The idea of personal branding is a relatively new trend in the business world, but I can promise you, it’s one that’s here to stay. Now more than ever, small business owners and solopreneurs establishing an online presence to connect with potential customers is not only wise, it’s downright vital to their survival.

Here’s the thing, though. No matter what business you’re in, people only buy from those they know, like, and trust. You must build relationships with your leads and customers. This is why defining and presenting a personal brand is so important. We don’t build relationships with companies. We build relationships with people.

What is Branding

Before we dive into the meat of this post, I have a very important question to ask you:  What is branding, anyway? Most people think that branding is all about their logo. And while, yes, that is a part of it, branding is actually much bigger (and more abstract) than that.

Businessdictionary.com defines branding as “The process involved in creating a unique name and image for a product in the consumers’ mind, mainly through advertising campaigns with a consistent theme. Branding aims to establish a significant and differentiated presence in the market that attracts and retains loyal customers.”

To put in simply, branding is what people say, think, and feel about your business. It’s how all of the touchpoints of your brand – your customer experience, your social media presence, your marketing materials, etc. – are perceived by others.  It is driven by human emotion. And if you’re the face of your business, like a network marketer, realtor, photographer, blogger, stylist, small business owner, or any type of online entrepreneur, then your brand also entails you and your personality.

So how do you go about building a stronger personal brand that differentiates your business? You need 3 key components in place:  your brand foundation, your brand identity, and your brand experience.

The Brand Foundation

The basis of your brand is its foundation.  It’s what everything other aspect of your brand is built upon. Your brand foundation is based on your business’ mission and company values. Who are you? What do you stand for? What do you do? If you don’t already have one, I highly suggest creating a mission statement for your business. {CLICK HERE FOR TIPS ON WRITING YOUR BUSINESS MISSON STATEMENT}. Your mission statement isn’t something that needs to be displayed anywhere, unless you want to. It simply defines the vision and purpose of your brand.

The Brand Identity

Your brand identity encompasses the design of the visual aspects of your brand, such as your logo, colors, and typography. I cannot stress enough the importance of keeping these elements consistent across all of your marketing channels. Remember that humans are visual creatures. I love this quote by Paul Rand: “Design is the silent ambassador of your brand.” By keeping your brand identity consistent, you become more recognizable and appear more professional.

Another element of your brand identity is your voice. Brand voice refers to the personality and emotion infused into your business’ communications. It involves everything from the words and language you use, to the personality and image you aim to portray. As a personal brand, your voice should reflect your personality.

Later, you should check out this article I found about some great brand voice examples.

One more thing: Because you are building a personal brand, I am a firm believer that your headshot is a vital part of your brand identity. You are the face of your brand. Your customers want to connect with you. For this reason, I am a firm believer that your profile photo on social media should be your headshot, NOT your logo.

If you need help designing the visual elements of your brand, I can help. {CLICK HERE}

The Brand Experience

Your brand experience refers to the customer service experience your customers have in doing business with you. Ask yourself these questions: Do you engage with your followers on social media? Were you quick to answer emails from leads or clients? What makes you different from your competitors? What sets you apart from your competitors? Do you do anything unexpected to make doing business with you more enjoyable? Your brand experience is KEY because it controls how the emotions your customers feel about your brand. You can control how you are perceived by having a great customer service experience. Establish a plan for making your brand experience downright awesome for your customer, and follow through every time. Happy customers lead to referrals. Referrals lead to more sales. And more sales lead to more profits.

In short, think of personal branding as the polygamous marriage of your brand foundation, brand identity, and customer service experience. If you haven’t mapped out a solid brand strategy, you need to. Or maybe you have, but now you think it needs to be tweaked. Either way, you should absolutely download my free guide, “The Ultimate Personal Branding Road Map.” It’s an all inclusive guide to planning your brand foundation, brand identity, and brand experience.

{CLICK HERE TO GET YOUR COPY OF THE ULTIMATE PERSONAL BRANDING ROADMAP}

So what do you think? Are you a small business owner? What do you do? Is personal branding something you think could help your business? Let me know in the comments!