The Art of Branding

There are many ways to define yourself as a leader. You can be the leader of your department, your company, or your favorite charity. Or you can be the leader in sales at your company, or a leader in sales of a segment of the market. Many professionals have a leadership claim and feel they are doing leadership things, yet they are not perceived as a leader. To be perceived as a leader, you have to lead with ideas and lead by example.

As a leader, you have to have to be able to articulate ideas that are worthy of being remembered and you have to be able to inspire others.  Ideally, you want to “own” a word or an idea in the minds of your employees (or whoever the target audience is) so they will know what your battle cry is. Most important, you have to underscore your ideas with actions, preferably bold actions that demonstrate what you stand for.

Bianca, had recently been promoted to head a department at her company. Bianca’s first task was to rally her team under her leadership. (Bianca had been promoted over them.) To articulate a department mission, Bianca created a mantra, “Full Engagement.” She wanted to introduce a new sense of “engagement” – a passion for excellence, a focus on clients and innovation. Bianca asked each of her managers for a five-page memo outlining key initiatives, including what the company should do to get employees more engaged with clients and in its businesses. And she implemented the best suggestions on “engagement.” Her group’s focus on “full engagement” landed more business and created a dynamic spirit at the company.  And positioned Biana as a leader.

Everyone knows being first is an advantage. The brand that is first is often the one we think of. So the first mover generally ends up the leader in the category.   And because it’s the leader, everyone believes it to be the best in the category. It’s a formidable advantage. Michael Dell was the first direct seller of personal computers and currently dominates the business. Jeff Bezos created the first online book and retail marketplace and it is now number one. And the list goes on and on.

You’re probably thinking, “These are business giants and this kind of accomplishment would be impossible for a mere mortal like me.”  How can I be number one in anything? You don’t have to be some brilliant madcap inventor to create a first. New categories are popping up all the time once you start looking. You just need the proper mindset. What you often can do is slice the category to create a new subcategory and you can be first in that. Think of it as carving up a new niche from a larger category. Or, you can think of it in Darwinian terms as divergence as Al and Laura Ries talk about forming new brand categories in their book, The Origin of Brands.

The “First” strategy is a very successful one for entrepreneurs, but executives can use it too. Enterprising employees or intrapreneurs often create a new market niche– whether it was a new type of product, service or customer niche.  These firsts can end up being enormously profitable for the company and their self brand. And there are lots of different ways to slice up a category to create a new area to be first in as you will see as you do the next brainstormer.

One way to figure out the best self brand strategy is to look at brand strategies from the commercial world. Start by devouring good books on individual companies and products. Successful brands always attract analysis. Or read books on how brands develop winning strategies. (My favorite marketing authors are Al Ries and Jack Trout, my first bosses in advertising.)

Once you start studying the world of commercial branding, you’ll see how the branding strategies and tactics have lessons for you, too.

Here are ten positioning strategies from the commercial world that clients have used to build a strong self brand. Do the brainstormers for each self brand strategy yourself. Don’t rule any out of hand. When you start exploring, you might be surprised by what works for you and your life.

Truly great personal brand strategies often meet resistance at first as any new idea does.

When you take a different stance than others, you are, well, different and that may cause discomfort at first. Your brand strategy might not appeal to everyone, and that might make you uncomfortable.

But if your brand strategy does not have a bit of an edgy quality, it is probably a me-too strategy that a lot of people are using.

Strategy is all about differentiating.

Jack Trout

Remember, if the way you talk about yourself and what you can do doesn’t have some sizzle to it, chances are people will peg you as a commodity. You have to be as intriguing as possible (within reason) to stand out in your category.

Your self brand strategy should be short and focused. (Not, “I’m this and this and that.”) It should be short enough to write on the back of a business card. If you can’t say it briefly, your strategy is probably a muddled idea. Your strategy should dramatize a benefit. And it should be unique enough to intrigue people to want to know more.

Brevity is the soul of wit.

William Shakespeare, Hamlet (II, 2)

The verbal counterpart is the elevator speech, a pithy “story” about yourself that you could tell someone in the amount of time it takes to go several flights in an elevator. The elevator speech articulates your strategy in a conversational way so that you can use it in meeting new professional acquaintances, job interviews and the like.

Being able to articulate what your brand is about is important.  After all, if you can’t articulate what your brand is about, how can you expect anyone else to get it?  You need to create the focus and the sizzle.

Ad agencies use a simple format for brand strategy statement. They aim for a punchy statement of the brand’s positioning that sets it apart from other competitors.  They follow the positioning with proof points – tangible for instances that support the positioning strategy.

Another way of putting together a brand strategy is though analogy. Try to put two different ideas together to express your brand:, such as “I am a cross between ________and ___________”  or “I am like _________meeting _____________.” For example, Tazo tea defined its brand strategy as “Marco Polo meets Merlin.”

Strategy is the brains of branding. A good self brand strategy is similar to a brand strategy for a company or a product. Strategy is developing a winnable position in the marketplace with a smart game plan and tactics for achieving it. When you look at successful people around you, you may notice that they may or may not be the smartest or the most talented, but I’ll wager that they had a strategy  (whether they called it that or not). Smarts and talent are important, but overrated. We all know lots of smart and talented people who are not doing well professionally.

Even luck is overrated. Sure, luck can help. But most successful people create their own. Then give their story a more romantic spin by saying it was luck not hard work that got them there.

And strategy is underrated and much more valuable. As the marketing consultant, David Beckwith, has stated, “All strategies are not created equal. Terrific strategies and tactics more than beat good ones; they work hundreds of times better.”

I agree, but don’t wait until you figure out a “killer” strategy. Get started now. You’re ready for strategic development after you’ve done the research, analyzed the competition and done your S.W.O.T. analysis of your points of difference and the opportunities and threats in the marketplace.

Having a strategy gives you a lot of advantages. Developing a strategy compels you to think, and that in itself will start to give you advantage over many people. Strategy also compels you to think big picture and long term, rather than small picture and short term.

Brand managers are masters of visual identity. The way something looks – visual identity – is often the point of first impact (and lasting impact) for a brand. It’s the same with people.

So, take a page from the master brander’s playbook and learn the secrets of visual identity, so you can impact how your self brand is perceived by others.

Here are ten guidelines to keep in mind as you develop your visual identity:

1. Think of clothes as packaging. Use clothes to enhance not undercut your brand message.
2. Have a signature item.  You want a trademark that people associate with you.
3. Look different. You don’t want to look like everyone else. You want your own vibe.
4. Look the part. Fulfill expectations of the role you are filling and the style of the institution or target market you’re appealing to.
5. Use hair as a branding device.  Think Dolly Parton, Anna Winotur, Albert Einstein or Donald Trump.  Each has a branded hairstyle that is unmistakable.
6. Have a consistent look.  Don’t send mixed messages. Everything should tie tog3ether for a consistent visual identity (business, casual, formal events).
7. Have a signature color or palette. Build your wardrobe and brand marketing around a related palette of colors for maximum impact
8. Make a strong presence. How you stand and carry yourself can give you a strong presence and help you to be remembered
9. See if you can leverage your height, shape or profile. Build your visual identity off who you are.
10. Stay relevant and fresh. Evolve your brand so you stay up-to-date. 

The whole point of visual identity for people is to maximize the non-verbal messages you are sending out about yourself.

Look at yourself as a package.  Is your brand saying on the outside what your self brand is on the inside?

Your strategy must come out of who you are.

Remember, the sign over the entrance to the Delphic Oracle read “Know thyself.”   You’ll never make it copying someone else’s strategy or image. Your quest is to uncover yours.

One way to start is by eliminating what is superfluous, what is not intrinsic to who you are. When Michelangelo would carve a statue, he believed the sculpture to be already there in the rough piece of stone. His job was to eliminate all the superfluous stone, and reveal the “David” or “The Pieta” hidden underneath.

Your job is similar. You must eliminate things that are not unique to you. Focus on what is authentic — your human truth – and what resonates with the people you are targeting in your profession.

In short, here are the four essentials of a self brand strategy:

1. Be different.  Imitation will make you only a B player.
2. Focus. Limit yourself to a dozen words or less so you can bore into the essential idea in a quick, punchy way
3. Be authentic. It must be based on who you and assets and experiences you can claim. (Of course, you can create some new experiences.)
4. Resonate in the market. If you don’t get a reaction in the marketplace, go back to the drawing board.

In an interview its also important to ask questions. Interview them. And listen more than talk.

It is a very powerful tactic, because if you have a series of questions that you work into the conversation, you immediately put the meeting on a more level playing field.

Rather than a one-way dialogue and one-way relationship, you’ve created a two-way dialogue and a two-way relationship.

You want to know about key initiatives and projects. You want to know more about the culture. You will not only learn a lot, you will come across as a person with options.

Ask questions and listen.  Listening is an art.  You’ll create a great impression (and learn a lot to boot).  When you listen rather than talk, you flatter your audience.  Listening says the you think the other person is smart and worth listening to

Since you’re not talking and selling yourself so hard in an interview, what usually happens as Ophelia found out is that the interviewer starts selling you on the company and the job. When an interviewer start feeling comfortable, she may even share war stories about the company or industry.  When the balance of power between two people is more equal, it is much more likely to result in a job offer than the other way around.

When you create more dialogue, you come across as confident and not needy in an interview situation.  You come across as a person with options that’s not just going to grab the first thing unless it’s the right thing.

It’s a fact of branding that people want things all the more when they think it is not so easy to get.  (Why do you think luxury goods manufacturers produce small lots so there are waiting lists?)  You want to create the perception that you are a brand that is in demand too, even if you would give your first-born for this job. Always remember that people will “buy” because they want to, not because they’re being “sold.”

Most people, when getting ready for an interview, bone up on possible interview questions and the company itself, and go to the meeting to be interviewed in a formal manner. Seems like the correct way to prep, right?

Wrong, wrong, wrong! With that kind of mindset, it will be hard to feel genuine and comfortable in your own skin. You’ll be too worried about how you are going to answer the questions.  What you need to do is to take control. Create a more relaxed experience where a conversation can take place. You want to get the meeting more informal and conversational as quickly as possible.

Your first impression is critical.  The way you look and enter the room and how you explain yourself in the first thirty seconds can make you or break you.   You must prepare (and practice out loud) your elevator speech.  It should be an interesting narrative that positions you and dramatizes the benefit you bring to a project or company.

You should also be able to tell interesting stories about your professional adventures. Think in terms of cascading your message and capabilities in various ways such as:

– Rags to Riches
– The Turning Point
– Against All Odds
– Hero to my Client

Practice creating your Thirty Seconds:

Set a timer for thirty seconds.  Practice your self brand opener.  What hooks, connections or stories can you add to make your opening more powerful and relevant?