There is no shortage of literature on ‘personal brand’  and it was one of the topics at the recent National Small Business Convention (NSBC) www.nsbc.org.za

So while there’s a lot said, like money and free time, you can never have too much of it.

The key piece about your personal brand is the individual, the personality, your values, your style, your promise. What can you deliver and why  is it unique?

For small business, your personal brand is the core of your marketing, the central theme around your products and services.

Your brand is not your logo or your company name, unless of course you are Microsoft or the Yellow Pages online directory, which by the way, I did not know still existed until seeing them at the NSBC (www.nsbc.org.za)

For people to hire you,  or buy your products regularly, what your brand stands for needs to be crystal clear, attractive, exciting and powerful. In fact, your brand needs to be powerful enough to rouse your customers into action. And at the same time it needs to express you, what you’re about and what makes you unique.

Once you’re sure of your brand you also gain a tangible and easy way of talking to people about what you do. It makes it so much easier to do your marketing when you have it clear in your mind what it is you’re selling in the first place.

When you create your brand you are able to put out a memorable marketing message that will inspire people to take action and choose you over your competitors.

Here are five useful tips to help you find your brand:

Your Brand Tip 1

Your brand is the core of what you do. What feelings or emotions does your business inspire in you and in your customers? Most of the time, people buy on emotion. Do your best to tap into what they need by asking questions.

Your Brand Tip 2

Think about how you present yourself, not just on your website but when people see you, talk to you on the phone, or read your email. Is your marketing consistently saying what you want it to? Are people getting confusing messages from you, or is it clear from the start what you do?

Your Brand Tip 3

Think like your potential customer, try to get inside their head and see your products or services from their point of view. How do they experience what you do, and how does it make them feel?

Your Brand Tip 4

What is it you do that makes you stand out from the crowd? If you don’t think you do, then you need to think of a way that you can, because your brand should be somehow different from everyone else’s, it’s not enough to be the same as everyone else.

Your Brand Tip 5

What are your greatest strengths? Choose an unbiased person, who knows you well, to help you decide what your top attributes are; your brand should be based around your unique strengths and abilities.

Creating a strong, memorable, compelling and meaningful personal brand is essential for successful marketing, and something you can do with a bit of thought, and maybe a bit of help from your (unbiased) friends.