The Top Three Things to Focus On When Branding Yourself Online
By Janet Giacoma
Online branding is essential to top online businesses and building wealth online. The same brand that is conveyed in printed marketing and sales materials should transcend to the online world. What is online branding?
According to Dave Chaffey, author of Internet Marketing: Strategy, Implementation and Practice and top network marketing tips guru, online branding is defined as “how online channels are used to support brands, which in essence are the sum of the characteristics of a product or service as perceived by the user.”
This definition falls short. A simpler and much more accurate definition is “the combining of you or your company’’s best attributes and top strengths with the legitimate value you offer. This must be established through a concise statement that will differentiate you from your peers and yet relate strongly to your target audience and then be conveyed through all online interactions regarding serious business opportunities.”
Entrepreneurial online branding should assist potential customers or clients in deciding whether or not they feel comfortable working with you, (such as) a women-owned home based business. It will also assist them in understanding if your company will create a synergy that is beneficial to both. Your online brand means the difference between building wealth or not because it will allow decisions-makers to easily decide whether you meet their expectations and it will set you apart from your competition.
The following subheadings provide three things to focus on when developing women’’s wealth building and online branding.
Identifying your VPs - Vision, Purpose, Value, and Passion
For entrepreneurs, the Vision, Purpose, Value and Passion will define who you are, what your company has to offer and whether or not you are worthy of a potential client’’s business.
To understand your Vision and Purpose, simply take a step back and view the big picture. Ask yourself, what is my perception of the world I work in? What do I envision that I can do for this perceived “world”? Take notes. Writing down key words and phrases.
Next, look closer to home to get a grasp on how your company will assist this “world” in realizing your vision. Again, write down these thoughts.
Then you will need to address the Values and Passions. This will provide a better understanding of who you are and define your company. This must be defined before moving forward. What value do you offer this “world”. Write down the value(s) that you perceive. Use adjectives or descriptive words. Choose three to five words that you feel best describes the value you offer or three to five adjectives that describe what your business has to offer.
Use such words and phrases as: flexible, visionary, ethical, accessible, out-of-the-box thinker.
The next step is to assist you in making an honest assessment of your strengths and skills. You will need to consider areas in which you excel and use words or phrases similar to: motivating, manage conflict, great communicator, or detail-oriented.
Now, what are your passions? What drives you? What do you love to do? What maintains your happiness? Again, make notes.
Once you have finished this step, put your notes together and write a Vision, Purpose, Value and Passion Statement. Refine this statement as necessary so that it is simple, yet concise.
It is the attributes in this statement that should be reflected in any and all messages presented during online activities. Stay true to this in all ways. Whether you”re blogging, Twittering, writing articles, or conducting any online business.
Who Is My Competition and How Am I Different?
What is your competition doing? What companies provide the same services or products as you? This may take some online research and quite a bit of time to establish who your competition is and what they offer and how they present themselves. Take particular note what feelings their branding invokes in you.
Now see if you can identify their Vision, Purpose, Value, and Passion. This will help you to identify their strengths and weakness. Take note of these and try to avoid the weakness and emulate the strong points.
Ask yourself, can I offer something over and above, something different? This will set you apart from your competition. First, identify your strengths and then what is truly different about you? Superior customers service? Originality? Super fast turnaround? These are the areas that will differentiate you from the rest of the “world” and you should accentuate these in all of your online branding efforts.
Now Take Action !
Now you have a clear understanding of your Vision, your Purpose, your Value, and your Passion. You have a statement that reflects that. You”ve also taken time to know who your competing against, identified their weakness and their strengths and established what makes you different from them. You are now ready to put your brand out there for the world to see through internet marketing.
Transparent, Steadfast and Relentless
This is a continual effort and must be maintained over time to build the online brand you are anticipating. You will need to:
~ Be Transparent - show the world who you are and are not. Be clear in your branding message as to what it is that you do, who you are as a business, and what it is that you do not do.
~ Be Steadfast - constantly display your brand in every way available on the internet. Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, LinkedIn, MySpace, your website, blogs, forums….in everything, everywhere on the worldwide web.
~ Be Relentless - Stay in their face. Always be visible to your target audience in order to build a strong brand in your “world”.
Building an online brand through internet marketing is not quickly done. But over time it can prove to be worth the effort and patience that is involved. Eventually you will find that you are easily recognized for your differences and strengths, gain clients that are the perfect “fit” and you will have built the “world” you envisioned through a marketing system that works for you.
About The Author
Janet Giacoma is a business coach, marketer, and online business owner who assists serious entrepreneurs in building a profitable online business with multiple income streams. To contact Janet you can also visit her blog
