The idea of branding is valuable and imperative for business
owners and leaders in organizations. But what exactly is a
brand and why is it so important for you as a business owner
or professional?

A brand is the essence of who you are; it describes you and what
you do in life. By creating a successful brand you make it easy
for people to find you. You position yourself in their minds and
in return you receive their focused attention and clarity. In a
way you are able to attract the customers that you want to attract.

Perception is reality. The first rule of perception is “try to control
what other people think about you and what you can do for them”
otherwise you may harm your own brand. It is important that
people are able to describe you and your small business accurately.
They need to know exactly what you are able to offer them.

Your brand becomes your trademark; it builds trust and ties
emotional connections. Some successful big and small companies
that have done an excellent job in creating recognizable brands
are; McDonalds, Colgate and Disney just to name a few. As soon
as you say their names you also identify what offer. Usually, as
you mention these companies’ special characteristics, values and
emotions come into your mind. Take the Disney example, what
emotions and pictures come to your mind as you say Disney?
Fun, excellent customer service, family, clean, innovative. All
these attributes symbolize Disney, who they are and what they
offer. Most importantly, by doing this branding they are able to
attract the customers that need this kind of service and believe
in these values.

By clearly defining your brand, you are describing your
uniqueness and you are projecting your offerings to the world.
You also lose the risk of rejection because customers who know
what you stand for make quicker purchasing decisions.

Here are questions (a template) that you can ask to help you in
creating your personal or professional brand.

1. What is your role, title name of your business?
2. What is your personal style? What do you like,
dislike in your personal and professional life? Are you
a warm, open and easygoing person, or are you more of
an introvert type? All these qualities describe who you are.
Write down your answers. This will help you composing
your unique style.
3. As people talk about you what do they say? What helps
them to distinguish your brand from other brands? What do
you have that evokes clarity and makes your clients feel good
about selecting your services?
4. What do you do that is different from your competitors?
5. What are your natural gifts? What are your learned skills,
education, acquired knowledge through your career and your
life? What is your personal and business experience? What
fascinating things have you explored with your life?
6. What do you value?
7. Do you know whom you serve? Do you serve a niche market?
If you are not sure about your niche market, look into common
characteristics of your clients. What is that most of your clients
want? What are their secret fears? What motivates them? The key
here is to be able to describe the people who need your talents and
knowledge. Get very personal and demographic.

Once you’ve gathered all the information, it’s time to develop your
branding message. Keep these things in mind as you go through the
process: keep your message to one sentence, get straight to the point
and be consistent in your branding and other marketing efforts.

The world will soon identify you with a few simple words just as
they have done with major corporations for years.
Carole Nicolaides is President of Intentional Success Coaching offering
Personal Success Coaching, Marketing, Business Planning and Internet Success
Consulting to small businesses & large organizations. Subscribe to Carole’s FREE EZine at newsletter@intentionalsuccess.com or visit her at http://www.intentionalsuccess.com to book your FREE coaching session.