BUILDING YOUR

BRAND
PERSONAL BRANDING

• It is the process of developing a “mark” that is created around

your name or your career.
• You use this “mark” to express and communicate your skills,
personality, and values.
PERSONAL BRANDS

• It should be important to everyone.

• It is not only for the entrepreneurs that own their business.
• It is the secret sauce that can make you stand out of a stack of
resumes.
• If you do not develop this, others will do it for you.
PERSONAL BRANDS

• It is the proactive way of controlling your career

development and how you are perceived in the
marketplace.
• A strong personal brand will impact your ability to get
the right jobs, promotions, and increase your ability to
attract talent and capital.
PERSONAL BRANDS

• We all have the ability to be a brand and cultivate our power to stand out
and be unique.
• This uniqueness draws people to our product, our services, or even just
our message.
• Some of the world’s biggest companies spend billions of pounds on
creating and projecting their brands but now individuals have the same
power to build and maintain their profile by using social networks and
websites.
BASICS OF BRANDING

• BRANDS can be defined in two ways. Firstly, a BRAND can be

an identification or a mark that differentiates one business from
another (through a name or a logo, for example). Secondly, a
BRAND symbolizes how people think about your business.
Building a brand helps customers in their decision- making,
creating a perceived knowledge of what they are going to buy-
before they buy it.
BRANDS ARE BASED ON THREE RELATED CRITERIA

• CONFIDENCE IN A BUSINESS, PRODUCT OR SERVICE

DOING EXACTLY WHAT THE CUSTOMER BELIEVES IT
WILL DO. For example, a 24- hour convenience store brand
can be based on customer’s confidence that it will be open,
whatever the time of day or night.
BRANDS ARE BASED ON THREE RELATED CRITERIA

• THE EMOTIONAL RESPONSE OF THE CUSTOMER TO

PURCHASING A PRODUCT OR SERVICE. For example, a clothing
retailer can create a brand based around making its customers feel
good about what they wear, how they look, how good they feel
about buying clothes from that shop and what it says about them to
their peers. A brand builds a unique personality for a business, and
therefore attracts a defined type of customer.
BRANDS ARE BASED ON THREE RELATED CRITERIA

• BRANDING IS BASED ON CONSISTENTLY REWARDING THE

CONFIDENCE AND DELIVERING THE EXPECTED EMOTIONAL
RESPONSE. For example, a domestic cleaning company can build its
brand successfully if customers’ homes are always thoroughly
cleaned, the owners believe that they are using the best cleaning
company and feel good about returning to their newly cleaned
homes.Your brand can cover your business as a whole or separate
products and services.
COMMON CHARACTERISTICS OF SUCCESSFUL
BRANDS
• AUDIENCE KNOWLEDGE
• UNIQUENESS
• PASSION
• CONSISTENCY
• COMPETITIVENESS
• EXPOSURE
• LEADERSHIP
COMMON CHARACTERISTICS OF SUCCESSFUL
BRANDS
• AUDIENCE KNOWLEDGE- the best brands have a thorough
understanding of the demographics of their target market,
what their interests are, and how they communicate.
Understanding the target market is critical because it provides
direction for the tone and reach of a marketing campaign, along
with the overall identity of a brand, while helping to create an
organic, human connection between a business and its audience.
COMMON CHARACTERISTICS OF SUCCESSFUL
BRANDS
• UNIQUENESS- establishing a brand requires something distinctive.
For example, APPLE has become known worldwide for their
innovative products and minimalistic, aesthetic appeal. When it
comes to service companies, DOMINO’S PIZZA used to guarantee
that their pizza would arrive in 30 minutes or it would be free. In
terms of selling point, TOMS shoes donates a free pair of shoes to a
child in need for every pair of shoes that are bought.
COMMON CHARACTERISTICS OF SUCCESSFUL
BRANDS

• PASSION- while it is possible to build a brand in the short-

term without passion, it is almost impossible to sustain it in the
long run. When you examine massively people like STEVE JOBS,
they all have a serious passion that keeps propelling them to
work hard and continually deliver greatness. That passion leads
to enthusiasm and genuine joy, which is infectious.
 COMMON CHARACTERISTICS OF SUCCESSFUL
BRANDS

• CONSISTENCY- When consumers come back to a business for

repeat sales, they usually expect to receive the same level of
quality as they did the first time. Restaurants and their food are
a great example of this. An example of a brand who offers
amazing consistency is McDONALD’S.
COMMON CHARACTERISTICS OF SUCCESSFUL
BRANDS

• COMPETITIVENESS- gaining an edge in today’s business world

is not easy. For a brand to make a name for itself, team
members should thrive on competition and constantly strive to
improve. They tend to be the movers and shakers who work
tirelessly toward building and optimizing their brand, going
above and beyond consumer expectations.
COMMON CHARACTERISTICS OF SUCCESSFUL
BRANDS
• LEADERSHIP- just like any thriving community or sports team, there
is typically an influential leader behind every successful brand. For
large companies, this may be the CEO. For smaller ones, it is usually
the owner. The leader resolves complications and acts as a liaison
between different departments to keep everyone on the same page.
They are also expert motivators and know how to maximize the
strengths of different team members.
COMMON CHARACTERISTICS OF SUCCESSFUL
BRANDS
• EXPOSURE- obviously, larger companies have an advantage
gaining exposure because they usually have a bigger marketing
budget and more existing connections. However, the Internet
and Social Media have narrowed the gap between small
companies and large ones. By developing the presence of
Facebook, Twitter,LinkedIn, and Google, anyone is able to
reach any consumer.
BRAND CONSISTENCY

• It is critical across all communication channels of your small business.

• This will enable your customers to instantly distinguish your products or
services from those of a competitor.
• Once you determine your company’s image, making sure it’s consistently
reflected across all facets of your business will ensure your brand is
instantly recognizable, gaining you loyal customers and setting you apart
from competitors.
FIVE BASIC ELEMENTS OF BRAND CONSISTENCY
ACROSS ALL MEDIA
• MEMORABLE TAGLINE AND LOGO- this should distinguish
your company from your competition and make sure it is used
across all facets of your business. It is important to make sure
that the design reflects you and your unique business, and is
simple enough to be translated across different forms of media
such as websites, social media networks and customer service
components.
FIVE BASIC ELEMENTS OF BRAND CONSISTENCY
ACROSS ALL MEDIA

• RECOGNIZABLE LOGO VARIATIONS- make sure that your

logo variations maintain your single brand identity, while
allowing for different sizing and uses across various media.
While a logo might feature a company name or even a tagline,
do not include anything so detailed that it does not work in
smaller formats that tend to be used in social media.
FIVE BASIC ELEMENTS OF BRAND CONSISTENCY
ACROSS ALL MEDIA
• FAMILIAR COLORS, FONTS AND IMAGERY- make sure that these
are easily identifiable. For example, Coca- Cola’s red and Starbuck’s
green are well known and easily identified. It is important to keep
your brand color’s scheme in mind when using filters on Instagram
photos and for your logo’s appearance across media. Also consider
how specific colors can reflect your business values. For example,
the color green would work well for a landscaping company, while
using brown or gray would likely convey the wrong message.
FIVE BASIC ELEMENTS OF BRAND CONSISTENCY
ACROSS ALL MEDIA

• CONSISTENT TONE AND MESSAGING- consider how you

want to communicate with your customers. As a friend ( i.e.,
hair stylist or beauty consultant? A partner (i.e., a parts
supplier)? An authority( i.e., tax services)? Or as something
else? Whatever you decide your messaging to be, make sure it
is consistent across all brand platforms.
FIVE BASIC ELEMENTS OF BRAND CONSISTENCY
ACROSS ALL MEDIA
• ONGOING COMMITMENT- do not rush out with the first
branding idea that comes to mind.You can experiment, and can
even leverage social media to inexpensively try small branding
experiments until you find something that works. But make
sure that you do not invest too much on your hard- earned
revenues into a branding effort that does not produce the
expected benefits or is not consistent.
CREATING A BRAND

• Successful branding is the key to outdoing competitors and creating

customer loyalty.
• It requires careful consideration of your mission, creative thinking
and a strong desire to connect with the people who will ultimately
make your company successful
• Start by deciding what’s special in your company, what makes your
product worth someone’s time.
CREATING A BRAND

• From there, develop a logo and slogan that best represent your company’s
unique spirit, and promote your brand with all your might.
• There is more to your brand essence than just your logo and a snappy
slogan.
• Your brand is the entire sum of what your company does, what you excel
at and the experience your customers have with you.
• It determines whether customers join your royalty club and refer you to
friends- or don’t bother with you again.
GUIDELINES FOR BUILDING A STRONG BRAND

• KNOW SPECIFICALLY WHY YOU ARE IN A BUSINESS-

specializing in one thing allows your small business to stand out
in the market. Being an expert in what you do, and doing it
better than anyone else, helps the market you see as the
number one source.
GUIDELINES FOR BUILDING A STRONG BRAND

• CLEARLY DEFINE YOUR BRAND PROMISE- it is grounded in your

company’s culture, philosophy and atmosphere.
• MCDONALDS: fast food with a consistency of taste and service
• STARBUCKS: quality coffee in an inviting, casual atmosphere- your
living room away from home
• VOLVO: cars that offer both safety and luxury
GUIDELINES FOR BUILDING A STRONG BRAND

• TARGET WHOM YOU WANT TO SERVE- you need to know

who your customers are in order to offer what they need. They
may share a particular problem, interest or need.Your brand
needs to connect with these people. They are your target
audience, the customers you specifically aim to serve.
GUIDELINES FOR BUILDING A STRONG BRAND

• DIFFERENTIATE YOURSELF FROM THE COMPETITION-

knowing what you do best and being able to convey that to
your target audience means knowing what you are up against.
With that in mind, you must be aware of your strengths and
weaknesses. Accentuate the strengths and address your
weaknesses or even turn those into positives.
GUIDELINES FOR BUILDING A STRONG BRAND

• KEEP YOUR MESSAGING AND VISUAL IDENTITY PROFESSIONAL

AND CONSISTENT- from business cards and logo to email newsletters
and brick- and- mortar signage, all of your printed communications and
sales materials should look, feel, and sound like they come from the same
source. In terms of messaging, reuse key phrases that are your unique
selling points, whether they are used in your brochure, on your website or
in ads. Put your company slogan or tagline on everything- it is your brand
promise boiled down to a catchy, memorable phrase.
GUIDELINES FOR BUILDING A STRONG BRAND

Ideally, your brand’s visual appearance and messaging should:

• Reflect your brand’s personality and voice
• Set you apart from the competition
• Appeal to your target audience
• Command attention
GUIDELINES FOR BUILDING A STRONG BRAND

CREATE A DIALOGUE WITH YOUR CUSTOMERS- sure, you talk

to your customers when they come in, call or email. That is
conversation. But conversations end. Dialogues are ongoing. How can
you be interacting with customers even when they’re not doing
business with you? Here are some ways to stay top- of- mind:
• Post video demos of your products or services to your Web site,
Facebook page or You Tube.
GUIDELINES FOR BUILDING A STRONG BRAND

• Put a poll on Facebook. It does not need to be related to your

business.
• Solicit product reviews on your Web site and on Web sites
where your products are sold.
• Hold customer appreciation events so they see you in a new
context; people love to know they matter
GUIDELINES FOR BUILDING A STRONG BRAND

• Share useful information; do not just send advertisements

• Send email newsletters targeted to your customer’s interests
or purchase histories
• Share testimonials of satisfied customers
• Use customer satisfaction surveys
GUIDELINES FOR BUILDING A STRONG BRAND

• GIVE CUSTOMERS A GREAT EXPERIENCE AT EVERY POINT

OF CONTACT- in our digital age, it is both easier and harder
than ever to reach your customers. They are only click away,
but they may never meet you face to face. Make customer
service a core value at all levels of your business, and become
known as a brand that delivers a terrific experience.Your
customers will reward you.
MANAGING THE BRAND

• A brand will not work instantly- it will develop strength over time as
long as your business consistently communicates and delivers your
brand values to customers.
• Whether you like it or not, we all have a personal brand we must
manage. Whether it is owning your own company, interviewing for a
job or acting as a public figure, how you see yourself and how others
view you is import to your success.
TIPS THAT ARE GOING TO HELP YOU FOCUS IN ON WHAT YOU
SHOULD BE PERFECTING TO GAIN THE CONFIDENCE YOU NEED
TO BUILD A STRONG IMAGE AND STAY RELEVANT

• TELL YOUR STORY- people hate being doused with fact sheets,
but they love stories. Who are you? What are you passionate
about? The key is building a narrative around your career
journey that draws people in.
TIPS THAT ARE GOING TO HELP YOU FOCUS IN ON WHAT YOU
SHOULD BE PERFECTING TO GAIN THE CONFIDENCE YOU NEED
TO BUILD A STRONG IMAGE AND STAY RELEVANT
• LOOKS MATTER, BUT NOT HOW YOU THINK THEY DO – ask yourself, “ When
people look at me, what do they see?” This includes communication style,
attire, and grooming. Like it or not, your looks will be judged by others,
including things as small as chipped nail polish. Consider all the things that
are an extension of you and assess whether they are “on brand.” Build
your personal brand and image in a way that reflects the best business
version of you.
TIPS THAT ARE GOING TO HELP YOU FOCUS IN ON WHAT YOU
SHOULD BE PERFECTING TO GAIN THE CONFIDENCE YOU NEED
TO BUILD A STRONG IMAGE AND STAY RELEVANT
• BE SOCIAL MEDIA WISE- the evolving digital media landscape has
opened up countless meaningful opportunities to develop and
capitalize on your personal brand. Social media, once
considered important only for personal reasons, now has broad
professional applications. Be smart about what you are
choosing to post and where.You also have to be vigilant about
what people post about you.
 TIPS THAT ARE GOING TO HELP YOU FOCUS IN ON WHAT YOU
SHOULD BE PERFECTING TO GAIN THE CONFIDENCE YOU NEED
TO BUILD A STRONG IMAGE AND STAY RELEVANT

• BUILD TRUST- a key aspect of managing a successful personal brand is

building trust with your audience, the public or your colleagues. If you are
selling a product, then it is crucial you achieve this step. One way to build
trust is to deliver on your promise. If you say that you are going to do
something, then do it. If you say you are going to follow up with someone,
then do it. If you say you are going to give someone a refund because they
had a bad experience with your product, then do it. The only way to build
trust is through action and consistency.
TIPS THAT ARE GOING TO HELP YOU FOCUS IN ON WHAT YOU
SHOULD BE PERFECTING TO GAIN THE CONFIDENCE YOU NEED
TO BUILD A STRONG IMAGE AND STAY RELEVANT
• ENGAGE- Establish your digital presence with a strong plan and be
committed to maintaining what you started. Make sure your
messaging is consistent across all channels, and that the story you
tell in your real life matches what you live online. Whether in person
or online, it is not enough to consider the message and image you
are putting out to the world; you must engage in two-way dialogue
to build a relationship in person or to create an online following.
TIPS THAT ARE GOING TO HELP YOU FOCUS IN ON WHAT YOU
SHOULD BE PERFECTING TO GAIN THE CONFIDENCE YOU NEED
TO BUILD A STRONG IMAGE AND STAY RELEVANT
• MONITOR YOUR REPUTATION- You are feeling good about what you
accomplished so far and so you start to relax and get a bit too
comfortable. This is exactly when surprises emerge and reputations are
challenged.You need to be constantly managing, listening and perfecting
your personal brand. Do not just sit around and wait for stuff to happen.
Get out there and network what you have got to offer. It does not matter
who you are or where you are in your career, we all need to be aware of
our reputation and take notice how we are perceived by others.
PROMOTING YOUR BRAND

• Whether you are self- employed, or work for someone

else, one of the most important aspects of business is
personal branding. If you want to be successful, it is
essential to understand how to effectively and
accurately promote yourself and your brand.
TIPS TO PROMOTE YOUR BRAND

• Promote your brand everywhere.

• If it is easy, everyone would do it.
• Make your brand memorable.
• Take your brand everywhere.
TIPS TO PROMOTE YOUR BRAND

• Protect your brand

• Study iconic brands
• Promote your brand
ONLINE BRAND PROMOTION

• Online brand promotion is easy. Getting people to pay attention is

difficult, and getting people to share and care is even harder. People
seem to think that having a little social media success is a sign they
are good at brand promotion, and yet they cannot understand why
their products / services are not selling. Small business and startups
in particular have financial limitations for promotions, so they need
to get creative.
TIPS TO HELP IN THE PROMOTION OF YOUR
BRAND ONLINE
• SOCIAL SHARING OF YOUR WEB CONTENT. What you
need to do is to target networks that your target market
frequently engages in, and get them to share your web content.
For example, if your business is in arts and crafts, you can get
quite a following on Pinterest and YouTube. If it is a travel
agency, you can create a significant presence in Facebook and
Twitter.
TIPS TO HELP IN THE PROMOTION OF YOUR
BRAND ONLINE
• USEFUL, ENGAGING, INTERESTING AND INCLUSIVE
CONTENT. Of course, content is still king when it comes to
your own website.You should make sure that you have a good
blog on your site where you can post top- quality content
regularly. If writing is not your forte, you can search on Google
for some relevant content and this can help your site rank
higher in the keywords you are targeting.
TIPS TO HELP IN THE PROMOTION OF YOUR
BRAND ONLINE

• Remember that content is not just about text. Infographics,

videos, and awesome images are just as valuable and searchable
in brand marketing. You should make sure that you can make it
easy for your readers to share your content by including share
buttons. Make it easy for them and they will share it.
TIPS TO HELP IN THE PROMOTION OF YOUR
BRAND ONLINE

• PROMOTE YOUR BRAND ON THEIR WEBSITES. Referrals

are always good. You can give your brand a jump- start by asking
family, friends, and co- workers to share a link to your site on
their social networks, blogs or microblogs. You can give them
incentives by offering discounts or freebies for each referral.
TIPS TO HELP IN THE PROMOTION OF YOUR
BRAND ONLINE
• ONLINE BRAND PROMOTION USING WORD-OF-MOUTH
MARKETING. Influencers and bloggers are a great way to get
the word out on your brand if you can get them pay attention
to you. On the other hand, free product samples and discounts
may be enough to get you some good word-of- mouth action
going so you can start with that. If it doesn’t work, then you
know you have to do a little more strategizing.
EXTENDING THE BRAND

• A successful brand can offer opportunities for a business to

grow. However, if you are introducing new products or services,
you must make sure they are consistent with your existing
brand values. Stretching a brand too far reduces its strength
and can damage it. If you are introducing new products or
services, consider carefully if they fit with your core
competencies and brand values.
EXTENDING THE BRAND

• If they do, brand them in the same way as your existing

products and services so they benefit from your
existing branding. If they don’t, you should consider
branding them separately.
REBRANDING

• This is the process of changing the corporate image of an

organization. It is a market strategy of giving a new name,
symbol or change in design for an already established brand.
The idea behind rebranding is to create a different identity for
a brand, from its competitors in the market. One prominent
factor for a company to go for rebranding is to connect with
customers.
REBRANDING

• Rebranding is good for business, but at the same time it may be

risky. There is always a possibility that the consumers do not
like the new brand. There are two types of rebranding: one is
PROACTIVE and the other is REACTIVE. Proactive rebranding
is done when a company recognizes that there is an
opportunity to grow, innovate, tap into new businesses or
customers, and to reconnect with its users.
REBRANDING

• Reactive rebranding is done in a situation when the existing

brand has to be discontinued or changed. Possible reasons for
such an action could be mergers and acquisitions, legal issues,
negative publicity such as fraud, aiming to beat the competition
or creating your own niche.
BUDGETING FOR A BRAND

• Your brand should encompass most areas of your business,

from stationery to how you deliver your product or service to
customers, so defining a budget can be difficult. The key areas
that you could budget for are:
1. design needs, such as logo, signage, business stationery or
product packaging
BUDGETING FOR A BRAND

2. changes to your premises

3. your advertising
4. time you will need to spend training employees
5. any resources you will have to provide for employees to
enable them to carry out what the brand promises
6. Keeping your company website updated.
BUDGETING FOR A BRAND

• You do not need to do everything at once. As long as employees

understand and deliver what your brand promises, it stands a good
chance of success. You can create stationery, logos, packaging and
advertising quite cheaply if the budget is tight. However, it is a good
idea to think about your future growth when devising your image, as
changing it later can prove costly. You may also find that customers
and employees will have already built up a relationship with your
brand, which can then make it more problematic to later change.