Are you branding yourself and doing it right?
by September 3rd, 2007 Patrick Greer
When I say, “Branding yourself” I’m not talking about burning a logo on your body or getting a tattoo but rather how are you and your company are represented when you interact with people in real life, on the Internet and other media.
I’ve been thinking about this subject as I seek to grow my business and set myself apart from my competition. For example I was reading an article today called, Consider Carefully What Name You Use When You Comment at Success Creeations. He makes a lot of good points and the longer I am on the Internet and see myself connecting with others both online and in”real social networking” events. I am discovering that I’m not just another person with a name tag or business card but I’m unique and it’s equally important to set my business apart as being something unique as well reflecting our history, our position and vision for the future. If you have been on the Internet for any reasonable amount of time you may notice people using interesting nicknames. This is really nothing new. Truck drivers started using that a lot in the 70’s with the use of CB Radio, military pilots as well as their craft have call signs. I’m reminded of Maverick, Ice Man, Viper and Goose in Top Gun and of course the most famous branded airplane is Air Force One.
In a recent networking meeting we were working on developing our “30-second elevator speech“. One of the questions I brought forth was if it was appropriate to use a nickname of sorts in my elevator speech. Most agreed it was fine for my line of work but it might not work for someone like a lawyer or insurance salesman, etc. The position or rather “mission name” I have on my name tag is Captain Innovation. Now, I’m the only expert in the world on innovation but I do want to be seen as a leader in my company and to put innovation first as we do provide creative and technology solutions. In less formal situations like my personal flickr or twitter account I use “linkerjpatrick” as my internet name but more often than not on business blogs I will use my given name or business name depending on the circumstances. I have also been working on using a standard photo for sites and services that make use of a photo or another form of Internet or gaming branding known as an avatar. The photo you see above is the one I am using in most places. It reflects a mood I feel most of the time, I’m dressed like I like to be dressed (causual but neat) and using my current portable media device of choice, the iPhone. I also like the sepia tone as I like a retro style even though I’m a fan of technology.
Perhaps a “fun name” is not the best brand idea for your line of work but other things are. How do you uniquely brand yourself and your company among others. Are you standing out in a positive way that will make you easy to remember by others. I like to tell others to have an easy to remember domain name or logo but don’t forget other ways of branding.
