This phrase “personal brand” has been thrown around a lot lately, and if you’re started a blog, you might be wondering if you need one. What is a personal brand, really? Or even what is “branding,” in general? And is there really a reason to spend time designing one for yourself? (**Note: It’s more than just a pretty website! It takes time to build a personal brand.)
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Well, I am definitely in the camp that strongly supports branding yourself when you become a blogger. But they are complex creatures, those personal brands. They can take many forms–basically as many forms as there are bloggers. No two brands will be alike. I would also argue that whether you want a personal brand or not, you’ve got one if you’re in the public eye somehow (social media, website, blog, published works, etc.). So, you might as well learn about them, right? Below, I’ve listed out what a personal brand is and why you actually need to purposefully cultivate one (even if your blog is new!).
What is a Personal Brand?
1. A Personal Brand makes you recognizable.
Your personal brand is the unique ‘spice’ that helps people pick you out of a lineup of other bloggers. Blogger #1 writes about mom life and money-saving tips, making most of her money through affiliate links. Blogger #2 writes about how to monetize a blog, and she makes most of her income through online courses. Blogger #3 is a health and fitness trainer, and most of her sales come through 1:1 coaching.
Niches and product packages certainly play into your brand, but so do consistent themes/topics, design, and the types of environment you create. For example, you might teach women how to work from home (niche) through your ebook and online course (product packages), and the vibrant jewel tones on your website communicate that you’re warm and full of life (design). Your core message that continually appears in your posts and across social media is “freedom from home” (consistent themes), and you are known by your audience as an approachable figure with an active online community of other work-from-home moms (type of environment). All of these things separate you and your brand from every other blogger out there. In other words, when readers are looking for certain kind of information, yours (or someone else’s) will resonate with them. Which brings us to our next point…
2. A Personal Brand is about reader expectations.
When it comes to creating a personal brand, it goes deeper than how you write, what you choose to sell, and how readers can distinguish you from other bloggers. Ultimately, branding is largely about meeting reader expectations.
Now, some might balk at this statement for a moment. Reader expectations? It’s my personal brand, not theirs. Why do they get a say in my brand?
Simple. Because they’re your customers.
Am I saying you should pander to the masses and jump on every popular bandwagon that comes along? No. Definitely not. What I am saying is that if you are seriously seeking a career in blogging, then giving your ideal readers what they want is part of the process. In turn, they come to expect certain things from you, and when you deliver, they are quick to purchase and leave raving reviews.
In fact, I’ve heard it said that a seller’s brand is whatever buyers say it is to their friends. You have the power to emote what you want your personal brand to represent, but ultimately, your readers will take what they’ve seen, read, heard, and witnessed and create their own perceptions of what your brand means to them. (Isn’t that kind of what happens with any form of art, including our writing?)
Questions and Objections Concerning Your Brand
Does a Brand stick me in a box?
It depends on how you look at it. You could choose to see it as a restrictive place, where you can’t write whatever you fancy desires. Or, you could see it as freedom. Sometimes when we have no parameters, we wind up doing nothing (or at least nothing well). At least, that is my case. When we have a fence around our brand, then the only way to go is up, and you can soar to the heavens.
Yes, as you really clarify your brand, your readership will build expectations… but in the long run, this helps you. You’ll understand what your strengths are and be able to capitalize on them. Knowing your readers and what they desire to see from you (stuff, by the way, that you’re already good at and likely enjoy doing) gives you tremendous power. I mean that in the best sense. You’ll be ideally positioned to touch lives and change hearts. To entertain. To teach. To make connections. All those reasons we writers like to do what we do for others.
What if my Brand isn’t appealing to everyone?
The stronger your Brand is, the more it will draw people to you… and the more it will repel others.
Consider this to be a good thing.
Let’s say you need to go shopping for milk and eggs. You won’t go to the automotive store for that, right? If you did, you’d be sorely disappointed. Instead, you’ll go to the grocery store, because that’s where you’ll have the highest chance of reaching your expectation: buying milk and eggs. Now, if you needed tires or new windshield wipers, the automotive store is perfect! You are certain to find those items there.
Brands work like this. Think of an author selling books. Readers are “shopping” for the type of book they want to read. Someone who only reads fantasy will know not to buy a book by Jane J. Doe because all Jane J. Doe writes is Amish. This is a good thing because if the reader were to pick up Jane’s book and be dissatisfied, then she might leave a poor review (that is essentially unmerited, in my opinion) and tell her friends not to check out Jane’s books. If she knew ahead of time that Jane doesn’t write in the genre she likes to read, then she could pass on the book and save a lot of headache for everyone.
But what if I want to transform or tweak my Brand some day?
I know a lot of people have this concern. Are you stuck in a slot forever? Not exactly. But it’s all about strategy.
For example, a friend of mine writes indie in two genres. She has chosen to use a pen name for one of her genres so that readers know immediately which genre they’re looking at. The downside is there’s potentially more marketing needed with two brands because you have two separate readerships (with some overlap, though you can’t count on it). The positive is that separating your brands with pen names helps diminish the possible disappointment a reader might have. This way, there’s a smaller chance they’ll pick up one of your stories expecting one genre while getting another.
If you write all over the map, with no consistency, then you will have a harder time building fans, followers, and readers. People won’t know how to categorize you. If that’s what you want to do, that’s fine… but you won’t build a solid brand structure where the right readers flock to you! A consistent brand will build your fan base WAY faster.
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Your Turn!
Have you thought about building a Brand? If so, what snags have you hit along the way? What advice would you give someone just starting out? Shoot me a quick note in the comments below!