This is an excerpt from Chapter 12 of my book Career Transition-make the shift-“Re-brand Yourself into a Fresher Version of You”
“Nobody can go back and start a new beginning, but anyone can start today and make a new ending.” Maria Robinson
Discovering, uncovering, reinventing, and nowadays, re-branding yourself are truly adventures no matter what your age or stage of life. For me, it’s been a combination of many new discoveries (along with a healthy dose of some fear and doubt). Anytime we change things we’ve been doing for a long time or that we’re comfortable and familiar with, it’s frightening!
“Today we are all tasked with trying to stand out and get noticed, followed, and recommended. The only way to do that is by developing an attractive personal brand and packaging and presenting it by using all of the amazing tools and platforms available today.”
When I first saw this picture, it caught my attention immediately for obvious reasons. It’s subtle, clever and immediate in making it’s point.
Being visible and noticed
“How do I do that?” is usually the question I get asked by small-business owners and professionals I work with and who comment on my articles. The answer is not always simple, but we all know that the brands that do stand out and make an impact on connecting and being remembered have a few things in common.
Here are 3 things that stand-out brands have in common for me.
1. They are laser clear on knowing who they are, what they do, and whom they serve.
That clarity allows the recall, even if it’s one word that someone associates with them. Apple is technology: iPhone, iTunes, iPad. So, write down that who, what, why, and how about yourself and your business in a few sentences; or even what’s your word? Get some professional help if you’re stuck.
2. They differentiate their companies and themselves from their competition.
They create a brand story, which is a more personal approach to telling the “who” they are and how they got where they are. When you tell your story, people will naturally relate and find commonality with you and they will naturally want to know more about the “what” you do and the “what” you sell. What do you do better than your competition? Why should they choose you? Ask customers and colleagues for their perspective on this along with your own. Try to demonstrate in your story how you and your product/service have directly or indirectly helped others. Make sure to add those written or video testimonials which are great for this!
When you work on connecting, relating, and engaging others by being authentic, the potential for the rest (such as a referral, introduction, and/or sale) becomes possible.” Write out your story, both personally and professionally and connect the history, lessons, and experiences into the story. It’s more interesting, relatable and memorable that way.
3. They’re always evolving the ways they serve and the ways they present themselves through their brand story.
Nothing stays the same for too long today. That’s why it’s so important to keep telling your brand story!
“Branding is the combination of your tangible and intangible characteristics that make you unique. Branding is the development of that internal and external ‘package’ with the promise and potential delivery of your results to match.”
Consistently telling people about you and your company through your experiences, things you’ve learned in life and business, the mistakes you made and how you bounced back are real for all of us.
Branding stays important
The technology revolution has given all of us low-cost, no-cost, powerful, and effective tools to keep ourselves out there. We can change in an instant, become viral in an hour, ruin our reputation with one sentence and get discovered in a day!
Branding is not going anywhere anytime soon. In fact it’s going to be talked about, analyzed and elevated more and more. Branding is in the spotlight right now because figuring out how to stand out, set yourself apart, and make an impression has become more much difficult. Too much noise, clutter, relentless info, but that’s where we live now.
Branding is your vibe, personality and your business in action. Keep defining it, telling your brand story and always keep it fresh and up to date! How have you branded yourself and your business into a fresher version, so that you and your business stand out?
Author:
Deborah Shane is an author, entrepreneur, radio host and expert. She is the heart and soul of her business education and professional development company, Train with Shane and is in her third year of hosting a weekly business radio show on blogtalkradio.com. She writes for several national business, career and marketing blogs, and websites including smallbiztrends.com, careerealism.com, Internationalbusinesstimes.com, Smartbrief.com and blogher.com Her new book Career Transition-make the shift-the 5 steps to successful career reinvention is available now on amazon.com. Connect with her on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and Blogtalkradio @Deborah Shane, or visit www.deborahshane.com.
