Apr 2, 2011

B is for Branding

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Do you have a personal brand that comes across in your writing?  You might, without realizing it.

You're likely familiar with the term niche marketing or having a niche, and while branding is somewhat related, it does differ.  A niche is a particular focused topic, such as you might have with a blog about one particular thing.  I have a blog about crocheting so that would be a niche topic, but it's only a part of my overall personal brand.

A brand is something that identifies who you are in a broader sense.  If you have an online presence, your brand should be clearly evident to those finding your written word.  The exception to that would be if you're writing for a client that clearly specifies the work be written in a particular way, devoid of any of your personal style.

You want your website or blog(s) to show your brand, but be mindful that posts you make on Facebook or other social media outlets can become part of that stamp also.  If you're known as an honest, straight-shooter in the business community, you don't want to brag on Facebook about how you got over on a client by charging them more than you should have.  

What's my personal brand?  

I'm a retired Marine MSgt, having served more than 21 years so clearly that is part of my brand.  As a take-charge kind of gal, if I see something that needs attention, I'm on it.  I'm honest and trustworthy, and one of the first to lend a hand when needed.  I can also seem gruff to those who don't understand my no-nonsense, get to the point approach, but in contrast, I also have a good sense of humor and a quick wit.

All of these things are evident in everything I do.  Be they facebook status updates, my blogs, my article writing ... they all reflect who Marie Anne is.

When identifying your own personal brand, will people like what they see?


31 comments:

  1. Excellent topic. You made such a good point with this post that now I'm going to have to examine this to make sure I'm being consistent. Thanks for the food for thought!

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  2. I LOVE this post! I definitely think that your brand is unique and easily identifiable :)

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  3. Great post. Gives some food for thought for sure.

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  4. Yes, having a brand is important because it gets you an audience of people who appreciate your brand. I have a number of brands - I'm an erotica writer and editor. I run a flash fiction site. I'm a news writer and a celebrity news writer. I'm outspoken.

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  5. Definitely good advice. We all ought to be aware that what we post in one place is often visible to people that we know from others.

    With social networking, our online and offline, social and business lives can become very intertwined.

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  6. I haven't even thought of that yet. I guess I should. Thanks for adding that to my list of things to do. :-)

    MM the Queen of English
    queenofenglish.wordpress.com

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  7. This is an awesome post!

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  8. Very good post. I've been trying to figure this for a few months now. In some ways it's lead me back to writing because I realized it's been one constant over my entire life. I figure there's got to be something to it if I've done it for so long.

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  9. Excellent choice, love this blog. Thank you for setting up the facebook group too!

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  10. Ohhh, This was a good read! NICE!

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  11. Great post and so true! MSgt, very impressive!

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  12. Interesting topic - I guess branding is akin to one's platform - something in terms of marketing and also a bit like a personal style. I'll be thinking about this.
    Jan Morrison

    ps - would you consider dismantling your word verification for April - it slows things up and I know some bloggers just won't comment if they see it. ;(

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  13. That is something worth thinking about. Great advice.

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  14. Hi, Thanks for stopping by my blog earlier today. I'm so glad I found your site and I really liked Sassy Ashe's interview. I've been thinking about submitting to AC and reading her story sealed the deal for me. Thanks so much for that. Have a great weekend.

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  15. Very well thought out post Marie. Love it love it love it!

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  16. Those of us that write a lot can end up with a wide variety of things that we write about, but I suppose that there are overall themes. Perhaps the biggest theme is to not be contradictory in what you portray yourself as.

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  17. Very well said. I know my brand has always been, "What you see is what get."

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  18. Hi, Marie Anne,

    Yes, I'm still in the challenge. My B post will go up this evening as I'm traveling this weekend. :)

    I made a special category on the site for the A to Z posts. The popcorn one wasn't part of the challenge.

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  19. The branding process is tricky. I've been giving it a lot of thought, lately. Thanks for important issues to ponder.

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  20. Excellent post and excellent points. I hope I portray an appropriate brand. :-D

    I stopped by via the A to Z Blog Challenge. You can read my blogs at the following:

    http://www.montessoriwriter.com/blog.html
    http://montessoriwritersthoughts.blogspot.com
    http://laughatalzheimers.blogspot.com
    http://andisgardeningexperiments.blogspot.com
    http://andiskidsbooks.blogspot.com
    http://andiskidsbooks.blogspot.com

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  21. I don't know if I have a personal brand that comes across in my writing. I tend to go off on tangents sometimes so maybe that is the brand? I'm not sure though.

    I'm against piracy, specifically movie piracy and copyright infringement, so does that make a brand?

    Anyhow, this is something for me to ponder so I'm glad that you brought it up.

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  22. Branding is hard for those of us with eclectic interests. I started out writing mysteries but have wandered off into other genres. My blog started out as a writing and Colorado author promo site, but now I write on lots of different topics and feature a guest author weekly, and not just Colorado authors. Maybe this means I don't know who I am or where I'm going???

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  23. Ahh, thank you for this. I think branding just happens for WYSIWYG people, our personality comes through no matter what it is we're doing. Or writing.

    Great post ~ that rebel, Olivia

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  24. Thanks for dropping by today. And more importantly, thank you for serving our country. Military service: Now that's a brand to be proud of, indeed.

    Best,
    Joe
    Dead Reckoning

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  25. You are so cool! I'm not sure what my brand is yet. I'd like to add something deep right now, but profundity escapes me. :)
    Thanks so much for visiting my blog on 4/1!

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  26. Great topic. It is one that I stumbled into without even realizing it at first but I still having to figure out the details. When I first came up with my pen name, I knew nothing about branding. But it has become part of my brand over the years. It's a topic many writers should explore more.

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  27. I'll bet you were a great Marine!

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  28. This is something I think about often. I am a clearly defined mix of quirky characteristics and my brand is strong and evident in person. After years of business writing (editing out my personality) it's been hard for me to let my personal brand show in my writing, however. Something I'll work on. Thanks for provoking thought.

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