2. Be a valuable asset. You need to strive to be the go to person in your niche, industry, workplace, etc.

3. Build Contacts. Network, Network, Network with key players and influences. Build genuine relationships with these people

4. Build your toolkit. Constantly build your skill set and make them visible to the audience you want to reach. They should know your various talents.

5. Show up to events, meetings, seminars, etc and be actively involved. A closed mouth won’t get  fed and you could be 3 interactions away from meeting the very person that could help you with your business.

6. Work smarter not harder.

7. Be confident

8. Support and help other.

9. Push yourself. We all get discouraged but push beyond that to keep the momentum going.

10. Shift your attitude.

- Traci Jennings of Liquid Soul Media

Branding is the personality of your organization, company, product or service that the AUDIENCE perceives. You can pick a logo, spokes model, web design, etc but what does your customers and target market think of your company and products?

Branding is about the experience and emotional connection (or lack there of) that the public feels to your company which flows into the unique value proposition of what sets your company apart from the competition.

Example:

ScoutMob

ScoutMob is an online coupon website that offers 50% off deals on local arts, entertainment, food, and clothing. But don’t confuse them with Groupon or the like because ScoutMob is the down home friend that is giving you the scoop on your local digs. I am a subscriber of the service who was born in Atlanta in 2009. This is one company that I actually enjoy reading their email campaigns as they are not SALE SALE SALE  but reads like more of a story line.

As a consumer I feel a part of the loop and not being talked at ,but talked to. ScoutMob calls their crew  and subscribers “scouts” as to include you on the ride.

Yes they have a branded website, logo, identity, culture, etc but the brand is the personality that I  have given the company.

I think Scoutmob is your cool friend that always knows what’s hot and can give you ALL the scoop.

Brand = Personality:

T mobile

We have all seen these T Mobile commercials that shows the example of a brand’s personality which  were perfected by Apple in 2009-2010.

Here we see T mobile is an attractive younger woman in a pretty pink sun dress. On the other hand AT&T is depicted as 2 guys in suits one younger and an older aging man on his back weighing him down. I translate this pic into T mobile showing how AT&T tries to appear younger but still carries a lot of their old dead weight with them.

Conclusion

Now of course to have a brand the company itself has to do some work in shaping the identity of the brand , experience, awareness.

You may also find that the brand personality that you had in mind for your company is not the perceived personality to the public, which we will discuss in a future article.

Discussion Question:

(leave the answer below in the comments)

I always ask my clients  this question:

If your company was a person how would you describe him or her?