Strong branding is critical in our ad-cluttered world. After all, you want to ensure that you’re the first provider in your niche that comes to customers’ minds.
But what if your brand is, well…just you? How can you be memorable and stand out as an artist, producer, or company?
Here’s a quick guide and some examples of one-person businesses that have great, memorable brands:
- Make it visual. Simple branding is best, especially if you can make an association in people’s minds that helps them remember YOU. Some think the more creative, the more your brand is noticed. Wrong! The more catchy but basic your brand is, the easier it is to remember. Theidea is to capture your audience with a visual THEY understand, NOT to confuse them with too much complexity.
- Be sure it’s tweetable. Social media is increasingly important in coming up with your brand concept. Look what happened to Netflix when they didn’t check if their chosen spinoff brand name, Qwikster, was available on Twitter. It turned out to be already taken by someone who wanted to post about their drug use. When you’re choosing a brand name, consider how and whether it would work in social media. More importantly AVAILABLE.
- Have fun. I bet some of your favorite solopreneur brands have humorous or whimsical elements. Why? Because it’s what attracts attention. If you can have fun at what you’re passionate about, and create a niche for your brand; 9/10 you’re going to attract the same audience that has similar interest as you. You’re creating a win/win for you and your audience. So why not have fun at what you do and make it comical and entertaining?
- Make sure it fits. If any entrepreneurs were uncomfortable with the brands they’ve created, their brands would flounder. You may be living with this brand for a long time, so don’t go with a brand concept that embarrasses you. Customers will sense that, and you won’t promote your brand as enthusiastically.
- Be consistent. Once you’ve come up with your branding, you want to use it everywhere. Get new business cards, posters, cd’s, T-shirts, magnet signs for your car, stationery, fliers, bumper stickers, pens, etc. Don’t leave any of your old branding material (if any) lurking around to confuse people. Stick to your NEW BRANDING and stay consistent in different ways to advertise your brand.
