BUSINESS COACHING

The Branding of You

I think that it would be fair to say that most of you started the New Year assessing your business. You want to increase success and profitability. To accomplish this it is not your business that needs marketing in 2007 but YOU.

It is your passion, experience, abilities, skills that is the essence of your business. It is your qualities and values that are the core of your professional standards. You are the voice on the phone, the handshake at a meeting and the photograph in your promotions. It is you that need to stand out from the crowd and you that affect how people respond to your business.

Personal Branding - Emotional Response

Knowing yourself and being confident in who you are says everything about your business. There are a number of ways to get to know you better. Take Brand Strategist William Arruda's 360° Reach personal-branding questionnaire or work with a business coach. You can also sit down and write a personal mission statement, include your strengths and weaknesses so that you know what needs to be improved and what you can build on. When you compare that personal mission statement with your business one, you will quickly see that they fit together, interlocking like two pieces of a jigsaw puzzle.

Draft your 2007 marketing plan around the results. As your target clientele gets to know you through your marketing, they will connect and respond with emotions such as; trust, respect, confidence, motivation or excitement.

Promotional Branding - Your Uniqueness

Use photographs in the ads, website and any promotional materials that you send out; it gives you credibility and establishes trust.

People are not looking for beauty or glamour but they are looking for a professional image. A picture taken by your friend or from last summer's vacation is not a good idea. Remember that you are asking people to hire and trust the person in that photograph.

Visual Branding - Stand Out From the Crowd

When it comes to buying spaghetti, chances are you are more tempted by the colorful Catelli™ package with the photograph of a pasta primavera than the generic plain white box with the blue letters. So put some personality in everything that you do.

At trade shows and meetings, don't be one of many female participants in the white blouse and black pants. Stand out in the mauve top, the red shoes, tan suede jacket or the beautiful scarf. Blending in doesn't get you clients. You need to be distinctive, easy to spot or point you out in a crowd.

Social Branding - Always in style

Never underestimate the importance of good manners and business etiquette. There is a lot more to any business social function than just business. I am coaching an increasing number of women on social skills, protocols, grammar and communication style. These far sighted business women realize how important the formalities can be in today's highly competitive business market.

These are just a few ways to brand yourself; as the year progresses seek every opportunity to put your own stamp on your marketing and consequently your business.