong visual presence with a clear voice, a beating heart, and a true recognizable personality, you will truly make a greater impact and see bigger results.

xo