By Evan Vitale
Establishing yourself as a brand can be done using a mind-blowing array of techniques these days by leveraging countless tools. But the first decision you need to make when you build your corporation is whether “you” are the brand or whether you are building it from scratch. Are you prepared to vote for yourself or just create another living being? There are pros and cons to both.
Building a Personal Brand
How will it look if I roll out a “personal brand” style on the company website or blog? Trendspotter, entrepreneur and idea man, Seth Godin, has written many best-selling business and marketing books with his most well-known title, “Purple Cow” selling more than 150,000 copies in 23 print runs. He has expanded his brand into writing children’s books and a number 1 ranked marketing blog as well as podcasts and workshops.
Although “Purple Cow” became its own brand and from that the whole concept of looking for unicorns in the marketplace built upon it, anything Seth Godin says also eventually becomes viral and in that way he has become his own brand.
Similarly, the CBS reality show “The Amazing Race” has featured in its Season 28 an entire cast of bloggers and social media stars that produce constant streams of vlogs, Vine videos, blogs and online content that feature their take on everything from fashion to making magical cool effects.
Worry about whether their Amazing Race performances will affect their “personal brand” in real time has been a highlight of the show.
Why Personal Works
Gaining trust or growing authority for your product in its own niche is hard when you are starting from scratch. But when you promote yourself in your marketing efforts and are able to tell your own incredible story, the brand story becomes more cemented in the mind of your audience, often creating an embedded memory. Just like a baby remembers his mother’s face, we remember many faces long after we have forgotten words that a person spoke.
Additionally putting your name with a face, putting your brand with your face means you are casting the first vote for brand trust. If you can speak for yourself, then others will be more inclined to do so as well and share your message as brand ambassadors.
Bringing your personality and enthusiasm into your brand building process can also give your business launch the extra spark it might need for a successful lift off.