What vibe is your brand emitting? Does it represent the awesome sauce of YOU?
It's important to be conscious and deliberate about putting forth an authentic brand identity especially when you want to get noticed by TV producers or potential employers.
Your brand identity is not about what you do, it is about how you do what you do, what makes you unique and what it means to you and others. Your brand identity gives us hints about the type of experience we will have with you.
Your brand identity shows up in all of your online postings, websites, and social networks as well as your printed marketing materials. If you missed my previous post where we discussed the impact your social media profiles have on your brand, read it!
When your business cards, websites, videos and bios on social media all point to what makes you unique, how well you get results and the overall experience we can expect when working with you, then you're starting to master personal branding. To continue your media mastery, put in place these important tips.
Be seen as the glorious gift to the world that you truly are!
Personal branding is NOT about bragging for the sake of ego aggrandizement. That is, it is not done just to puff yourself up. Though puffery can sometimes be part of the game, when well played, highlighting your personal and professional success merely communicates why you're worth paying attention to.
Many of my clients and business students think they can just present their business card or CV to be seen for who they are. But with so many candidates applying for the same job and so many experts wanting TV exposure, you've got to highlight your success, strengths and USP in order to get the attention for even an initial phone call - let alone a job or TV gig!
So be sure to communicate the types of results you get, the problems you solve and success stories that illustrate why you are different and better than the thousands of other candidates out there!
Take action now -
- List the results of working with you or your products
- What problems are you successfully solving
- List 3 'success stories' of people who were positively impacted by you or your company
Highlight your USP to get TV, radio and Internet exposure
When you don't take conscious steps to create a brand that is in line with your personality, values and strengths, you risk blending in with the crowd or misrepresenting yourself. Neither of which will result in the positive impact you wish to make in the world. And it certainly won't inspire a top blogger or TV or radio show producer to call on YOU.
For example, by just stating what you do by listing your job title, you leave the interpretation up to the reader. This leaves no impression of why you're special or valuable. Further, by becoming bland or too general, you will find that your materials don't correspond to your ideal client -- that is, you won't appeal to your niche. (More on speaking to your niche in another post.)
People are drawn to unique offerings. If you just put out to the world what you are - without defining your character, personality and unique talents, we are left guessing. With so many other experts online if you don't have a clearly defined brand identity media producers and potential clients alike won't choose to call you specifically.
In my case, I was on TV every day for years, but I was just seen as a medical journalist and host. For years I was known as a general 'doc in the box.' When I opened a holistic wellness center and spa, I had to rebrand myself.
Now I teach my clients and business students how to create a brand identity that is in alignment with your passion, your goals and your personality. That's how people will connect with YOU, your message and your offerings. And that's how you'll engage them to stay connected to you over time.
That's what I did for my own brand. If you look at my appearances on Oprah the first time and the last time you'll see a pretty big difference in my overall presentation, confidence and energy.
When you are aiming for BIG media or an upgraded job profile, then the stakes get higher. So you need to be consciously putting forth who you really are in your branded materials and appearances.
Take action now - list what makes you unique
- List 3 adjectives to describe your personality
- What do you do in an innovative or alternative way that is special?
- What awesome feature to your approach to life or business do people commonly say they like?
Take the two action lists you completed and be sure that they are brought up as you share your story, success and brand goals.
For more insights on the best ways to brand yourself and avoid costly mistakes, join me and 8 other branding powerhouses in Iceland for the Small Business Branding Day on September 6, 2014 where I will present my top tips of creating YOUR authentic Brand IDentity in alignment with your core VALUES, personality and strengths for maximum media attention. Learn more here.
I'll see you again soon with more tips on branding yourself for media and personal appearances to have an extraordinary impact in the world.
Until then, rest assured there is an audience waiting for you, your talents and your gifts. Together we will unlock your potential for media mastery.
For more tips on branding yourself in the media and positioning yourself as the go-to expert in your niche, visit AndreaPennington.com to get access to the 5 Keys for Media Success free video training series.