Branding: It isn’t just for livestock

POSTED BY tolly ON February 22, 2011

By Megan Moede, PR By the Book Assistant Publicist

As a recent graduate, it’s interesting to see what the common 20-something thinks of as a “brand.” It’s easy to think of the oversaturated powerhouses with memorable hooks like Facebook and Twitter, but having catchy advertisement takes a lot of time and hours of research in order to successful brand a company, person or idea.

Not many people think of “branding” themselves as a person. It’s easy to overlook the simple fact that in this day and age, you aren’t really just a name and a face; you’re a product. You have to learn to be marketable. That being said, there are a few important things to remember when you’re stepping out in the “real world,” and a lot of it is based on how you brand yourself.

1. What is “branding”? Branding is simply creating a persona that the public uses to identify a person, artist, author, etc. This technique is important for everyone involved in the “job food chain,” whether you’re interviewing for a job or advertising your (or your client’s) product. Branding isn’t necessarily something that is tangible, but can also be solidifying an idea or an image.

2. What’s your message? Before you can even begin the process of “branding” yourself (or your client), you have to know what message you’re trying to convey. This is probably one of the more difficult aspects of branding. You have to know what you’re trying to tell people in an effective way so that you’re not a John Doe, but a memorable person or product.

3. Who is your audience? This becomes clearer once you define the message you’re giving. When you create a solid message, you will begin to see who would benefit most from your (or your client’s) work, idea or product.

4. What’s your goal? This might be an area that also gets defined more clearly as you go through the process of creating your “brand.” It’s always good to be ambitious and shoot for the best possible goal you can (ex: I want 20 Twitter followers a day, I want to be on two talk shows by the end of the month) and never stop trying to reach that goal. It’s easy to get sucked in your work and forget what you originally set out to do, but if you clearly define what you want and need for you (or your client) from the very beginning, it’s a lot easier to hold you and your brand accountable.

Image courtesy www.matchstic.com

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