Lately I’ve enjoyed writing and working with a handful of book author clients, content editing and planning a book launch campaign.  Since I’ve found myself asking the same questions over and over in my initial interview, it seemed time to discuss the one most important thing authors can do to write and promote a best seller. 

So you want to write a book, why bother?

Great. You have a topic, area of expertise and you’ve done your research. If you’re lucky the ideas are just simply flowing onto paper effortlessly and you can’t help yourself.  Voilà, you’re an author and it feels great right?  Too bad you’re probably writing a book that few people will buy or read it. In fact, if you’ve neglected to remember the one cardinal rule of marketing and publicity, your book may even be unpromotable.

Rule #1: Who are you writing for and speaking to?

Most authors get inspired and start writing their pearls of wisdom to share with the world. The challenge is that not everyone likes pearls. So you have to keep in mind who you are speaking to while writing your book, or your audience may never hear about your book, let alone connect with it.  I hear author’s say “everyone can benefit from my book”, ”it has very broad appeal.” They mistakenly think it’s better to have a wide target audience so they write as generic or broad as possible to “appeal to the masses.”  Sadly, just the opposite is true, if you don’t appeal to a specific target market you risk appealing to no one. So write with a specific person in mind and write as if you are speaking to them.

Rule #2 ~ Narrow Your Target. You’re writing a book, who cares?

If you as an author can’t picture or describe in detail exactly who your writing this book for, then how do you expect a publicist to help your book stand out in a crowd of millions of books and deafening advertising noise. Think of it this way. It’s like standing at a book convention with a blowhorn crying, “Hey look at me, I wrote a great book.”  A kind response may be, ”Good for you!”  While the more important question is, “Who cares?!”  In order to sell anything, anywhere, to anyone, people want to know one thing, “What’s in it for me?”  If you cannot tell me who it’s written for, then I’ll bet you can’t tell me why they would want it and what they’ll get from it. Until those questions are answered, your book is unpromotable.

Rule #3 ~ Don’t write a book that’s UN-PROMOTABLE. Write clear key messages first.

These are the fundamental questions ever author must answer before they start writing.  If you are crystal clear about who you are writing this book for, what’s in it for them, and why they want or need your book, then you can write with a specific person in mind. The final rule is to know your key messages. What do you want that person to walk away understanding when they finished your book? If you draft your key messages first, I guarantee your chapters will be easier to write. Your book will feel like more of a conversation and your audience will be better able to connect with what you are saying.  Better still, you’ve done half the job for a  great publicist to grab your book, create a brilliant marketing campaign to help you become a best seller.

Continuing the theme of our last article, dealing with overwhelm in your marketing.  Some of our friends at ”Ladies Who Launch” enjoyed this article from A. Michelle Blakeley.  So I decided to share it as a guest blog article.

One of the quickest ways to re-group when you are overwhelmed in your business is to get back to your fundamentals. Being overwhelmed is a sign that there is a glitch in your system or worse, you lack a functional system. Something is off, and at the core it will be connected to your vision, purpose, priorities, target market, communication, management or some other business fundamental.

Sitting here in the middle of  home reno’s reflecting on how my home should have been built and wondering why I have electrical circuits and fixtures that go no where, then it hits me…  It’s the same in business isn’t it?

At some point you’re faced with the crushing reality that your brand or web presence isn’t working for you and needs an overhaul.  Yes, you can spruce it up, ad new features or pretend it works, but sometimes it feels so overwhelming that it seems easier to throw up your hands, scrap it and start over.

I recently had a client who asked for a Second Opinion on her web presence and message. After a one hour consultation she realized her web presence was not focused, not attracting who she wanted and not getting the results she needed.  She was grateful for all the new ideas and direction we discussed and super excited about the new vision to take her business to the next level. Then reality bit… hard! When we reached the point of the conversation where we discuss the step by step plan, naturally, she felt completely overwhelmed.

Of course  it’s tough to look at the sum total of your heart, sweat and tears over the last few months or years and realize it’s not working for you. When it happens, there are usually one of two reactions: a) Denial and resistance to changing anything, OR  b) Desire to abandon and start over.  The most natural reaction for most entrepreneurs is to say “Ok, back to the drawing board. Over the next few months I’ll take some time to figure out a new plan.” 

Now in some cases taking a few months to create a comprehensive and integrated brand, marketing and re-launch strategy is very wise because your “do-over” can be more cohesive and your execution strategy flows better.  Most big corporations plan carefully and take a up to a year to roll-out.  However,  most entrepreneurs and online businesses can’t afford investment of time,  money or focused attention to make the big shift while keeping their business running and clients happy.  Despite good intentions, weeks often turn into months and they’re still off track.  

Listen up! It is rarely ever necessary to completely scrap it and start over. ~ Online businesses and solo-preneurs need impactful steps that make a difference to the bottom line immediately. The problem is that the entrepreneurial spirit want to jump in, act now and get it done.   An idea starts sparking a burning desire to ”call my web design guy and get a redesign started.” 

Whoooaaa! Start with the strategic architecture. ~ Think about it. When you build a house you don’t run to the interior designer, first you get a qualified architect then hire a contractor to coordinate all the pieces to execute.  Then you hire the designer to provide input and makes it show worthy.  Otherwise you face structural problems, crooked foundation, plumbing that doesn’t flow and electrical short circuits. 

Don’t run to your web designer and expect them to do it for you.  Sure, all web designers claim they offer the complete branding and marketing package… but their specialty is code not content, pretty not powerful,  attractive not attracting, tools not right targeting. 

Here are 5 keys steps to get you started:

1. Set a target date for completion. ~ Instead of delaying by months, set a goal to create a new brand vision, design and integrated plan within 2-3 weeks.

2. Work with a strategic branding and marketing professional.~  Get advice from an architect who can help you create an integrated marketing plan, image and message. If you start at the beginning with foundation of the  the 4 P’s of Marketing and 5 Brand Essentials  the ”how to get there” naturally falls into place. 

It may feel elemetary, but the reason you feel overwhelmed or off track is probably because you’ve lost sight of your strategic plan in the first place.   Take a moment to redefine; Who are you? What do you want to be known for? Who’s your ideal customer? What problem can you solve for them? What product will you sell them? How will you get attention?  Have a story and a message in your strategy that people will recognize and sets you apart from the crowd.

3. Focus on integrating your a new brand image with a marketing strategy ~ One of the biggest mistakes entrepreneurs make is that all their marketing and materials look different.  Remember: If you want to be recognized, then everything you do has to reflect you.  First focus on creating complete and cohesive marketing efforts and advertising/publicity strategy.   Then, when the time comes and you need to act fast, respond, launch a new product, get media attention etc., all the elements are there to make it easy and look professional.

4. Plan a roll-out timeline, do the quick things first. ~ Lay out a step by step strategic plan to get to where you want to be.  For instance; you may not need a new website, just start with quick changes to colour, sales copy and eliminating clutter, then look at changing logo’s and design elements when you are ready to launch your new marketing materials. (Note for solo-preneurs: A WordPress theme like Thesis makes do-it-yourself changes a snap without a web-designer.)  

5. Roll-out your money makers first. If you have a top selling product, then start by re-launching and re-branding it to fit the new you and let everything else follow or become obsolete overtime.  Don’t try to re-vamp everything at once. It takes too long and you’ll lose momentum. 

Okay, right about now you’re thinking ” Isn’t it better to roll-out a big launch all at once and generate more publicity buzz with a bigger bang?”.  It certainly feels sexier, but hey, you’re probably not a big corporation with a marketing department to coordinate the details.  Besides, unless you’re Paris Hilton, you don’t usually get publicity for changing your clothes, you earn it for changing your product or business.  You’ll get more bang for your buck if you roll-out in stages and use social media to get a lot of little flashes of attention rather than costly fireworks that end after your 15 minutes of fame.

Bottom Line: Is it time to scrap it and start over?  Probably not.  Don’t think of it as starting over, think of it as an evolution, taking your business to the next level.

Want to re-publish one of our articles on your e-zine or blog?  Feel free to do so as long as you link to this site, let us know where and when and be sure to include the following blurb.  Stephany Crowley, is a Strategic Marketing Communications Specialist, Media Coach and the founder of GetMorePublicity.com.  For nearly 20 years she’s worked with entrepreners, small medium sized businesses, and prominent politicians to refine their public image and lazer-focus their marketing message to attract the right target audience.  Her professional experience has included launching products, businesses, public policy initiatives, and various communications and public relations campaigns.

Radio is still one of the most overlooked free publicity vehicles for most entrepreneurs and small businesses.  The reality is, most radio hosts are starving for great ideas, interesting discussions and guest to fill time.   Interestingly, radio is also the most often overlooked for advertising, eventhough AM Radio is one of the cheapest, easiest and most effective advertising vehicles to build a local profile.  But we’ll save that for another day.  This article is about being a stellar and memorable radio interview guest.  Here’s some quick things to remember so you get the best publicity from your radio interview.

1. Do the work for the producer and host.~ This is the #1 insider secret. A talk radio host has too many guests, doesn’t know your topic and is usually has no idea where the conversation is going to go because he/she is used to flying by the seat of their pants.  So the more you prepare the host the better your interview will be.  When you’re talking to the producer of the show ask what angle of discussion their looking for, what other guests they have on and if you can help provide any information they are researching.  Feel free to mention an idea that you think might suit their audience.  Then email the producer a list of 5 -10 short questions that the host could ask or interesting factoids related to your topic.  This makes it a relaxed, no brainer conversation or easy interview for the host and producer and there is less research to do before the show.  They’ll love you and want you back.
2. Know your 3 key messages before you get on the air, but don’t script yourself. ~ Make sure you have the three key things you absolutely want people to know written in bullet form in front of you.  It’s easy to get swept away by a great conversation and forget the message you want to deliver. You’ll also want to include your biggest benefit, the great promotion you’ve got going, and your web addy or phone number. 
3. It’s not an info-mercial or a sales pitch.~ Hosts and listeners want great content, not commercials.  Don’t talk about yourself unless asked, no one likes a braggard.  Remember, you’re the expert and they want you there to provide content, give advice, and offer golden nuggets of value that keep listeners tuned in.  Your goal is to give information or how-to’s in a way they’ll remember so it inspires their confidence in you and you’ll be top-of-mind next time they think about the topic.  When you talk to the producer ask him/her if there is an opportunity to direct people to more information through a telephone number or weblink. The station may even post a link on the web to your site, so if you use a web addy… use a short and memorable URL.
4. It’s over before you know it, so be prepared, be brief.~ The one thing I hear most often after an interview is;  ” Whew, that went by so fast and there’s so much I forgot to say.”  Radio interviews are a conversation that get easily sidetracked, but this usually happens when the guest is unprepared and begins to ramble.  The whole interview is usually only 5-10 minutes, when you factor in time for the host and commercial breaks.  Practice your responses to key questions with a friend before hand.  Your aswers should be short, fun and attention grabbing, sentences less than 15 words is best.  If you’ve got an anectdote or story to tell, practice it several times until you can tell it in 30 seconds. 
5. You’re not on camera, but smile anyway!~ Great radio interviews are friendly and relaxed.  Put a mirror in front of you when you do the interview, breathe deep and smile while you have the conversation.  People can’t see your smile, but they can sure feel it in your voice.  If you look friendly, you’ll sound friendly.  I personally like to do interviews standing or walking with a headset to keep my energy moving to convey energy in my voice not sound too relaxed. You may want to try this for yourself.

Got an interesting or funny radio interview story… We invite you to leave us a comment and share it below.

Okay, I simply can’t resist any longer talking about one of the most genius advertising, publicity and social media plays of the year.

Every woman at some point looks at her couch-potato, totally satisfied with his life, occasional stink-bomb of a hubby and secretly wishes he was an Old Spice kinda guy.  So no wonder the award winning Old Spice AD “The Man Your Man Could Smell Like” generated a Top 10 Viral Video Campaign that generated nearly 35 million views (so far).

The original superbowl commercial with the hunky (but virtual unknown) Isaiah Mustafa and his sexy voice offers playful and subtle emotional appeals to all women’s secret wish that their lives were more like a romance novel. He is also appealing to men who fancy themselves being the suave, does-it-all, adventure laden guy that women swoon over, but don’t take themselves so seriously.

What makes this the social media play of the year, is that the geniuses at Weiden + Kennedy knew not only how to create multiple AD successes but also how to harness the power of social media to maximize publicity results.   In fact their follow-up social media campaign generated millions more views than the original ad campaign, a whopping 42.5 million views for the response videos alone.  I’m pretty sure it wasn’t completely planned ahead of time, but they get big cudos for seizing the day right into the hearts and minds of millions.

Here’s 7 Insider Publicity tips on how they did it:

1. Monitor response rates and successes ~ If the creators of the original TV Ad had not been paying close attention to the metrics and successes at every stage of the campaign, they wouldn’t have had clues how to run with it.
2. When you’ve done something successful repeat the formula! ~ After the first commercial Ad (over 22 million views) they created more of the Man Your Man Could Smell Like which generated another 15 Million views.
3. Figure out creative ways to capitalize on You Tube Traffic ~ The WK.com team (Props to Jason Bagley, Anne-Marie Harbour, Ian Tait, Eric Baldwin) for putting together a YouTube Channel and putting their star in front of a camera for days to produce video responses.
4. Extend through other social media (Facebook, Twitter, Blogs etc) ~ They automatically uploaded all comments everywhere, then creative writers went to work on responses. In three days they created 185 video responses which generated even more @ replies on Twitter and Facebook.
5. Pay attention to the “sneezers” and influencers ~ If you want to expand your reach, create custom responses to engage people of influence like bloggers, famous celebs and news outlets and communities related to your target like Stanley Cup Hockey fans.  As if sending ‘Get Well” Message to Digg founder Kevin Rose and ABC anchor and political head George Stephanopoulos wasn’t enough, engaging the fresh and beautiful Alyssa Milano with 7 min video responses and sending a dozen roses was absolutely BRILLIANT followthrough! (Over 800,00 views per vid)  What’s more Alyssa Milano’s video responded to generate publicity for a cause of her own.
6. Cross Promote wherever possible ~ Equally brilliant was the creative bold cross promotion for another related P&G brand Gillette (WOW, over 1.7 million views so far ~ I’m a Big Fan, Smiley face emoticon  cudos also to Starbucks and other brands that also jumped on the bandwagon.
7. Remember the little guys, they’re small but powerful ~ Every campaign needs to pay attention to what ordinary people think. They not only provide insights but they are the ones that other people in your target market relate to. The ordinary responses to people like Rose who asked “how many teeth do sharks have?” generated over 1 million views and Knitmeapony who wishes she could have a voice message with his “melodious tones”

Whew! Over 113 million views (and counting) with impressive traction, tweets and mega-buzz in multiple vertical target markets from middle aged women, to sports guys, and college students.  What makes this a publicity winner is the media buzz generated around the world on news networks, radio and even Oprah and PC magazine. The Old Spice and Isaiah is our first Get MORE Publicity “Blow Your Horn” winner of the year.

Although the video responses eventually ended with a silverfish, the brand loyalty impact is worth “bajillions” and legacy of this phenomenal campaign is one we’ll follow for a long time to come.

Want to see more insider’s publicity secrets? Here’s a shout out with thanks to a great blogpost on Creativity-Online.com and a behind the scenes interview about the making of the Old Spice “The Man Your Man Could Smell Like ” commercial.

You already know I’m the biggest proponent of DIY publicity strategies and absolutely believe that anyone can generate publicity and create an international profile as an expert in their field without spending on pricey PR agencies.  However, I sometimes get asked; “How do I know if I need a publicist?”, then I have to admit that, indeed, there are times where hiring a publicity strategist or PR firm just makes sense. 

10 Situations in which you should hire a publicist.

1. You are a solo-preneur, author or speaker and your business requires you to manage everything. ~ In other words, there are hundreds of tasks on a daily basis that need doing just to keep clients happy and money flowing. If they absolutely need you and you can’t delegate them, then you have little time to devote to running a publicity campaign even in the short term.
2. You are a consultant, coach, have multiple businesses or have a part-time job on top of your business. ~ In this case, your time is better spent making money on client projects rather than your own.
3. You have family commitments that need your attention during business and non-business hours. For instance: If you are a single parent, care for someone who’s sick, elderly or disabled family members, etc., you probably don’t have time to effectily keep tabs on a campaign and book media.
4. You have figured out how to get publicity at the local level and are ready to expand your market into another industry or vertical target customer ~ Not sure about next steps?  Get advice from an expert before you embark on a National campaign and waste money.  A publicist can help you figure out the best ways to reach new targets, what media outlets to contact and how to build your credibility. 
5. You are not yet comfortable being interviewed, put on the spot, or get nervous in front of a camera. ~ You need a qualified publicist or media coach to help you become confident and project yourself as the professional that you are.
6. You are trying to expand your market into another industry and vertical target customer ~ Get advice from an expert to help you figure out the best ways to reach them, what media outlets to contact and how to build your credibility.
7. You want publicity in another country or continent to expand your business ~ You need someone who is familiar with media outlets in that country.
8. You don’t like the thought of calling reporters and editors on the phone and pitching your story. ~ Unless you have an employee with the talent or training to do it for you, you probably need a publicist to pitch your stories properly and generate interest in your topic and you.
9. You like doing your own publicity for the most part, but need some help on specific projects or things that you’re not sure how to do. ~ Get help creating a media kit, setting up an online media room, writing copy to create an online expert profile, contacting magazine editors to write feature stories etc.
10. You are already successful doing media interviews, appearing on TV and getting the media spotlight, and are ready to take it to the next level. ~ A publicist can work on your behalf to keep up the momentum, so you stay on track with continuous bookings and can also help you refine your performance.

How to know when NOT to hire a publicist and save money for later?

1. You hate being on camera, or doing interviews and have difficulty talking about what you do. ~ Perhaps you find “tooting your own horn” and talking about yourself distasteful and you’d like a publicist to do it all for you, so you don’t have to. In this case, you’re fooling yourself and you should not waste time and money with a publicist.  Every campaign is about you and needs you to be confident, ready and at your best. If you are not comfortable yet with generating publicity, then save your money and take small steps until you are ready for bigger ones.
2. You have no idea how publicity works, how media interviews work and what a publicity campaign looks like. ~ If you are oblivious to the publicity and media world other than what you see on TMZ and Entertainment Tonight, then you need to learn the basics before you spend your hard earned money on a publicist. You should subscribe to this blog, invest a little in an online course, buy a book and get familiar with how it works before you start on your own or hire someone to do it for you. 
3. You have no product or profile to sell in the public. ~ I often get inquiries from new entrepreneurs saying; “I’ve just launched a business, started a website/blog and am trying to build an expert profile, can you help?”  Yes, a publicist could help you get clear about your target market and brand strategy.  However, you are not ready yet to create a publicity campaign yet.  Sure, you could publish a few press releases to announce your launch and help build your media profile. But you should probably focus your attention on developing products and services to sell and publicize.  The whole point of a publicity campaign is to make you attractive so you can generate leads and increase sales of a product or service, don’t waste time or money until you have your foundation in place.

What are your thoughts?  We’d love to hear them,
Feel free to share some other great examples with us in comments below.

Here is the long awaited third part of a series of articles on personal branding.  Sorry for the delay, but honestly if you’re Canadian you know why I’ve not been online as much lately… It’s SUMMERTIME!  I hope you enjoyed National Holidays, Music festivals and family camping vacations too.

Now, where were we?   In the last two discussions we looked at  why creating a personal brand is a must for online entrepreneurs and explored some of the pitfalls and where personal branding can brand you out of a market. 

How do I know when I’ve struck the right brand balance? Is it possible to be too strongly branded to a product or company?

My first answer is not really ~ If you have an online presence the essential element that helps you stand-out from your competitors is a personal relationship with your potential client.  People want to see who they are buying into, not just what product you have to offer.  Your personal brand helps you sell your message.

There are 3 simple questions to ask yourself to know if you’re too strongly branded to your product or company.

1. When people think about my key product does everybody KNOW it’s me? If your answer is “Not really”, then you are probably not branded enough.  If your answer is  “Yes, always, I am synonymous with my product”; it could be that your brand is too close to you and you may have a credibility challenge launching a different product or market.  If your answer is “Maybe sometimes, the people in my target market know me”; it’s probably just right.

For instance, Vince Offer “the ShamWOW Guy” is personally branded as a WOW of a pitch man.  Funny enough, even his real name, Offer Shlomi, tells you he’s got great offers to sell you inventions and gadgets.  But I’m not sure I’d buy a real estate or financial investment from him.  What’s really interesting is he’s still trying to make it as a movie writer, director and comedian.  Makes me wonder how movie execs respond to his offers?

2. When people think of me, do they think of my product?
When you ask the flipside of the first question, we often see different insights.  If the answer is “No”, then you probably have to work harder at co-branding your image with your product.  If you said “Yes, I’m synonymous with my product”, you probably think I’m going to say it’s too much.  However, the truth is that’s perfect because you are working your brand and people recognize you as your accomplishment, and you are in a perfect position to use your image to attract them to other new products.  Once you’ve accomplished that, you’ve just poised yourself to stand-out and dominate your competition with your target market.

3. When people think of me, do they also think of multiple products or business lines? If you said “Yes, my target market always thinks of me when they think of whatever product I’m selling them, then you’ve done a great job keeping your vertical business lines and your different target markets branded to you.

Here’s another quick example to illustrate:

When you think of  Chicken Soup for the Soul, who do you think of? If you answered my great friend and mentor Mark Victor Hansen; you’re probably in his target market.  You’ve probably bought his other books, taken his seminars or seen him speak to your industry as the “Ambassador of Possibilities”.

If you thought of Chicken Soup for the Soul and his name didn’t spring to mind, you definitely bought his book series, or you may have thought about his partner co-author Jack Canfield.

Now the flipside: When I asked you to think of Mark Victor Hansen;  if you know who he is, you’d probably immediately think of Chicken Soup for the Soul.  What’s great about this is that Mark and Jack have branded Chicken Soup to them so well that they were able to use that credibility and accomplishment to brand other products and book series, seminars, joint ventures, etc.

If you are an author or speaker (one of their target markets and vertical business lines), the phenomenal success of Chicken Soup for the Soul makes them the authority on how to write a best-seller, get published and market yourself as an author and speaker, you may buy into one of their Mega Book Marketing programs or Mega Speaker Programs.

If you are a business person or entrepreneur looking to create multiple streams of income, to you the success of Chicken Soup makes them an authority on joint ventures, marketing, licensing new products, international expansion, etc.

Here’s the Key: Everything they do, every new product they create and every new business line, is skillfully linked back to their original brand and product image.  This helps demonstrates who they are and their expertise.

So, what if I told you that Mark and Jack sold off the Chicken Soup brand and it’s now being run by someone else?  Cool eh?  Because you still associate it with them and it’s still living on to make millions.

That’s what a perfectly balanced branding strategy looks like!

What are your thoughts?  We’d love to hear them,
Feel free to share some other great examples with us in comments below.

In the last instalment of the Brand You discussion,   I promised to discuss the pitfalls of personal branding and how to strike the perfect balance.  Of course, the most important trend for small businesses with an internet presence is personal and social branding.  However the rules aren’t the same for everyone.   Let me start by re-capping what I said previously in a nutshell:

1. In today’s mass media internet world you have no choice but to brand you.
2. Advertising, marketing and publicity the old-school way doesn’t work because not only would it bankrupt you but in a mega-media world bombarded with impressions, you’d get little results.
3. Since everyone can know everything about you anyway, you really can’t hide anymore behind a logo or corporate image, so you just have to put yourself out there as your brand.
4. A personalized brand and social media profile is especially needed for small businesses and entrepreneurs.
5. You are your brand no matter what product, company or service you’re promoting. 

Now, I have a confession to make.  While I began re-vamping the GetMorePublicity.com site, I was reluctant to put my face on it.  Why?  Because I’ve got a past, a present and a future and I wasn’t sure I wanted to be fully identified with one site.  I wasn’t even sure I wanted old business associates (especially the political ones) from my past to find me.  So I noodled around many ideas for my brand and future business model with several other successful entrepreneurs and internet marketers. 

Along the way, I had some interesting (read: challenging) discussions with some of my social media friends about why you should or should not brand your personal name, instead of your businesses. 

If you’re what I called the new social media-preneur and read Gary Vaynerchuk’s book Crush It – you may have taken away the message that you should have all your future businesses under one personal brand name.   Don’t get me wrong, I LOVE  GaryVee!  Just consider that it may work really well for speakers, authors, coaches, personalities, artists and internet marketers, and there are some potential pitfalls to consider for the ordinary entrepreneur or professional to be aware of.  What if you’re an IT consultant or local landscaper or you are not unique in a niche?

I admit I was kirfutzed about the best way to do this.  I had invested so much time, heart, and tears in creating a brand for one of my previous businesses and I was reluctant to accept the idea that I had to re-brand.  So there was this big debate in my Mastermind circle about whether it’s better to launch a new website and brand or whether you should just launch yourself as a brand.

My point of view: It’s simply not good enough to just launch you, YourPersonalName.com and try to build a business, or integrate multiple businesses in one.  Aside from the fact that most people don’t do Google searches on your name, there are three BIG reasons:

1. We’re all multi-faceted beings and can have many talents and businesses with very different target markets.  If so you don’t want to create one place or one site where you try to be everything to everybody because you’ll end up alienating one of your audiences while you’re talking to another.
2. While you’re building your business and relationships the money is in your list.  You’ll want to build a list of clients, prospect and potential partners.  If your businesses are unrelated and have different clientelle you need to build separate lists.  That doesn’t mean your JV partners or affiliate partners can’t cross over from time to time, but it does mean you have to stay focused on who your audience, your key message and your objectives.
3. Most importantly, if You Are Your Brand and Your Business IS You… You can never leave it!  In other words, who would ever see the value in it without you or buy it from you?  Unless you are Dale Carnegie, or Earl Nightengale with children committed to your cause, it will die with you. 

Now maybe I’m just a big hippie at heart, but I like the idea of having the freedom to move on to new ventures, decide to travel the world on a yajna, or just dropping out if I feel so moved.  The idea of leaving my business as a legacy to my kids or the next generation is also pretty attractive.

Bottom Line: Yes, you are your brand and you have no choice to brand you;  however you’ve got to be careful how you do it.  Because unless you are Henry Ford, McCain Foods, Tim Horton, HarleyDavidson or the rare exception, you just might end up on the long road to fame or brand yourself out of your market in the long run.

Hey, I’d love to hear your thoughts, examples or experiences to further this discussion in the comments below.

Stay tuned (or Subscribe) to the Get MORE Brand You discussion:  In the next post  we’ll discuss the best way to Brand yourself and your multiple businesses.  I’ll also mention great examples and how to know if you are too strongly branded to your product or company.

I’m always amazed at how many small businesses online and even million-dollar companies have great logo’s but still don’t have a strong personal brand image associated with their company brand.  There’s no shortage of experts and guru’s talking about brand image. If you are an entrepreneur – you are your brand.  But what many aren’t saying is that companies today have no choice but to put a personal image to their brand.

Case in point: The small firm my hubby works with was looking to get more clients.  So naturally I looked at their online presence to see if I could make suggestions.  I was shocked to find an outdated website, with copy that really says nothing about who they are, and the explanations of what they do were high falutin’ long-winded meaningless business buzz words that leave you wondering  “Sounds important but… What Do they really do?” What’s worse, they are company of IT consultants that train the “bleeding edge” technology, but either are too busy or too oblivious to using online technologies and modern marketing methods.  Oh and their business is not really IT, it’s training people; yet there are no people or personalities on their site, so why would I even contact them?

Like many companies, they missed a decade or so, stuck in old-marketing methods. There has been a real paradigm shift  in the way brands are defined and developed in the last 10 years or so, mosly because technology has changed and mass media has evolved.   Now more than ever,  the explosion of online media has accelerated the need to create a personal brand identity.  Businesses big and small, either do it or die and here’s why:

1. Social media demands that YOU be everywhere now! ~ You want visibility. When people want information about you, they look online.  If you don’t have a Facebook page, YouTube channel, twitter account and website or blog, you don’t have visibility beyond the people you can shake hands with.
2. Gone are the days you can just brand a product or company ~ Oh sure, you can stay stuck in the past and advertise your company or product the old way, but you’ll spend way more money, your reach will be limited and you won’t be building a loyal relationship with your target market.
3. You really have no choice but to create a personal brand image for with your business. This isn’t just a good publicity strategy, whether you are a solo-preneur or big corporation it is ABSOLUTELY NECESSARY in today’s multi-media world.

So why is it necessary to build a personal image to your brand you ask?

I could elaborate many reasons like:  People want relationship, they want to know who they’re buying from and as my friend Andrew J Gay at Social Video Labs says it~ In the end, people still buy people, not just products.   However,  there’s one simple very important reason to brand yourself to your business: Because you can’t hide anymore!

You don’t have to be a larger-than-life celebrity like Sir Richard Branson, the intrepid adventurer-entrepreneur who branded over 360 companies to his Virgin label.   What I mean is;  the technology we have now has linked your entire history… every website, article, facebook, twitter mention and media hit.   Search engines like Google and Bing are getting way smarter about connecting people with places, event and products.   So anybody, anywhere can with the click of a button find out who’s behind every product, service, and website out there.   In minutes they can find everything out about anyone who runs a company from where they went to school, to the last dinner party, or the last political donation they made.  YIKES!

Now some old-school marketers choose to think that’s scary,  they whine about privacy issues and live in the deluded world thinking they can hide.  But the truth is, they are already losing business and market share and are about to be left in the dust by the next generation of social media-preneur.

Here’s the deal~ If you’re not marketing online you’re wasting money, losing opportunities and market share. It’s only a matter of time before the next generation of social media-preneur usurps everything you’ve accomplished.  These are the young ambitious visionaries that really don’t care what people know about them because they started harnessing the power of social media when they were 10 or 12 years old.

Young social media-preneurs are everywhere, right now. ~ The next generation is already light-years ahead of most traditional marketers and they have an absolutely fearless online presence.  They are intravenously connected (by phone, Blackberry, iPod, Laptop) to everyone.  They are unconsciously building profiles, following and marketing themselves without even knowing it! So why wait until they find their passion to be your competition and take over your industry? The generation gap has already been created, but there’s still time for you to jump to the other side before the crevace becomes the Grand Canyon.

This mass media shift has turned the traditional advertising world upside down and big corporations are scrambling to create campaigns that use teens with social following and YouTube’rs.   Smart faceless corporate entities have left old-school BIG Advertising/Marketing strategies behind to do what I call “Niche-morphing” publicity campaigns.  They use teens with video cameras and social media to help niche-morphe their image into more cool, friendly, and socially connected brand. (… I digress, more on that another time. )

BOTTOM LINE: We live in a Justin Bieber world where one 13 year old Canadian and a YouTube video can lead to sensational industry domination.  If you have not yet put a personalized image and real person face to your brand,  get your video cam,  snap some photo’s create a story and put something online that your target market can speak to and relate.

Stay tuned for the next post: How to know if you are too strongly branded to your product or company. Where I discuss the pitfalls of personal branding for online marketers and entrepreneurs and how to strike the perfect balance.

There’s a NEW Paradigm of Marketing Consciousness for Enlightened Entrepreneurs: Know your competition, then forget them.

I recently read a quote from another marketing/publicity guru that said “To successfully market a product or service you need to position your company in relation to competition.”

At first I thought, yep that’s been the marketing rule forever, but then I remembered a conversation with my hubby last night after yet another commercial for my daughter’s favourite show GLEE and it got me thinking.

“ I don’t get it,” I said, “Maybe I’m too Canadian but I just don’t get the Reality-TV-All-American attitude toward competition.  Everything our teens see on TV tells them ‘Winning is everything or you’re just a loser.’  From crazed tantrums of Toddlers-in-Tiara’s demanding mom spends thousands on a sparklier dress than the other girl, to Glee Clubs obsessed with spying on what the competing school has cooked for regional competition, they learn only way to win is to keep your eye on your competition.”

My daughter’s Highschool Competitive bands just took home all 3 Gold Medals at their Regional competitions without ever once mentioning, talking about or knowing what the other schools were going to-do.  Oh they were obsessed alright, but not with winning.  Collectively their bands chose to play the toughest music pieces, not to impress the judges, they knew they could fail at competition.  They chose the music because they decided if getting up every morning for 7:00 am was going to be worth it, they’d challenge themselves and seek the sense of accomplishment that comes with being the best that they possibly could be.  Of course the judges noticed.

So is positioning yourself in terms of competition really the only way to be successful?

I concluded this is an outdated old-school marketing mentality. It may depend on your market size if you lived in a small town or with several people offering the same services you have to be convince people to choose you.  Today, needing to “position yourself” in competition is largely a myth.  Here’s why:

1. Most customers don’t know who your competition is, and don’t care.~ We live in a caffeine-hyped, short attention span, internet world that is bombarded with images and advertising.
2. People want instant gratification.~ All they know is that they have a problem and they need a solution. They’ll remember the first person that is out there getting publicity for their solution.
3. People won’t always buy the same place. ~ The days of personal service and lifelong loyalty are long gone.  Do you know your banker?  Do you always go to the same restaurant?  If you have a comparable consumable product or service, your competition can’t really own the market.
4. People buy what makes them feel good. ~ If seeing you, talking to you, or reading about you makes them feel good, they’ll choose you.  Mostly people choose what they identify with or what looks or sounds most like them, so pick the target that looks or feels like you.  Chances are, your competition doesn’t.

The NEW Paradigm of Marketing Consciousness: It’s not about seeing your competition in the marketplace, it’s about how you see yourself.  Here’s some more enlightened marketing thought for the Spiritpreneur.

1. Remember:  Your market (like the universe) is abundant with possibility.~ If you are worrying about your competition, you are focusing on worry, as if you are missing something.   It doesn’t really matter how many customers the other guy has.  There IS more than enough to go around.  If you can’t see that, then you need to expand your mind and your market.
2. “Positioning yourself” inevitably compares you to the other guy.~ While it is important in your initial market research to know where you stand and set goals, if you’re focusing on racing against your competition you’re giving him more energy than he deserves.  Every sprinter knows if they look at the other guy they lose focus on the finish line and energy to run their race.  The only exception in business might be if you offer waaaay more than the other guy, you should do the comparison chart because it would be a dis-service to not let people know they can get more value from you. But other than that keep your eye on your finish line.
3. You BE YOU and attract your perfect customer.~ If you want a publicity strategy that works, you can’t earn publicity being like or following your competition.  Sure your competition can inspire new ideas (like this article), but twisting yourself into knots trying to beat the other guy at his game creates stress and takes you off your game.  It also tempts you to be something you are not, and turns people off because you’re trying too hard.

BOTTOM LINE: Know your competition and forget them. Keep your eye on your finish line and run your race.  If you know who you are and offer the best you can be, speak to your target market, then stand on your reputation.  Your perfect customer will see how authentic you are and be naturally attracted to what you have to offer.  Then all you have to do is just ask for their business.