In today’s online presence, if you’re not branding yourself, you’re just wallowing around in the mud. You can’t always wait on someone else to do it, it’s a responsibility that you have to take on and believe it or not, there are some things you can do effectively as long as you stay the course.
First of all you need to have a clear vision and sane evaluation of where you want to be and where you are now. No dreamy, hope-for-fate, fairy godmother, nonsense. To brand yourself takes time, some effort and a solid plan based on today’s technologies and tactics, not some infomercial course you took 20 years ago. In today’s online market, you need to use what is proven and that beings with havign the skills to work the web, using a website and blog effectively, having the communication skills that allow you to contact and communicate with others and maintain that communication.
Your website and blog have to be of top quality and you have to handle it professionally. It has to be well designed with the proper SEO to make sure it is not only getting indexed by Google but it is also being seen by your targeted audience. This is where the combination of old fashioned ‘word of mouth’ and SEO come in handy. You brand is nothing more than a symbol by which people know of you and associate you with what they want and being the best at what they want. Whether you’re the best hairstylist in your area or you’re the best golf coach, people need to know who you are, why you’re so important, and how can they find out if you’re legit.
So in effect, your website is your soundboard, your springboard, and your podium. It’s your showcase of what you are and what you do as well as any successes you’ve had. Your website must have a blog. That blog has to be you, your original content, that personal touch that the public can look at and participate in. Your photos should be pertinent to your site and should be tagged appropriately.
You need to use social media wisely and get people to engage in your posts which should come from your company page. Make a Facebook page for every area your business that you can post about and encourage shares and likes, but don’t get pushy or spammy. Post pics with you in them showing off your products, services, and for local SEO, take pics near notable areas and landmarks and tag the photos and share them. This will allow for the search engines to collect as much solid data about your site as possible and rank you accordingly.
Get that logo! Getting a cartoon character has always been a winner for branding. Either a caricature of yourself or pick a mascot. People can see and recognize these a mile away and they stand out among the wild and boring graphics found on the web.
Basically, in online marketing, you have to be your own star of your own show. Quality work wins out overall and customers and clients will praise you, but if you don’t have a website for them to go to that is competent and engaging, it’s just like spitting into the wind. It’s not going to do anyone any good.