I recently had a conversation with a close friend of mine/fellow marketing coach about branding.  We were talking about strategies we have used to help our clients set themselves apart from the competition.  We also talked about what techniques we utilize to set ourselves apart from the competition.  It’s crucial to spend time considering how to communicate to clients WHY to choose you and your services, and not check out the website just below or above yours in the search engine results.

One of the best ways to create truly effective marketing is to think about the type of marketing that gets YOUR attention.  Also consider what kind of marketing that is effective at making you tune out.  What do you see marketers doing that causes you to want to defriend, unfollow or unsubscribe?   In being very clear about what you don’t like or are turned off by, you will have a crystal clear vision about what mentors you want to work with, and what types of marketing strategies to avoid at all costs.

If your online marketing paints an image in customer’s minds that is just not you, it’s pretty likely that you’ve been trying to model your marketing approach after someone else.  When you use marketing strategies and techniques taught by someone else, you aren’t giving your audience and subscribers the benefit of experiencing the REAL you. This happens because you’re withholding your own personality in your marketing and promotions.  So, what’s the solution?

The solution to this dilemma is to consistently be yourself and let your personality show through in your online marketing materials.  For instance, if you are writing a blog post in the midst of a thunderstorm and it is “raining cats and dogs”, don’t hesitate to use that phrase if it’s part of your usual vocabulary.  When you let your own personality shine through your writing, speaking, and videos, your branding and image will be your own.  This makes you much more real, approachable and likeable compared to an image and persona that you have crafted and might change from year to year depending upon what you’ve recently read, studied, or who you’ve mentored with.

There’s lots of talk about branding in regard to online marketing. The basic principles of branding are two-fold.  First, decide on the image you wish to portray and secondly, decide what message you want to drive home. While some people could write a book on how to brand your business, there are really only a handful of factors to consider – your image, your purpose and your message. The purpose of a brand is to craft something that will stick in the minds of people and help them to remember your business.

Creating and building a strong brand does not have to compromise your personality. In the world of online marketing, retaining your personality and your identity will go far in branding your business. You’ll be much happier with the long-term effects of your online marketing if you don’t try to be someone you are not. Be yourself and have fun.

What types of marketing do you think is most effective? Are there any marketing strategies that you avoid at all costs?