Branding is all about visibility, awareness and perception. Everyone has a brand, whether they choose to work at it or not. People who know you, do business with you or hear about you from someone else each form a perception about you. This happens whether you are proactive or not, so it is definitely to your advantage to frame those perceptions and expectations.
You can see the impacts of successful branding in website and social media traffic … inquiries … sales … and invitations to network, speak, bid or sell. These are all measurable (look for incremental gains.) Choose the variable by which you measure your effectiveness/success and benchmark it before you begin an aggressive branding effort.
People are attracted to bright, visible brands … companies … and people AND confidence creates confidence. Raise your visibility, raise your profile and you will increase your success. Do it strongly, condidently and clearly and you will make it (much) easier for people to choose you or your company. People like to be associated with success, in both their business and personal lives.
This was the premise of my book … Be the Bulb! … which talks about strategies for attracting the types of people and opportunities that we all need to be successful. Branding is the biggest tool in that arsenal. You can find it on Amazon HERE. … Lori Martinek, Branding Expert & Author