In today’s cluttered digital world, the most successful brands are the ones that make an emotional connection with their target audience. They are crystal clear about who they are, what they do best and are pros at eloquently communicating their brand story.
In other words, they use clarity, consistency and targeted communication to powerfully connect.
Creating a powerful personal brand is not just about building an image to portray to the public; it is about understanding your unique attributes, skills, values and passions and making sure these permeate every aspect of who you are and what you do.
In simple terms, a personal brand is how you make people FEEL when they interact with you. In order to resonate strongly with another human being, you’ve got to make a powerful emotional connection. Emotions are what makes the brain sit up and take notice. Ideally, you want potential clients to identify with you on a visceral level because they relate to something in your brand story.
Let’s focus on three important areas that will help you create an emotional connection:
Clarity: You must be crystal clear about who you are and who you are not. A successful brand is true to who you really are. Volvo is about safety not speed, Four Seasons is about luxury service not affordability and Disney is about family entertainment, not slasher films. In other words, don’t try to be something you’re not. Just because it’s working for someone else, doesn’t mean it’s the right path for you. The foundation of your brand is built on WHO you are, WHAT you do best and WHY you do what you do.
Consistency: Your brand attributes and values must permeate everything you do. If one of your key brand attributes is “zen personality” and your brand color is purple, then you’re not going to send out a screaming loud direct mail card in bright orange and red. You probably wouldn’t host a salsa dancing party with flamenco dancers for your clients, but you might sponsor a lecture at a Japanese tea garden. It is imperative that there is a brand consistency with everything – from your logo, website and collateral materials to how you conduct meetings and how you dress on a daily basis. Always ask yourself, “Does this represent my brand attributes of x, y and z?”
Communication: Once you have a clear understanding of who you are, what you stand for and who you are trying to reach, you will be much better equipped to share your brand story. Your brand needs to be visible to those who need to know about you. Consider all possible communication tools across multiple marketing channels (both online and off) and select the combination that works best for you. Perhaps you enjoy blogging and writing articles. Maybe you enjoy social media and want to build a strong following on Facebook and Twitter. Or you feel that speaking engagements and workshops are more appropriate for your brand. Whatever the case may be, you will want to put together a targeted communication plan for your brand that puts you out there in front of your audience.
People want to do business with those that they know, like and trust. When you are clear, consistent and communicate effectively, you have a much greater chance of creating a solid emotional connection with your community.
©2013 Liz Dennery Sanders
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