Your agency’s “model” is about greater than the message or tone conveyed by its web site or emblem. It’s additionally about you. You’re possible one of many first folks to the touch base with shoppers or prospects, and the way you come throughout influences the connection folks really feel for you and the agency. In brief, you’re a keeper of the apply’s model, a teller of its story.
Should you can inform your personal story nicely, your private model will convey to everybody you work together with—together with your workforce—your expertise, your worth, and the particular abilities you add to the combo.
Perceive What You’re Placing Out There
Let’s begin with some context round what a private model means. For outdated time’s sake, take into consideration your favourite brick-and-mortar retailer. Whether or not it’s Costco, Goal, or HomeGoods, you’re a buyer for a wide range of causes. Perhaps you possibly can at all times get the gadgets you need or want. Maybe you are taking consolation in realizing precisely the place to search out what you’re in search of. Regardless of the purpose, your impression is clearly favorable otherwise you wouldn’t hold going again.
Simply as you view company manufacturers in a selected gentle due to your interactions with them, folks make judgments primarily based on their interactions with you. Based mostly on first impressions, how would they describe you? They choose up on the alerts you’re giving out, by means of your physique language and presence, in addition to what you say and the way you say it.
Formalize What Your Model Ought to Be
When working with companies to develop their model tales, we regularly start with their positioning assertion. A number of the identical factors we use to develop that assertion may also be helpful when creating a private model:
Outline your audience. Take into consideration who you’re attempting to achieve (e.g., colleagues, facilities of affect, shoppers). It’s simpler to craft a private story if you perceive your audience.
Pinpoint your viewers’s wants. Think about rational and emotional wants. For instance, shoppers might anticipate you to supply dependable info once they name into the workplace, however they might additionally want you to be an issue solver with a sympathetic ear when issues don’t go in response to plan and worries come up.
Consider the way you meet these wants. Let’s say your audience is your workers, and also you need them to know you’ve heard their issues about their skilled growth and guarantee them you’re invested of their profession development, too. So, take into consideration including an everyday skilled growth check-in to the calendar and make a degree to allow them to learn about any academic alternatives they is perhaps enthusiastic about.
Establish your specialty. Your private branding ought to embody what you do particularly nicely. Maybe you’re a retirement planning guru or a whiz with debt administration. You realize what makes you particular—and people round it’s best to, too.
With these 4 factors in thoughts, you possibly can put collectively a quite simple model assertion for your self. It would look one thing like this:
(Your title) is a (your function) that gives (audience) with
(your providing) in a (your differentiator) method.
As you begin to develop your private model story, this assertion can function a helpful guidepost—however be at liberty to revise it as your targets and viewers change.
Audit Your Model
It’s not sufficient to provide you with a model; you also needs to see in case you’re dwelling as much as it. To conduct a model audit, rank your self within the following areas from 1 to five (with 1 being nonexistent or wants enchancment and 5 being your model is stable):
Communication model (written and verbal)
Physique language and bodily impression
On-line presence (e.g., social media profiles, publications utilizing your title or agency web site, private bio)
Written paperwork that embody details about you (e.g., agency advertising and marketing supplies)
Suggestions from colleagues and buddies
When you have bother with this train, enlist an in depth good friend or colleague to undergo the listing and supply a rating for you. Then, see how the rankings examine. The place do you align? The place are the scores broadly totally different? The insights will assist you determine areas that would use some work, in addition to key strengths.
Protect Your Private Branding
Carry on tending to your model as soon as it’s outlined. Right here’s how:
1) E-mail. An e-mail could make or break you in only a few keystrokes. So, at all times hold your model in thoughts when crafting messages.
Examine your tone. Do your emails sound instructive and useful, or do they veer towards tone-deaf and harsh? Set the proper tone, particularly when writing a delicate e-mail. You would possibly ask a colleague to learn it first. Or chances are you’ll discover calling the particular person is healthier than sending an e-mail. I’ve a private rule: if I’m having bother discovering the proper phrases for an e-mail or discover myself occurring too lengthy, I choose up the cellphone as a substitute.
Be skilled. In case your e-mail makes use of an excessive amount of jargon, the reader is perhaps confused. Use correct English and clear language, and clarify any acronyms or abbreviations (relying on the viewers).
Spell verify! Don’t let the message of a well-crafted e-mail get obscured by pointless typos.
2) Voice (voicemail, cellphone messages, and calls). Ever marvel in case you’ve been too informal (or too formal) in conversations with shoppers? To undertaking each your agency and private model, contemplate:
Creating scripts for traditional greetings, cellphone messages, or putting a caller on maintain.
Being certain what you’re saying—and the way you’re saying it—is in keeping with what others in your workforce are conveying.
3) Physique language. Your physique language may give off unintended impressions. Earlier than a critical dialog, apply having the dialogue in a mirror. Be aware of your physique language and facial expressions.
4) Social media. Most of us use social media personally and professionally. It may be a significant enhance to your private model—in case you use it appropriately.
Know who “follows” or “likes” you. Since your likes and follows might be seen by others, your followers might have implications on your private model. Be aware of the feedback in your posts.
Suppose earlier than you tweet. Earlier than you ship off a fast put up, ask your self, “Is that this one thing I might need my employer, household, or buddies to see?”
Examine the language. As with e-mail, persist with acceptable and constant language.
Use professional-looking images. Does your LinkedIn photograph convey the skilled picture you need others to see? Is it latest, or a shot from 5 years in the past? Your photograph doesn’t should be taken by an expert, however it ought to precisely convey who you’re.
Google your title. What info seems? Is it what you anticipated?
In fact, totally different platforms will assist you inform totally different components of your model story (e.g., LinkedIn to spotlight your skilled accomplishments or Twitter to remain up on and share the most recent business information). And, if carried out nicely, it may be an essential strategy to attain your audience and preserve your private model.
Rebranding Might Be in Order
Should you’ve by no means actually thought of your private model, I hope I’ve given you place to start out. It may possibly assist you visualize what you need different folks to see in you and what they’re really seeing. And if these two variations don’t align? Properly, it might simply be time for a rebrand.
Please seek the advice of your member agency’s insurance policies concerning social media previous to using the platforms mentioned.
