STRATEGY 3: Create Your Brand Identity - 6. Determine Your Brand Style

The way you do things is your brand style. It is your approach to creating solutions for your brand. Your brand style is the distinct fashion by which you do things. It is the modus operandi of your brand. You must make sure that there is a standard method of doing your thing. 

To start a new chapter in your life, you may have to slightly modernize your style while still maintaining your uniqueness.

STRATEGY 3: Create Your Brand Identity - 5. Showcase Your Brand Image

In Hamlet, Shakespeare says, "The apparel oft proclaims the man." Your brand image is the perception of your brand by others. You therefore need to put a lot of work into it. Epictetus, the Greek stoic philosopher, states, "Know first who you are; and then adorn yourself accordingly." If you are building a personal brand, effort must be put into how you look. This will first of all tell people that you believe in taking seriously your image building efforts. 

Secondly, you tell them that you believe they are worth making an effort for. They need to see that you know that they're worth impressing. This is a display of respect and people will be much more willing to take you seriously.

Showcasing your brand image also involve maintaining a positive public image. After creating a positive image of your brand, publicize it. Publicity makes people aware of whom you are. It is very good for building brands. Find the place where you are created to be number one.

STRATEGY 3: Create Your Brand Identity - 4. Choose Your Ideal Brand Color

You need to have unique colors that your brand will be identified with. Color is important to validating your personal brand by passing a great message about your brand. Your brand color is the most significant element of your visual brand identity because it stirs up emotions in people. This makes them to remember your brand. Thus, choose colors that best represent your personality and your brand.

The Color Marketing Group did a study on colors, and it shows that:

·         Color increases brand recognition by up to 80 percent.

·         Color improves readership as much as 40 percent.

·         Color accelerates learning from 55 to 78 percent.

·         Color increases comprehension by 73 percent.

·         Color ads are read up to 42 percent more than similar ads in black and white.

·         Color can be up to 85 percent of the reason people decide to buy.

Colors communicate. Each hue signifies diverse attributes about a brand. You are a brand, and you need to know that colors have meanings and make bold statements. You must think through those meanings before you can determine that your preferred color will be your customers’ preference too.

You may have to invest in the services of a professional designer in choosing and/or combining your brand colors. It’s really worth the initial expense to ensure that you get your brand color choices right the first time. Just like your brand logo, your color selections should remain the same all through the lifespan of your personal brand.

Make sure that your brand colors are consistently used on all your brand items including: Stationery, Business cards, clothing and/or accessories, File folders, Cellphone case. Coffee mugs or giveaway items, Your office walls, etc.

Take a quick look at the meaning of the following colors for you to be able to choose the most appropriate for your brand:

Blue

Intelligence, wisdom, security, integrity, power, stability, leadership, authority, truth, peace, loyalty, reliability, confidence, hope, clarity, communication, imagination, expertise

Green

Growth, rebirth, nature, optimism, spring, change, fertility, relaxation, youth, luck, healing, environment, prosperity, safety

Yellow

Energy, Sunshine, joy, warmth, happiness, caution, warning, vision, intellect, creativity, light, self-motivation, independence, caution

Orange

Potency, energy, humor, optimism, enthusiasm, determination, encouragement, informality, success, competition, force, productivity, strength, vitality with endurance

Red

Power, attention, love, activity, potency, energy, desire, action, passion, determination, courage, vitality, motivation, playfulness, enthusiasm

Purple

Dignity, royalty, ambition, wealth, competition, mystery, spirituality, mysticism, inspiration, magic, dignity, luxury, personal power, self-worth

Brown

Solid, grounded, earthy, orderly, plain, not luxurious, politeness, coziness, warmth, helpfulness

Pink

Romance, love, warmth, friendship, children, affection, femininity, softness, thoughtfulness, caring, intimacy

Black

Protective, strong, luxurious, strength, power, class, elegance, boldness

Gold

Riches, wealth, fame, the sun

Silver

Mystery, intuition, the moon

Gray

Elegant, classic, well-established

White

Purity, cleanliness, spirituality, openness, truth, refinement, innocence, peace, tranquility

STRATEGY 3: Create Your Brand Identity - 3. Have a Brand Name

Your brand name is the unique name you want to be identified with. What does your name mean? What comes to people's mind when your name is mentioned? What do you want your name to mean in ten years’ time?

Your brand name must be easily recognizable in your kingdom. Your kingdom is where you speak with authority that no one questions you. The stronger your brand is, the stronger the value of your name.

Your brand name could be your actual or pen name. For example, if you are an artist/music label/band, tactically name and promote your brand to stand out from the crowd. Since we are in an Internet age, it would be wise to choose a name that would be easy to search for within the search engines without any competition. Remember to keep in mind that simplicity can equate to effectiveness. Know that being a brand is all about effectiveness.

Before launching an advertising campaign with your new brand name, make sure it has a rightful place on the web. Check to see if the domain name; Facebook profile; Twitter profile; YouTube and other social network profile names are still available.

For people to easily remember or pronounce your name if it is too long, you may have to shorten it; and your initials may be used with your surname if your name is difficult to pronounce or too long. For example, names like Anthony can be shortened as Tony, Alexander as Alex,  Olanrewaju as Lanre or Ola, Olaonipekun as Peks, Omotosho as Tosh, Joshua as Josh, Bankole as Bank, etc

STRATEGY 3: Create Your Brand Identity - 2. Spell Out Your Brand Values

Choose and spell out your core values. This is one of the easiest things to start with in building your personal brand. What exactly do you stand for? What is your belief system? How would you expect your prospective clients or potential fans to think of you? Document these and start presenting yourself to the public in that same light. Let your brand values be your hallmark and watchword.

STRATEGY 3: Create Your Brand Identity - 1. Define your Brand

You have discovered and developed your brand. After learning a lot over a period of time, which may vary from one brand to the other, you now need to create a personal brand identity for yourself.

1.  Define your Brand

First of all describe what you want your personal brand to be. Create the big picture in your mind. Have a clear imagination of, and write down what you want your personal brand to be. Clients buy brands, not products. You can’t be successful as a brand if you can't clearly express the purpose of your brand. What is the reason of your brand’s existence? Your peculiarity makes your brand. What exactly makes you unique? It is very important that your distinction play a significant factor in your personal brand definition.

In defining your brand, factors to consider also include: knowing your mission, identifying the benefits and features of your brand, knowing what your target fans/clients already think of your brand, spelling out what qualities you want them to associate with your brand.

STRATEGY 2: Develop Your Brand - 11. Continue Learning And Updating Your Knowledge

We must keep abreast of new information in the area of our brand. Increase your knowledge through Learning, reading, studying, meditating, and hearing. Don’t forget that we have both Acquired and Experiential Knowledge. You must maintain an up-to-date knowledge of your industry. Learn something new along your brand area regularly.

STRATEGY 2: Develop Your Brand - 10. Be the Best

Become an authority in whatever you are doing. Be the best in your industry. Master your trade by becoming an expert in your profession. Although it is very good to be versatile in your industry, you however need to be specialized at rendering a specific service. You must have a core that distinguishes you from others.

Your brand is built by how hard it is to find a replacement for you when you leave a place. Know your worth and prove your worth. Never be hypocritical. Avoid doing things that go against your brand or what you advocate. Don’t publicize failure in your area of expertise. Failing in new areas is OK, because you’re not trying to be an expert in those. That’s the difference between when you should and should not talk about your failures. The exception to this rule is when your failures become public despite your best efforts. If this happens, confront the issue and explain it - don’t avoid it, or you’ll seem deceitful. You’d rather people learn about your failure from you than someone with no sympathy.

STRATEGY 2: Develop Your Brand - 9. Be Versatile

Learn how to do several duties that is related to your brand. It is very important to have in your arsenal a number of relevant skills-set that will make you stand out among your contemporaries. A driver who has a good knowledge of car repair and maintenance skills will often have better advantages over another without such skills.

STRATEGY 2: Develop Your Brand - 8. Practice and Exercise

Work out and practice what you learn. It is in practice that we become better at what we do. The Holy Book says that iron sharpens iron, as a friend the countenance of his friend. Gain Hands-On Experience in the area of your brand. In developing your brand, you do not have an excuse in the area of practice. Even if you do not have a job, you can get better via:

Apprenticeship

This is when you get yourself trained by a skilled professional in an art, craft, or trade.

Internship

This is when you go in as an assistant or trainee working to gain practical experience in an occupation.

Industrial Training Attachment

For those learning technical skills, the Industrial Training Attachment scheme is an avenue to work and hone their technical skills with very little or no payment. Here technical skills are sharpened with hands-on experience while learning.

Management Training

Young graduates seeking for employment could join companies and organizations as management trainees. Although they may not be well remunerated as full time experienced staff, they however have the opportunity of learning a lot about the brand or industry they are into. Here, they are exposed to several relevant training and induction processes to adopt them into their organization.

Volunteering

This is when you work for someone without being paid. You can hone your skill by deciding to work for someone or organization without being paid. This is a win-win situation. You hone your skill and get better, while the person you helped gets the service free.

Pro Bono

Just like in volunteering, you can get things done for the good of the public without any payment or compensation. It is the Short form of Latin “pro bono publico", meaning for the public good.