Jeremy Schoemaker. Gary Vaynerchuk. Zac Johnson. All names you know or should know if you read this blog. But have you ever thought about why? The reason you know their names is that these marketing mavens have taken the time to build and maintain a personal brand. You know them because they want you to know them. They work at it. They invest in it. They view building their personal brand as an integral part of their business endeavors.
Personal brands are powerful. In many ways they can be more valuable than a product, service or corporate brand. Want to sell more wares? Slap Trump’s name on a building, have Britney Spears front a perfume… or leverage the Shoemoney name to sell a set of Internet Tools. People identify with people. Marketable people with solid personal brands can sell almost any product.
I believe every affiliate marketer should invest time and money creating his or her personal brand. Whether you are working for yourself or an employer a personal brand can be an incredible long term asset that can open doors and create wealth. You aren’t going to be a rockstar overnight, but if you start now you can build over time.
Ted’s Tips For Starting a Personal Brand
Define Your Brand Promise
What are you all about? What are your interests? What are you good at? Successful branding is about promoting your natural strengths, whatever those may be. If you are a geek be a super geek. If you are good looking show off that pretty mug of yours. List out your assets and determine what will appeal most to your audience. Create a simple statement that defines your brand promise. A sample promise might read “Creative disruption of the marketing industry with a smile”.
Own Your Name
If you don’t already have your own personal domain go out and get one. Your domain should either be based on your real name or on a persona you plan to go by. Any persona you create should complement your brand promise. Whatever domain you choose you should try to lockup the name throughout the socialsphere. Don’t be @johndoe on twitter and have the domain technojohn.com. Try to be consistent whenever you can to avoid confusion.
Make Your Mark
Every notable brand has a distinct logo mark, color palette, font and style. If you are not a designer don’t try to create these elements of your personal brand on your own. Just because you have Photoshop doesn’t mean you should be designing your website or business cards. Hire a real designer with experience in branding. Share your brand promise and collaborate to create a professional graphic identity you like.
Share and Promote
Your new domain should serve as the hub for all things you. Update your content on a regular basis and use social media tools to start spreading the word. If you really want to grow you are going to need to invest some cash or other currency. Consider having custom swag made, attending industry events, and buying ads to get your name out as much as possible. If you want to be perceived as a rockstar you have to promote like a rockstar.
I wrote the above article I for last month’s FeedFront Magazine. You can download the entire magazine free. Special thanks to Missy Ward and Shawn Collins for the opportunity to contribute.
