I’m constantly asked about the “what” of Branding–what an individual’s or organization’s Brand is, what it stands for, what it really means. Then, invariably, come the how, the where, the who and the when questions. All very important, and all critical to the Branding process.

However, the question that organizations and individuals need to ask themselves before any of this gets started–yes, to some extent, even before deciding what your Brand is–is the answer to the WHY question.

Why are you Branding yourself at all?

What’s your desired Outcome?

It seems like a simple question, but you’d be surprised at the answers I receive:

“So people know who I am” …ok, but why?

“So people react positively to me (or my business), and like me.” …well, that’s certainly an advantage of a great, authentic Brand… but again, why do you want them to like you? Are you looking to expand your circle of friends?

“So people think I can help them.” …we’re getting closer, but still not there. Why do you want folks to think this way about you and your work?

“So people ask to work with me — they buy my service or product.” YES. You Brand yourself — or your product/service — or your organization, to help make it easier for your audience to say “yes” to you.

It seems simple, and it is… until you start considering how to present yourself within the context of this highly specific relationship you want to create. What is it — specifically — that you want your audience buy?

• Do you want them to buy a tangible product? And is that product low-cost or high-cost?
• Do you want them to buy an information-based service? And is that service  low-touch or high-touch?
• Do you want them to work with you as a full-time part of their team? As a consultant? As a friend?

And it doesn’t stop there.

Ideally, how you present your Brand shifts from conversation to conversation, audience to audience. Your Brand remains the same, but it is highly customized to the specific Outcome you seek to achieve with a specific individual or group. In many cases, we do this unconsciously. Our Brand presentation shifts depending on the individual with whom we’re speaking. However, by consciously refining your Brand and its presentation, you can actually begin to measure your results, identifying ways to achieve your outcomes more quickly, completely and consistently, by leveraging the power of your Brand.

I feel so strongly about this approach to Branding–that your Outcomes direct your Brand, whether for your work, your product, your business or most importantly, your Self, that I’ve begun using “Outcome Branding” as the core theme of my work.

So the next time you are frustrated because you can’t “measure” the results of your Branding efforts, ask yourself–are you truly Branding for a specific Outcome? And if not… why not?

Whether you’re branding yourself or your organization, you’re doing it for a particular reason. Elegantly designed products or professionally-perfect presentations don’t just exist for the sake of adding beauty to the world… they are designed to achieve a specific, measurable outcome.

Whether you know it or not, your Brand is helping you reach clear, defined outcomes as well… but are they the right outcomes for you and your business? And is your Brand truly serving you to reach your most powerful goals?

It’s time to make your Brand work as hard as you do.

Learn More.

It all comes down to Brand Promise.

Whether you’re an individual or an organization, when you present yourself publicly you establish—from the first moment you set foot in the public arena—your Brand. Elements of your Brand can include your skills/competencies, your appearance/packaging, your focus, your position, and your “personality” (whether you’re a business or a person)… as all of these elements come together to create your Brand Promise.

In fact, at its heart, your Brand is nothing more than a Promise that you make to your audience. And as with any promise, the more public it is, the more accountable you are to make good on it. Why? Simple economics. If your Brand is an effective promotional tool for you, I will either “buy in” to something you say based upon your Brand, or I will “buy” something you produce because of your Brand.

The Advertising Industry is masterful at expressing the promises that help consumers justify their buying decisions. Through the work of advertising, I know—without a shadow of a doubt—that Bounty paper towels are the Quicker-Picker- Upper, that Nike products will help me Just Do It, and that Nationwide Insurance is On My Side. It’s reassuring to have that confidence, and you can help your audience experience that same level of certainty through the process of creating, promoting and keeping your Brand Promise.  However, nothing can be more devastating to a Brand than when that Promise is violated. (It’s not the kiss of death, but it’s a headache you really should avoid, if you can. And you almost always can).

Perhaps the best example up to this point of the dangers of a failed Brand Promise is lifestyle maven Martha Stewart. Martha was a shrewd businesswoman who successfully launched a billion-dollar Brand as an American domestic goddess, creating serene beauty and joy in her surroundings no matter where she turned. However, those who worked with her considered her something quite a bit less than serene and joyful. Stories began to leak into the media, and her challenging nature became almost a caricature, juxtaposed against the soft and gentle–but ultimately “phony”–brand she cultivated in the marketplace. When Martha made the disastrous decision to engage in insider trading activities, her fall from grace was catastrophic. While her public flogging was due to a number of reasons, a great deal of the anger against her derived from a sense of betrayal. She’d misrepresented herself intentionally to appeal to a broader audience, and quite successfully for a long time. But people don’t like to be fooled. Ever. She’s begun gaining ground again, but it will take a long time before she’s as revered as she was before… if ever.

Keeping the Promise of your Brand

Keeping the Brand Promises you make should be so easy it’s almost second nature. You know what you’ve promised, after all. However, without careful monitoring, we sometimes find ourselves straying a bit from our best selves… or from the elements that made us successful as an individual or an organization. If that deviation is benign (say, a new book line that doesn’t have a Happily Ever After, but is still a great read), then it’s not a problem. But if it’s an unannounced deviation of some significance (such as offering authors the opportunity to pay for the pleasure of being published, then presenting those books to the public as if they were bought, edited and vetted by some of the best editors in the industry), then you are breaking your promise to your audience (in this parenthetical case—your readers and authors). A Brand Promise can be broken on a more personal level as well—such as when a sensational new star presents himself or herself as above the fray, only to make choices that demonstrate otherwise.

In work, as in life, a promise kept is a magical thing. Create a Brand Promise for yourself and your business that you love enough to maintain for your audience NO MATTER WHAT, and you’ll be rewarded with the trust and loyalty of a fan base that will carry you to success.

1. Before every important interaction with others, I make sure I “look” the part of whatever it is I’m trying to sell or accomplish. I try to ensure that my clothing and appearance help sell me to my audience.

a) Always

b) Most of the time, unless I’m too crunched for time

c) Occasionally

d) I don’t believe in manipulating my audiences, so no

e) I am not selling anything when I talk or interact with others

2. Before I engage in conversation with an important associate, I often create and review written “message” points I want to communicate.

a) Yes—I have a file full of them!

b) Sometimes, generally from informal notes

c) I think about what I want to cover in my head, but I don’t write it down

d) I am a spontaneous person! I don’t write these things down, they just flow from me

e) I don’t have a message points or agendas when I talk

3. I believe “You never have a second chance to make a first impression.”

a) Absolutely

b) Yeah, but I’m not happy about it

c) I think sometimes that’s true, but not always

d) I don’t deal in clichés, so no

e) I don’t consider myself extraordinarily memorable, so I don’t think this applies to me

4. I have developed collateral for myself – business cards, bookmarks, marketing packages with previous sales, events and books, a website or stationery to promote my personal or professional identity.

a) Yes… and I’ll send you the URL!

b) I have some of these pieces that have my own “look”, but not all

c) I have a business card that I created with a standard template

d) My work stands alone for me—I don’t need marketing materials

e) Do I need a business card at my stage in the game?

5. Within the last 3 months, I have written or reviewed a Personal Assessment of my self, my position in the marketplace, and steps on how to expand my audience of readers or contacts for the coming quarter or year.

a) Yes, as part of an overall branding plan

b) I have thought about this, but haven’t created a formal plan

c) I’m trying a few new things, but I haven’t even thought about it in terms of an “Assessment”

d) MY WORK STANDS ALONE! I don’t need to create a Personal Assessment or a Brand Plan, I simply need to create an outstanding product

e) I don’t really “network” at this point, but I do belong to a few loops as a lurker

Scoring

• If you score mostly a’s… you are likely a former marketing or sales expert. Your branding efforts will help you showcase your work and make the most of your selling opportunities.
• If you score mostly b’s… you are well on your way to branding excellence! Most likely, you lack a formal, comprehensive approach to branding, but you intuitively know what you need to do to create a positive and lasting impression.
• If you score mostly c’s… be excited! With just a few steps, you’ll catapult yourself and your career forward through effective brand marketing.
• If you score mostly d’s… you don’t yet place a high value on branding or feel it is necessary for you to succeed in your career. But since you have a brand whether you want one or not, knowing a few tips and tricks that can make yours more effective can only assist you in your work!
• If you score mostly e’s… you may not think you have a Personal Brand, but you do. And you are in an extraordinary position to identify, refine and promote your brand from the ground up. So, let’s get started! Check out the articles and resources on this site to help begin your Personal Branding work!

Fortunately, I’ve got an answer for that.

Putting aside the fact that you can’t unconsciously choose the wrong brand—you can willfully choose it, but that’s another story—you CAN begin the branding process without signing the Branding Scroll of Power in your own blood.

There is just the slightest bit of prep work, but it will take less time than completing a Cosmo quiz, I promise.

The Self-Quiz:

1. Name a favorite physical feature about yourself that is generally on display to the public. (Think eyes or smile, vs. tattoo on your inner thigh)
2. Name a favorite positive quality or characteristic about yourself.
3. Name a treasured dream or aspiration—a major goal you hope to attain.
4. Name a least-favorite quality or characteristic about yourself.

Whew! That’s it—and there’s no scoring involved. But with these answers, you can begin following my Seven Step Plan for Practical Branding. These Seven Steps can be taken on a daily basis—and there’s no penalty for missing a day. However, if you make the Seven Steps a daily practice, don’t be surprised if you find yourself moving closer and closer to your right Personal Brand.

The Seven Step Plan for Practical Branding

Step One: Give yourself a “Prep Talk”

When you wake up in the morning, look in the mirror and say “I would like to thank the Academy (or your mother, or your fellow revolutionaries) for helping me to achieve…” and then list your answer to number 3. This may seem silly, but say it out loud. Tell your reflection how proud and humbled you are by achieving this very important dream of yours. The only reason to have a Personal Brand is to help you achieve your dreams, so by expressing your thanks for having achieved your goals, you are unconsciously putting your Brand to work for you (before you’ve even decided exactly what your Personal Brand is.)

Step Two: Dress for Success

Keeping in mind your answers to questions 1, 2 and 3, get ready for your day mindfully. If you love your blue eyes and your generally sunny disposition and your dream is to be a TV newscaster… dress in a way that complements your eyes, makes you feel happy and that would also look perfect on the 5 o’clock news. Dress for the work you have to do, of course, but add the little touches that remind you of your dream. For example, even if you’re shoveling mulch for the day, you can wear a camera-ready smile.

Step Three: Act “As If”

Focus on questions 2 and 3 here as you venture out into your day. Think “How would I act if I was living the life I envisioned with my answer to question number 3? Would I bounce down the street happily? Would I smile graciously but calmly?” However you would act after having successfully achieved your dream—act that way today. Even if for just a few minutes at a time. For a hint, consider your answer to question number 2. Often your favorite positive characteristic or quality will form the basis of your Personal Brand.

Step Four: Talk “As If”

In your communications with others, speak as if you’ve already achieved your dream and as if you are exemplifying your favorite positive characteristic. Again, this isn’t always easy, especially when you are talking to a toddler, are stuck in traffic or are enduring a mind-numbing staff meeting. But focus on it a few minutes every day to start, and gradually expand the time until you conduct most of your conversations from the perspective of someone who is expressing your favorite positive quality, and who has achieved your major dream or goal.

Step Five: Do One “Turnaround Task”

I know you were wondering when we would get to your answer for question number 4. Well, here it is. Keeping in mind your response to question number 4, do one task—even a very tiny task—that demonstrates the opposite characteristic to what you named in answer number 4. So if you dislike the fact that you’re messy…straighten up a counter. If you dislike the fact you gossip…forego the opportunity to dish (unless it’s to me) just once during the day. If you think you are too negative…do one consciously positive act, no matter how small. This small discipline will help you weed out the actions that go against your ideal Personal Brand, even if you’re not sure precisely what your Brand is at this point.

Step Six: Do One “Shout-Out-To-The-Universe Task”

This takes us back to question number 3. If your goal is to be a New York Times bestselling author, perform one task—whether it’s writing a page of your book, editing your manuscript for fifteen minutes, or brainstorming a new story idea—with the specific intention that this will help you along your path of achieving your dream. If you want to do more than one task a day, you can… but do something every day. This discipline will help you focus on the work or actions that will support your eventual Personal Brand.

Step Seven: Roll the Tape

At the end of each day, consider the steps you’ve taken and spend some time thinking about your Personal Brand. What felt right about your look, your attitude, and your actions today? How did pursuing your goals feel? Pay special attention to your answers. You will find that your Personal Brand emerges from the actions and attitudes that feel the most “right” to you in a positive, uplifting way.

Again, don’t worry about having your Personal Brand whittled down to a perfect two-word phrase and accompanying slogan by Close of Business today. Your Personal Brand is first and foremost about helping you achieve your dreams. Have fun with the process and of course, if you have any specific questions, please don’t hesitate to email me.

Typically, a logo is comprised of stylized, colored text and, in many cases, an accompanying image. The combination of the Nike® name and the “swish” logo, for example, conveys movement, speed and spirit. The MasterCard® logo expresses global usability in warm, inviting colors. The bright red and white Coca-Cola® logo symbolizes smooth, free-flowing refreshment in a classic palette. Marketing nirvana is attained when a brand becomes so easily recognizable and generates so much resonance with its target audience that it positively influences purchase activity for any product to which it is attached. Nike, for instance, started out as a running shoe company. Today, the Nike brand extends across every fitness category imaginable.

Sometimes, logos for new companies are created in direct opposition to other, entrenched logos. For example, compared to the block-lettered, imposing, corporate-leaning presence of the IBM® logo, the logo for Apple® aims for a fun, friendly, engaging experience with a nod toward learning and education—consistent with Apple’s interest in attracting an audience of hip, savvy early adopters of new technology.

But what about you? Most of us are not going to find our names splashed over a billboard or stitched into ball caps. But all of us can utilize the same logo creation techniques to create a branding short cut for our most defining Brand Element: our name.

Your Personal Brand Logo

Although there are no hard and fast rules, a logo is generally comprised of three components: color, font treatment and an optional image. As we explore these components, keep in mind your own name or pseudonym and think of how you can create your own Personal Brand logo for fun and profit.

Color

Choosing a color for your name brand is deceptively easy and crucially important. Color has influenced buying decisions for millennia, often with intricate interpretations assigned to the slightest variance of color. The internet is filled with sites purporting to have the last word on color psychology, but I’ll include the listing below adapted from the listing in the online encyclopedia Wikipedia (www.wikipedia.org).

Gray: On a positive note, Gray can mean elegance, humility, respect, reverence, stability, subtlety, timelessness, and wisdom. On the negative side, however, Gray can be interpreted as anachronism, boredom, decay, decrepitude, dullness, dust, pollution, and urban sprawl.

White: Positively, White can mean reverence, purity, snow, peace, innocence, cleanliness, simplicity, security, humility, marriage, sterility, and the joy of winter. Concerned the down side of white? Think coldness, sterility, clinicism, surrender, cowardice, fearfulness, the yucky side of winter, and unimaginative.

Black: One of fashion’s most popular colors, Black symbolizes modernity, power, sophistication, formality, elegance, wealth, mystery (in a good way), and style. However, it can also mean evil, death, fear, anonymity, anger, sadness, remorse, mourning, unhappiness, and mystery (in a bad way).

Red: Often used by category leaders, red demonstrates passion, strength, energy, fire, love, sex, excitement, speed, heat, leadership, masculinity, and power. On the down side, red can imply danger, fire, gaudiness, blood, war, anger, revolution, radicalism, aggression, and STOP!

Blue: Calming blue is attributed to seas, skies, peace, unity, harmony, tranquility, calmness, coolness, confidence, water, ice, loyalty, conservatism, dependability, cleanliness, technology, and winter. However, blue can also contribute to feelings of depression, coldness, idealism, obscenity, ice, tackiness, and, the downside of winter..

Green: An ever-more popular color in today’s environmentally-focused times, Green conveys nature, spring, fertility, youth, environment, wealth, money (US), good luck, vigor, generosity, go!, and grass. Looking for some negatives about Green? Try aggression, inexperience, envy, misfortune, jealousy, money, illness, and greed.

Yellow: Yellow connotes sunlight, joy, happiness, optimism, idealism, wealth (gold), summer, hope, and air. On the downside, however, yellow can imply cowardice, illness (quarantine), hazards, dishonesty, avarice, sissification, and weakness.

Purple: Ah, glorious purple. Purple can mean sensuality, spirituality, creativity, wealth, royalty, nobility, ceremony, mystery, wisdom, and enlightenment. However, it can also portray arrogance, flamboyance, gaudiness, mourning, profanity, exaggeration, and confusion…so use with care!

Orange: Orange can convey Buddhism, energy, balance, heat, fire, enthusiasm, flamboyance, and playfulness. Alternatively, orange can mean aggression, arrogance, too much flamboyance, gaudiness, overemotion, warning, danger, and fire.

Brown: Feeling in a brown mood? Think calm, depth, natural organisms, nature, richness, rusticism, stability, and tradition. However, brown can also imply anachronism, boorishness, dirt, dullness, filth, heaviness, poverty, and roughness.

Which color appeals to you? Keep in mind that it’s for your Brand—and that your Brand’s job is to sell you. So even if you feel like your predominant color is thundercloud gray, if you want your Brand to announce you as Mary Sunshine, the gray has to go.

Font Treatment

Ask any commercial designer: careful font selection is key to creating an effective logo. There are literally thousands of fonts available on the internet, and one of my favorite sites, linotype (www.linotype.com) allows you to test drive your font in whatever word or words you choose.

Of course, the most natural and original font style for your Personal Brand is your own signature. However, not all of us have handwriting styles that we like or that play well across all media (print, website, fabric, etc.) By purchasing a commercially prepared font, you have the benefit of a designer’s skill, and can size your font up or down depending on your needs.

But on to the font itself. What speaks to you? A loopy or hard edged font? Feminine or masculine? Gothic or contemporary or childlike? Consider your brand as well. Are you selling romance novels or machine parts? Toys or sports cars? What you’re selling and how you want to sell it are important considerations as you choose the font that’s right for you.

Icons/Images/Pictures

Once you’ve picked a color and a font treatment, the next question is your icon, or a graphical image to represent you and your Brand. A crimson, Goth-lettered Mary Smith set off by a gleaming dagger tells a much different story than a hot pink contemporary Mary Smith cuddled up to a pair of kicky high heels…which tells a completely different tale than a bright orange kid-friendly Mary Smith bracketed by lime green child’s hand prints. Get the picture? So will your audience.

A few icon examples are listed below—and note, as you consider the right graphic for you, think charm bracelets and tattoos, not Renaissance artwork. The simpler the image, the better!

• Checkmarks, exclamation points, quote marks, dollar signs or other common symbols we see in text documents
• Light bulbs and lightning bolts
• Daggers, bombs, guns, weapons of mass or individual destruction
• Tools of a given Craft or Skill (paint brush, writing implements, musical instrument)
• Eyeglasses, martini glasses, looking glasses, sunglasses
• Accessories, such as shoes, purses, hats or jewelry
• Sports symbols
• Religious symbols or tools
• Paranormal or Magic symbols
• Symbols of wealth, strength or power
• Symbols of youth—balloons, toys, baby bottles
• Symbols of a Season—from kites to snowflakes to umbrellas to swirling leaves
• Animal figures, totems or faces
• Natural elements, such as wind, air, fire, water, trees, plants, flowers, rainbows
• Cosmic elements such as moon, stars, sun, comets, planets
• Cars and trucks and things that go
• Occupational gear such as a badge, fireman’s hat, stethoscope, magnifying glass
• Photo or representational icon/avatar

Couple any of these with your name and you’ve already made a statement!

Next Steps

Now that you’ve put together your “name brand”, what you do next is up to you. You can

a) Use your logo image in your correspondence, promotional materials and website, or

b) Use it for yourself. Print it out and post it up on your refrigerator, bathroom mirror or closet door. By reminding yourself of your brand in a graphic and appealing way, you help ensure you consistently represent yourself to others.

If you’ve read my work or taken one of my classes (or simply stood next to me for too long), you know that, for me, comprehensive author Branding goes well beyond websites and postcards, although those are certainly part of the picture. In fact, focusing so much on promoting your books can be exhausting, and lead many authors to think they’ll never be able to afford to Brand themselves well.

However, I consider author Branding to be simply this: How you identify yourself and your work both to the industry and to your readers. And to effectively present (or market) your Brand, you need to consider the following six areas:

• Your PRODUCT, or the work itself (the most important part of anyone’s Brand!)
• Your PRICE, or whether your books are mass market, e-book, trade paperback or hardback
• Your POSITIONING, or what makes your work different from everyone else’s in your genre
• Your PACKAGING, or your books’ covers, your appearance and demeanor (if you make any personal appearances) and your website/marketing materials
• Your PLACEMENT, or where your books may be found (online, booksellers, etc.), and – last but not least –
• Your PROMOTION, or “all the stuff you create to promote yourself and your writing”

Authors tend to place the most focus on Packaging and Promotion, but a successful Brand Marketing effort will include all elements of a Brand for maximum impact.

Again, Brand Marketing does NOT need to be an overwhelming subject for authors. It really isn’t about how many bookmarks you have or whether or not your website features the latest video trailer technology. Effective Brand Marketing is within reach of EVERY author, from the first-time-writer to the multi-published, beloved romance icon.

First, write a great book

No, really. The most important part of anyone’s Brand is the actual product he or she is selling, or in the case of authors, their books. If you don’t have a solid book, you will not have breakout success—so take the time to put forth your best possible work before getting caught up in all of the distractions of marketing.

Second, consider your publisher and format

Authors of romance have the opportunity to sell their books to publishers of almost every shape and description—large or small, print or e-book. While any publisher can add value to the writing process, you are both subconsciously and literally setting a price for your book by your choice of publisher. That price (and the contract you negotiated) can and should impact your Branding process.

For example, if you sell to an e-book publisher with a strong online following, does it make sense to prepare for in-person book signings? Probably not. However, if you sell to a traditional print publishing house and know several booksellers in the area who would hand-sell your book with a little advance notice, then taking the time to set up book signings would be well worth your time.

Third, decide what makes you different

It’s very tempting to skip this step. You want to get on to the fun part of designing marketing materials, not think about your industry peers and how you and your work might stand out. But positioning yourself is critical for you to ensure your Branding efforts are effective. You’re not “just” a writer of romance… your romance is unique because it is—what? Amazingly funny? Packed with thrills? Dark and edgy? I urge you to take the time to come up with what makes you and your work fresh and new, particularly if you’re a new writer or if you’re trying to break through to the next level of publication. It is time and effort well spent.

Fourth, package yourself (and your work!) for success

This applies on two levels. First off, there’s your personal appearance—which is necessary for in-person book signings and meetings with your industry peers and publishing professionals. Please note that even if they don’t want to, people do draw conclusions about you based on your appearance and your demeanor. So if you write serious literary fiction and you show up wearing day-glo spandex and stilettos, there will be a bit of a disconnect for your readers. And if you write tender, soulful romance but snarl and snap at every turn, that will also be off-putting (as well as slightly alarming). Being a public figure is not always easy, but accept that you are one as an author, and be prepared!

**Note, does this mean that if you don’t “fit” the role of the type of books you write, that you shouldn’t be seen in public? Absolutely not! But just be prepared for your readers to blink rapidly when they meet you, and have a plan to resolve their surprise however you prefer.**

Your marketing materials are another method of “packaging” yourself—your website, business cards, stationery, and, yes, giveaway items are all part of your overall package. If you are published or are actively marketing your work, take the time to create a truly professional-looking website and online presence. It does not have to be elaborate, but it should be appealing, easy to read and genre-appropriate. The same holds true for your marketing materials—it is not worth your time to create materials that don’t present you professionally, so spend your money and resources wisely in this arena.

Fifth, pay attention to where (and how!) your books are sold

This is another area that is tempting to overlook, but the placement of your books can help determine how well they are sold. So find out where your books will be available—and when. Consider innovative marketing ideas to get your books placed in unique venues—especially if your book lends itself to a particular tie in (such as Harlequin’s NASCAR®-themed book series). Help your editor sell your book to the sales department by suggesting marketing hooks and ideas to make your work memorable. When it comes to helping ensure your books are as marketable as possible, consider it part of your Brand duty to be an active participant in your own success.

And Sixth…finally!… Promote your work with distinction

Yes, absolutely: promotional materials can be a part of a successful sales plan for any author. Bookmarks that have a unique hook or design, and “useful” items such as mini-calendars, pens, lanyards, clips and magnets do have a shelf life, and can absolutely boost name recognition. But here as in all areas of Branding, make your promotional materials stand out. Chances are, you’re spending part of your advance money to purchase these items, so make sure they will carry their weight. They absolutely must contain your identity—your name, book title, and/or website address—and they should ideally be as unique as you can make them, and relevant to your specific Writing Brand.

Creating a positive, memorable author Brand can be a rewarding process for an author—because it allows you to clearly articulate who you are, what you write, and why your books are worth the attention of a reader. So take the time to create a Brand you truly love—and watch your readers fall in love with it, too.

Whether you’ve gone through a Personal Branding exercise or not at this point, it’s relevant to discuss what you’re now going to “DO” with your Brand. How can having a Personal Brand really impact your efforts as a writer, entrepreneur, or business professional, and what are some techniques for “showing off” your Brand?

You can manifest your Personal Brand in an almost endless variety of ways, from subtle to dramatically obvious, and how people experience your Brand is via its key Elements.  

ELEMENTS OF YOUR BRAND

The primary purpose or need for a Brand is to sell something. In the case of a Personal Brand—what you’re selling is yourself. In the context of this discussion, you’re selling yourself as an Author.

So how can your Brand help you with that? A strong Brand gives you the ability to be consistent and positively memorable throughout every interaction with your audience. As you begin to use your Brand more and more to guide your decisions, you will find real synergies start to take place.

And it’s important to note—living your Brand should not be painful or tedious. It is ideally something that comes naturally—not forced or something you “put on” for the sake of your audience. And that is truly the best kind of Personal Brand. If you find that you’re faking it—your Personal Brand is very possibly too much work, and not right for you.

The Elements of your Brand include:
—You and your persona
—Your “Look”
—Your Marketing Materials
—Your Work

You and Your Persona

This element of your Branding effort is the easiest—it simply is who you are. Whether you’re cheerful or serious, fun-living or methodical, wise or sillly. This is how your friends know you, how your family knows you, and most likely how your coworkers or peers know you if they’ve worked with you for any amount of time.

How to make it work: put together a list of words others use to describe you. Gather as many terms as you can find—go ahead, ask people (ideally, ask HONEST people). Then, sit down with this list and write down your Personal Brand Core Statement and/or your Slogan. Review the list against your Statement and Slogan—what fits, and what doesn’t? If my Personal Brand is Joyful and I’m described as a heinous wench… we’ve got a problem here. I either need to be more myself with people OR I’m living in a dream world about what my Brand really is.

Your Brand should help define how you act with others socially, personally, and even how you move and interact with your environment when you’re alone. Again, if your Personal Brand is a good fit for you, this should be a fairly unconscious effort. If you find you’re working too hard to “match” your Personal Brand… you may need to retool it.

Your “Look”

This element of Branding can be more complicated, particularly as you begin to put yourself out there in public. Your “Look” includes your physical appearance and the clothing you wear, your accessories and your writing and speaking style. It’s everything on your body as well as what surrounds you (when you can be surrounded by your stuff), such as your car, your house, your office space, your luggage, you name it.

Now, does this mean that if you drive a minivan and your slogan is “Red-Hot Mama”, you have a disconnect? Well, maybe—if you drive a boring minivan with no trace of your personality on it. But if you’ve got plush chili peppers hanging from your rear-view mirror…you’ll see those, remember why you have them there, and it will be a subtle and powerful reminder of your Brand.

How to make it work: Do a Brand Look inventory. Consider how you present yourself in public, how you dress, how you live, and what items surround you. What is consistent with your Brand, and what isn’t? Can you change the latter elements to be more consistent with your Brand? This is particularly important for events like meeting with industry professionals, conference appearances, etc. If my Slogan contains “Edge” and I show up dressed in a bonnet and shawl, my Brand Look is far, far off track.

Your Marketing Materials

Your Marketing Materials includes everything you put out there about yourself, from bookmarks to postcards, from your query letter stationery to your business cards, from your website to your thank you notes. If you produce it and present it, it deserves a healthy dose of Brand Management. Even if you present your work on plain white paper with no stationery or “look”—you can “Brand” your letter/communications with your style.

How to make it work: Do a Marketing Materials inventory. What can you “brand” with your unique style? Should you punch up your query letter copy? Update your website to include more of your personality? Get new business cards? Explore fun pens or useful giveaways? You don’t have to do everything at once, by any means. Personal Branding shouldn’t be an exercise that breaks the bank. But as you have the opportunity to adjust your marketing materials to match your Brand, you definitely should. Even the slightest adjustment will make a difference.

Not ready to spend money yet? Again, please know that no purchase is required to brand yourself, as long as you are personally interacting with your audience. Your branding effort can come through in your natural style, and in the content and professional presentation of your work. Even the frequency of your contacts can be part of your Branding effort. For example, if you send thank you notes—know that not everyone does. Very likely, the perception that you are a thoughtful individual will become a part of your Brand.

Your Work

I’m including this here because your work will ultimately become the strongest expression of your Personal Brand. If your writing matches your slogan, or fulfills the Brand Promise that your slogan makes, your Personal Brand will obviously be that much more effective. So your work remains critical to the process. Just think of the last phenomenal-looking product with a killer brand that you bought… and that didn’t live up to your expectations. Shoddy work can undermine even the best of Brands.

How to make it work: Remember that no matter where you are in the writing process, you are a professional. Brand your work that way—ensure that any work you send out is timely, accurate, and well-presented. Be courteous and consistent in your communication with others, because you never know when you might be making a contact that will become important somewhere down the line. And, of course, write the best possible book you can… every single time.

The Elements of Branding give you a wealth of opportunities to consistently present your Personal Brand. Remember that consistency is key… but if you’ve chosen a Personal Brand that truly resonates for you, you’ll find it remarkably easy to tie together the Elements of Branding in all of your professional interactions. And, of course, if you have any specific questions, please don’t hesitate to email me.

Making the jump to writing a new type of book, however, requires more than just firing up your word processor and playing different music on your iPod. You have your audience to consider – an audience that can include your readers, your agent, your editor and your publicist.

Now, before anyone emails me with examples of authors who write all sorts of different books under a single brand name, please note: I am not saying it can’t be done. I am saying that it is difficult to do well and consistently over long periods of time. If you want to duplicate the career of a successful author who does maintain a single brand for all of her (differing) work, study her closely: does she write all of her books for one publisher with a “built-in” audience? Does she maintain a heavy release schedule for the “off-brand” books, or does she focus primarily on her “on-brand” books? Is there a huge difference between the genres she writes most frequently, or are they fairly similar in tone and style?

As you consider making a switch in the style and focus of your writing, use this handy scoring system to determine what impact – if any! – that switch could have on your current Writing Brand.

How long have you had your current Writing Brand?

If you have only recently begun marketing your work, or if you haven’t begun marketing it at all, this is the best possible time for you to consider changing your brand. However, if you have made sales and have established an audience for your work, then you need to weigh your proposed change carefully. Your Writing Brand is important to your audience. It’s how they identify you, how they relate to your work, and it represents what you and your writing mean to them.

To give proper credit to the impact of your current brand, assign it a point value:

• 1 = I have not actively marketed my work under this brand.
• 3-5 = I have made 1-5 sales with this brand (Give yourself a 3 for a pending sale to 1 sale, 4 for 2-3 sales and 5 for 4-5 sales).
• 10 = I have made 6 or more sales with this brand, and have books coming out regularly.

How much of a change is your new Brand from your current Brand?

If you are looking to make a shift from writing vampire romance to werewolf romance, but still wish to maintain an overall paranormal influence in your writing, your brand change is admittedly fairly slight. Of greater potential concern is a brand shift between two very different genres – such as moving from light historicals to gritty romantic suspense. How does your change rank?

• 1 = I plan to continue writing within the same overall genre.
• 3-5 = I plan to write within a new genre, but one that is linked to my current genre – for example, I currently write hip contemporary novels; now I plan to write hip contemporary paranormal novels. (Give yourself a higher score the more distant your new writing focus will be from your current focus).
• 10 = I plan to write in a new genre, that is not at all linked to my current genre (for example, I was writing Regencies; my new book, however, is Romantic Suspense).

How focused will you be on the new Brand vs. your current Brand?

What’s your writing future look like? Will you ever write books like the ones you wrote before making a brand change? Or are you committed to your new writing focus?

• 1 = I will never again write a book that would fall under my “old” brand.
• 5 = I expect I will write the occasional book in my “old” brand style, but not for awhile. I’ll mainly focus on my new Writing Brand.
• 10 = I fully expect to write books both in my “old” (which is still my “current”!) Writing Brand and my new Writing Brand

Tally up your scores! Based upon where you rank, below are some steps you can take to make your brand transition smooth—both for you, and for your readers!

3-10: Only slight branding changes needed

With a modest change in your writing focus, or if you are fairly early in your career, you can maintain your current authorial name, website and marketing materials. You may want to consider updating your look to better reflect the expanded focus of your writing, so that your readers know what to expect!

11-20: Possible candidate for a new Writing Brand—if not, then major changes and/or publicity needed

This is a grey area. You could get away with updating your marketing materials, doing some publicity around your new Writing Brand, and hoping that your readers will “get it” when you shift between brand styles. My advice, however, would be to create a new Writing Brand for yourself: this means a new pen name, new website, new marketing materials, new look. Go ahead and link to your new site from your current site—or creatively feature both brands on a single site—and promote the heck out of both brands!

21-30: Congratulations on the Brand New You!

No question about it—it’s time for a different brand. Like Nora Roberts and J.D. Robb, or Sherrilyn Kenyon and Kinley MacGregor, you are writing different stories on a grand scale, and you owe it to yourself and your readers to differentiate yourself accordingly. Again, plan on cross promoting yourself to leverage your current audience base. Check out authors with multiple robust brands and see how they present themselves!

As a brief review, I define Writing and Industry Brands as follows:

Your Writing Brand is the brand you communicate solely through your books or promotional efforts. As a result, you’ll probably find that a description that can double as a slogan will work best for your Writing Brand.

Your Industry Brand is the brand you present as an author—to your industry contacts, to your dedicated readership, and to anyone you meet as you pursue your writing career.

Both your Writing Brand and your Industry Brand can make the difference as you interact with your peers and industry professionals at conference, so take a few minutes to focus on yours!

I’ll use myself as an example. Upon learning that my manuscript had finaled in the Golden Heart contest, I did an emergency Brand review. While I did have a website and matching business cards, my site wasn’t as reflective as it could have been for what I’m now writing. Recent classes I’ve taken with Louise Knott Ahern for PR (www.theworkingwriter.com) and Kay Lockner for Career Planning (www.authormba.com) showed me that my bio, media page and overall look needed a quick refresh to emphasize my specific writing interests. Within several days, I had revised my site and crafted new cards, updating my overall focus and preparing for conference season.

How about you? Are your Brands ready for prime time? Here’s a quick checklist to make sure you present yourself most effectively, utilizing the 6 P’s of Brand Marketing:

Product & Price – This is perhaps the most important aspect of your Writing Brand, your books. Do a quick review and log the status of all of your current manuscripts. If you have books out for consideration, are they at your ideal publishing houses or agencies? Are you reaching high enough to achieve your eventual sales goals? If you’re completing new books, are you writing as frequently as you should be? In Branding, especially for authors, Product is king.

Positioning – Positioning is a critical component of your overall Writing Brand strategy, directly after Product. The key with Positioning is to emphasize what is different about your work. Take a look at your Writing Brand and slogan. Are they unique or compelling enough to really drive your marketing? “Sexy, fun romance” is a great start for a Writing Brand—but what makes you different than every other author of sexy, fun romance? Do you write from the heart—or the heartland? Do your heroes wear army fatigues—or Armani? Once you identify what makes your writing unique, your Packaging, Placement and Promotional plans will flow easily from there.

Packaging – Now we’re getting to the business end of Branding: or how you present yourself in your marketing identity pieces. Your marketing identity pieces for your Writing Brand include your website (yes, if you are ready to market your books, you should have a website), your business cards, and your stationery or other print materials. For bonus points, explore the idea of accessorizing your personal look with elements that match your Writing Brand as well!

For your Industry Brand, your marketing identity piece is literally: you—your appearance and your demeanor. If you’ll be pitching at a conference, for example, you may choose to appear confident and professional; fun and engaging; or elegant and chic. Seek to convey your unique brand in a manner that’s positive and memorable. If this means reviewing your conference wardrobe in advance to make sure you have the outfits in place that make you feel at your best, then it’s time to dive into the closet.

Placement – The Placement of your Brand is the “shelves” on which you can be found. For a published author, placement will include bookshelves at your local bookseller, space on Amazon.com, etc. But for both published and unpublished authors, Placement opportunities abound. Consider the various loops, blogs and online communities to which you contribute. Review your website from a Placement standpoint—can viewers read an excerpt of your book, for example? Or take advantage of a free giveaway? Are you part of networking groups or online communities such as myspace.com? Particularly as you gear up for conference, work to ensure you are “findable” online—by your peers and by Industry Professionals who might want to check out your online presence.

Promotion – And now it’s time for the fun part! Promotional items do not have to break the bank, but they can go a fair distance in conveying a lasting message to your audience. If you’re a published author, low-cost but USEFUL promo items (think pens, notepads, clips, possibly magnets, mirrors, or anything that I can use in the course of my day) are a great idea. If you’re unpublished, come up with creative promotional strategies that will help keep you in the mind of your key audience—maybe a notepad or other small giveaway that you only hand out to agents you’re pitching. You don’t have to distribute these promo items out to everyone, after all—but they could create a positive memory in the hands of the people who matter most to you.

In closing, as you prepare yourself for the conference season, consider your Brand from every possible angle to make a consistent, memorable impact. Your Brand is one of the best tools you have to market yourself—make sure yours works for you!