How to create a personal brand: a step-by-step guide.

Small business 30.05.2023
Small business

Brand for your product, you need to know what other similar products are on the market and which one has the strongest brand. He will become your competitor. Your task is to position your product as the same, but with some advantage. For example, your shampoo for oily hair not only rinses the hair well, but also acts on the scalp in such a way that the hair does not become oily for a long time, because the scalp is “to blame” for excessive oily hair.

A brand always carries a message that is positive for a certain circle of people. For someone who drives a Nissan Teana, such a positive message can be the elegance and solidity of the car combined with its reliability. For someone who drinks Klinskoye - relaxedness, fun, freedom from obligations, the opportunity to “get away”.

A brand is made up of little things. Every detail can be either key or a failure. You can extol the durability of a car - a very important quality for it, but have a low level, because people who are ready to buy this particular car are more important than its style, ability to drive at high speed, etc.

Start promotion before the product is launched on , whet the consumer’s interest. Before you go and buy a shampoo (let's continue with the example of shampoo for oily hair), the consumer should be firmly aware that, among others, there is a special shampoo that has a good effect on oily scalp, which distinguishes it from all other similar shampoos .

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Sources:

  • Small business website. in 2019

Clothing appeared in very ancient times as a means of protection from the cold and insect bites. Through the history of the costume one can trace the evolution of humanity. The creation of a suit is associated with human physiology and technical progress.

Clothing at the dawn of humanity

The first “suit” can be considered the animal skins worn by primitive man. With the development of civilization, clothing becomes a sign of social status, a branch of production. Over time, a person moves from hunting and gathering to a productive economy - raising livestock, plowing the land, mastering crafts. People have learned to process plant fibers and create linen. During this period, the loom was invented, and fabric was sewn with needles from the bones of small animals and fish. To obtain threads from wool, a spindle was invented.

With climate change, there was a need to protect the body from the cold, which led to the appearance of fur. Animal skins were processed with scrapers made from stone, shells, and later from metal, tanned with sour-milk products, decoctions of oak and willow bark, and soft skins and skins were obtained, from which shoes, sheepskin coats, and fur coats were sewn. Fur remains an important raw material for the manufacture of outerwear to this day. An ancient method of processing wool is felting. Things made of felt were especially common among nomadic peoples.

Evolution of the suit

Each historical period brought its own style to clothing, its own forms, and materials. The costume reflects the aesthetic views that existed at one time or another. The clothes of Ancient Greece and Rome were a piece of fabric skillfully draped. The main raw material from which fabrics were made was flax.

Time passed, draperies gradually replaced cut-out dresses. They began to distinguish between the back and the front, and the sleeves were cut out and sewn on separately. The outfits of medieval Europe hid body shapes as much as possible and were far from perfect. Gothic fashion introduced the world to tight-fitting clothes and narrow sleeves. The fashionista's outfit was complemented by narrow pointed shoes and a high cone-shaped cap.

In the Renaissance, costumes had a simple cut, without excessive pretentiousness; in the dress, the skirt was separated from the bodice. In the 17th century, France became the trendsetter. During the time of Louis XIV, the Baroque style was in fashion - stately, pompous. Characteristic elements are a high stand-up collar and an abundance of lace.

In the 18th century, a sewing machine appeared, bulky and inconvenient. In 1850, Isaac Singer improved the design of the machine. This led to the creation of clothing factories. In the 19th century, mass tailoring began.

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Sources:

  • History of clothing.

Tip 3: When and why did the first clothes with a hood appear?

Clothes with a hood are very popular among young people. It has been used for several years now. It's hard to say exactly when it was invented. Most likely, hoods were invented in ancient times, since there is nothing simpler than putting two pieces of skin together and fastening them together.

What the sources say

The first appearance of clothing with hoods was marked by the Bronze Age. The ancient ancestors of the Scots lived in the present territory of Denmark in the 3rd century AD. It was they who wore short woolen cloaks, the hood of which was attached under the throat by a clasp or belt.

Later, Catholic monks began to wear similar cloaks, taking the cut of these clothes from ancient cattle as a basis. They only changed their length, completely hiding the legs under them. It was then that the word “hood” itself appeared. It came from monks who were members of the Capuchin order. These clergymen had to hide their faces behind hoods.

Other sources say that the hood was invented on the basis of a fabric cap, which was used as a balaclava for knights. At that time, this item of clothing covered the neck and ears of noble men.

The role of monks in the history of the hood

The right to wear this item of clothing for a long time belonged only to the clergy. The hood symbolized death, retreat and invisibility. Covering the head of the monks, it signified spirituality and thoughts.

By the way, some ancient deities were also depicted in hoods. These include the Celtic god of the underworld, who was depicted wearing a pointed red hood.

In the 13th century, this item of clothing became popular in secular salons. At that time, the hood was made quite wide. It was worn by both women and men. The weaker half of humanity gave the hoods a certain shape. The end result was something like a block of wood. Men were allowed to wear this piece of clothing, hanging loosely to the waist.

In the notes of an Augustinian monk one can find confirmation of the fact that the hood became a fashionable item of clothing. His writings noted a vain city woman who wore a man's hood.

After some time, this wardrobe item will go to Spain. It was there that black lace hoods were first introduced into fashion. In this way, the Spanish women hid their faces from the ardent gaze of the Spaniards.

Having ceased to be a means of protection from the weather, the hood became a luxurious item of clothing. It was decorated with feathers, ribbons or fur. It not only emphasized female beauty well, but also added mystery to the fair sex.

New story

In the 20th century, the feminist movement emerged. Hoods ceased to be the embodiment of elegance and grace and were subject to persecution. Sly coquetry is a thing of the past - frankness and decisiveness have come into fashion. Women began to wear things that previously belonged only to men.

For a long time, feminists did not allow hoods to return to fashion. But having realized that they can be not only silk and airy, we decided to return this element of clothing to women’s wardrobes. But its appearance and cut still changed. Now the hoods looked like knight's balaclavas, which gave the face a stern look.

A little more time passed before the hood began to be used as an independent part of clothing. It is sewn onto jackets, T-shirts, coats, and sweatshirts. The hood can not only be sewn, but also knitted. It makes clothes more practical.

Every day, not even a year, but every day, the competition becomes stronger and stronger. Giant companies appear that bite off a large piece of the pie from the clients under the cream.

Small competitors appear who also nibble off a piece of the market with a dessert spoon.

In order not to lose in this race, there are more than 5000+ ways of marketing.

But if you plan to go for a long time and steadily, then it’s time for you to deal not only with chips, but also with longer-term tasks. Namely, think about how to create a brand out of your company.

If you think that the word “brand” means the process of creating a logo or slogan, then you are mistaken.

Everything is much more global than it seems. Also, if you think that a brand is pathos and a huge amount of money, I hasten to disappoint you.

This is often the case with well-known companies that aggressively promote their brand to the masses.

In fact, the word brand hides much more: the company’s values, its recognition among consumers, etc.

This is all part of why a client decides to buy from you.

And, as I already said, if you plan to do business “for the long haul,” then you can’t go anywhere without creating your own brand. Although at the beginning of my marketing journey I thought completely differently.

Do I need it?

Let's do it right away. If you don’t want to create your own brand, then either the market will force you to do it or throw you out of its orbit.

Naturally, you can earn a little money from sales without a brand. This also happens.

But if you look at the big players, you won’t find a single one among them that works without it.

You already have a company, a name and perhaps even a logo. If you have been working for a long time, then there is a corporate style, and maybe even.

Right off the bat, we can say that you have a created brand. Well, let's check everything scientifically, not by eye.

Please answer the questions below right now to see which of us gets candy for being right in our thinking:

  1. Does your company have a mission? What is it?
  2. Do you know your clients? Who are they? How do they feel about your company?
  3. What advantages do your products and company have?
  4. What impression should clients have of you?

Stop! This raises the question: “Why is mission, values, customers, benefits, and experience mentioned when evaluating a brand?”

All questions are some kind of philosophical, without specifics, this is true. Because the very concept of “brand” is often misinterpreted in the world.

For most entrepreneurs, it's just a logo and slogan that is advertised everywhere. But in reality it is much broader.

Brand- these are associations, ideas, fantasies: and even emotions that arise in the consumer’s head when your company is mentioned.

In fact, this is an abstraction that pops up in the head, which is precisely created by the logo, colors, slogans and other things.

We will discuss what is needed to develop a company brand in the next chapter. Still, the article should contain clear instructions, not fragmentary knowledge.

But before that I want to warn you. Creating a company brand is only a small part of a larger task called branding.

Branding- this is work on the creation and “promotion” of a brand to create a positive image and associations in the minds of consumers.

If you manage to do everything according to Feng Shui, the result will make you the king of the copper mountain. The risk will be justified by the list of advantages that you will receive after completing this extensive work. Here are some of them:

  1. Correct perception of your company;
  2. Increased recognition among competitors;
  3. Reducing drawdowns during a crisis;
  4. Increase in the number of loyal customers;
  5. Increased employee loyalty.

All this leads not to mythical benefits, but to quite measurable ones, which will be reflected in the company’s personal account.

Therefore, the creation process must begin now, although no, it should have started yesterday. And the reason for all this is one.

The road is life-long

Bad news. Branding involves a fairly long sequence of actions to develop a company.

No one knows exactly what it takes to create a strong brand that will last forever. This is a job with blurred boundaries. The only thing we know is that it occurs in 5 directions:

  • Brand positioning. This is where the brand is born. What place will he occupy and where will the company go? Remember the famous Steve Jobs and his company Apple.

    If it’s easier for you, you can divide the brand into: product, place, price and promotion. This is quite rude.

    What should I do?

    It is important to understand the specific creation algorithm, the sequence of steps and actions that will bring you closer to a strong brand.

    We have looked at the directions that generally describe the situation. Now let's look at each one under a microscope.

    And we will define 11 steps (all books boil down to them), each of which is responsible for one of the previously studied areas.

    Big idea

    What the brand is created for and what image the company will promote with its help.

    This can also be called the key message that you will convey to your customers in all your communications.

    In our case, “only an integrated approach (marketing, sales and personnel) will lead the company to stable and predictable sales.”

    Example 1: The shoe company “Geox” conveys the idea of ​​​​healthy shoes. In addition to the fact that it is made from high-quality materials, it is made taking into account the physiological characteristics of a person.

    And in this struggle, a properly created brand becomes quite a good help and weapon, which, albeit in the long term, will still provide the company with growth and consumer loyalty.

The concept of “personal brand” is in many ways similar to the term “reputation”. What does it mean? In simple terms, this is how people perceive you as an individual, an entrepreneur, a representative of a social movement or a certain organization, the bearer of some goals. Are you an expert? Genius? Can you be trusted? What ideas do you promote? Who do you represent? What associations and thoughts do people have when they pronounce your name? If you have a personal brand, then everyone will recognize you. People are aware of what you offer and what you are working on. In this article we will find out how to create a personal brand.

Work on the image. Popularity at any cost

Sometimes overcoming an unpleasant situation can give you a reputation as a strong person. But in most cases it will end with a destroyed image. You should always remember that people should take you seriously, and a “stained” reputation will greatly hinder this. Don't do bad things just to get attention. This will not help make your personal brand successful. If you find yourself in a similar situation, then take all necessary measures to correct it. As practice shows, when the consequences of bad fame were leveled, people only gained a greater reserve of trust.

Core Values

In the process of creating a personal brand, it is important to decide how you want your clients and customers to perceive you. Think through every detail. After all, a person’s personal brand is a collection of emotions, words and thoughts of other people that form your final image in their heads. And here everything will depend on how you present yourself in society. Well, this process is easy to control. Just choose an image and act in accordance with its behavioral patterns. The most basic thing that can be conveyed to people is moral values. Therefore, it is worth starting with them.

Become the best

If you sell expensive paintings, then you need to be someone who is recognized as having the right to explain to clients all the nuances of this area. If you provide design services, then you need to present yourself as a talented specialist. Any good brand implies professionalism and experience. Thus, the Nike company positions itself as an expert in the field of creating fashionable and high-quality sportswear. A good example of a personal brand is Jeremy Clarkson (Top Gear host). He knows a lot about cars. Even if you have no plans to promote and advertise your own services, you still need to create the impression of expertise.

Constantly learn and monitor changes in your chosen field. Especially if you work on the Internet. No area is developing as quickly as this one. Therefore, if you stop developing and take a break for several months, you will lose your competence.

Unique look

At its core, personal branding is selling people your identity. Therefore, it is very important to think carefully about how you present yourself. It is necessary to model a recognizable image that would be easily remembered even by strangers. At the same time, its uniqueness is important. But that doesn't mean you need to gather a team and brainstorm how to stand out from the crowd. Just be yourself, don’t copy others, and everything will work out automatically, and the promotion of your personal brand will go faster.

Communications with people. Communicate constantly and be open

In our age of high technology, it is worth adopting social networks. Let people peek into your life. Even if these are not the main methods of communication. But you will give them the opportunity to be closer to you. Just use the same name everywhere. This will make it easier for people to find you. Well, tell us in detail about your skills and interests.

Personal site

This is a great way to tell people about you and your projects. They will read the biography and evaluate the quality of the work by looking at the portfolio. This way you can develop your personal brand. Therefore, you need to make a presentable website and update it regularly. Make sure every aspect is thoroughly considered. Be sure to add a section about recent projects and work, services provided and results achieved.

Blog

Some people start building a personal brand by opening one. Blogging is one of the most popular ways used in the professional world to make a name for yourself. It's very easy to set up. There are many free hosting sites for opening blogs, and the most popular of them is WordPress.com. There are other platforms on which you can open your page without investing money. For example, "Blogger.com".

But it’s not enough to just run your own page. In order for the promotion of a personal brand to proceed at a rapid pace, you need the active participation of readers and their proposal of various ideas for improving it. This will help in attracting even more visitors. Well, be active yourself. Invite readers to discuss new topics and participate in discussions. Your responses should be professional so that users understand the seriousness and relevance of the blog.

Make friends regularly

Do this every day. Try to meet as many people as possible. It's also worth thinking about what new friends can do for you, and what you can do for them. Just make friends who are really worth something. And when you need the help of a professional, the right person will already be at hand.

It is necessary to find out as much as possible about people: biographical details, full names, etc. Thanks to this, they will see you as a friendly, caring and serious person. Also, the more you remember about specific people, the more you impress them in personal communication. Your good friends with whom you are in close contact will definitely tell their friends about you. This way you can significantly strengthen your personal brand.

Find "allies"

These can be public people, public figures, stars, etc. In general, media persons whose audience is similar to yours. You need to get into their social circle. Follow the pages of media persons on social networks, comment on publications, and if necessary, be sure to offer help. If one of them runs a blog, then write a guest post (but it must be sincere and really good!). You can learn a lot from these people. In addition, they can give a great recommendation to you or your product simply by reposting it. This way thousands of people will know about you.

But moderation is also important in this matter. Do not bother or ask for more service if you have provided a small one. Don’t go too far and be useful, then your “allies” will definitely remember you. But it is worth considering this process as a long-term one. Few people can become friends with famous people in a couple of weeks. As a rule, this process lasts months, or even years. The communication itself should be non-aggressive. On blogs of “allies” you should not write things that require an answer in the comments. There is Twitter and email for this.

Communicate without direct contact

If you are physically unable to respond to all the messages you receive from your audience, then it is worth mentioning this on your home page (along with an apology). After all, the surest way to cause negativity in people is to disappoint them. Well, if you explained everything in advance and apologized, then they will have no reason to be offended. To avoid answering the same type of questions over and over again, you should create a FAQ on your website and give a link to it to everyone who writes.

Take photos and videos

A person needs to feel as if he has known you for a long time. This is especially true for online businesses. This impression is created only when a person can see you. This can be realized using video and photos. Put the most successful photo on the avatar of your social media profiles. It would be a good idea to take the help of a professional photographer. Post videos on YouTube where you share your future plans or talk about the nuances of your professional activities. Thus, you will enter the personal space of your own viewers.

Success in the long term. Content Creation

A strong personal brand cannot be used one hundred percent unless it is supplemented with something interesting: a useful application, an interesting blog, high-quality services, etc. But creating such content will take about the same amount of time as establishing friendships with media figures.

Offer original ideas

You must be active in your chosen field. You need to be innovative, make a contribution, constantly change. If you don’t do this, your personal brand will eventually sink into oblivion. Find out what can be changed for the better in your chosen area. But there is an important point here. This must be an innovation.

Speak

You need to take advantage of every opportunity to speak out publicly. Show initiative in various meetings and discussions. Feel free to express your own opinion. After all, people want to not only see you, but also hear you. Actively participate in the events that happen in your life and in the world. At the same time, it is worth listening to and respecting the opinions of other people. Then they will feel involved in your success.

Keep your brand relevant

It's unlikely that any media person would want people to think of him as repetitive, boring, disposable and outdated. And it doesn’t matter how good his content is at the moment. If you don’t work on the quality of the material, don’t add something modern, don’t take on new challenges, then audience interest will gradually fade away. It is impossible to use the same idea over and over again. Regularly add new layers to your image.

Aim for the Long Range

It is worth considering building a personal brand as a long-term investment. It is quite possible that he will live longer than his owner. While your business projects fade or become profitable, a personal brand always exists and adds additional value to any endeavor. If people feel involved in it, they will always follow your activities. That is, a personal brand provides some guarantee that in the event of a crisis you will not have to start from scratch.

To succeed, you don't have to be the best at everything at once. There are top bloggers and people who have a rather weak personal brand (in terms of the number of their own audience). The most common reasons for this are an arrogant manner of communication and the transparency of their motives (an open desire to make money from viewers). On the other hand, there are many people with a strong brand, which is several times higher in level than their own projects. However, the audience may be quite small. In this case, a personal brand will be an excellent launching pad for growth and development.

Warnings

You should never be a hypocrite. Avoid actions that run counter to your values ​​and your image. Don't advertise your professional failures. Failures in other areas are normal. After all, there you do not claim to be an expert. And here it is worth thinking in advance which failures can be shared and which cannot. An exception may be an error that becomes public knowledge. If this happens, there is no need to avoid responding. This can make you seem like a liar. It’s best to tell everything honestly to your audience. Let people learn about the error from you, not from hostile third parties.

When presenting yourself, avoid exaggeration. Don't be intrusive and vain. Remember: it is not you who should praise yourself, but other people. Promoting your personal brand should be slow and steady. Excessive assertiveness and aggressiveness can make you appear selfish and not beneficial. There is a very fine line between self-promotion and bragging; you shouldn’t cross it.

Design is a very broad field. But, unfortunately, most people do not understand its essence. In fact, design is more of a process than a result. Design is a verb: design, develop.

Design is in the realm of emotions. Good design cannot be overlooked.

You need to be able to see the material, the location of parts, know the production technology, as well as the communication aspect. In addition, you need to have a good knowledge of disciplines such as branding, marketing, color combinations and typography. To be a good designer, you need to know everything.

How to connect design and business

There are a huge number of brands for which design is everything.

This connection is very simple. Some companies take design very seriously (Apple, IKEA), while others treat it as something that requires expenses. To the surprise of many, if you look at the design correctly, it is a saving, not an expense.

Design is like the cream on the cake. This is what makes your product even better.

This is what adds extra touches to the product and increases its value. The right design helps increase sales. If a design is done right, it is impossible to copy it.

Design is a means of increasing sales. Even a small business can’t do without design if it doesn’t mind growing and becoming more successful. It is good design that can give a rapid impetus to growth. But to move in the right direction, the company needs to create its own brand.

What is a brand

  • How to turn your name into a brand?
  • How can we make it so popular and recognizable that customers are willing to pay a little extra, knowing that they will receive high-quality services or goods?
  • What is the strength of the brand, what is the most important thing about it?

A brand is not a name. These are the advantages and benefits that it brings to the consumer.

The consumer can rely on the brand to guarantee quality. Therefore, when you create your business, you need to ensure that your quality initially meets the expectations of your target audience. So that people always get what they expect and what they paid for.

Even better if it exceeds their expectations. Then they will definitely start talking about your product. Then word of mouth will be a free and effective advertising channel for you. Online, these can be posts from bloggers, comments on thematic forums, or reviews on special platforms that are created for sharing experiences about goods and services. It is these reviews that help you make a choice before purchasing.

To do this, you need to deliver at the level you promise. Then customers will always be happy.

Brand creation

If you want to sell a product online, you need a brand. Because buyers become attached to the brand.

The greatest value of a business is the benefit it can do for others.

The first is the brand. The main thing in a brand is the sound of the name, the phonetic component. The title should not be too complex or too long. Does the title have an emotional component? First we look for a name, then typography comes into play.

Let's say you come up with a short, laconic name. And they wrote it. But this is not a logo yet. These are just letters. Therefore, you need to transform them into something unique that can then be registered as a trademark. You can select a letter. And this is something that no one has anymore.

A personal brand is one of the most rewarding things you can create.

But to create it you need to work, and work a lot. I've been doing personal branding for the past few years and I've found that at a certain point in a person's career, once people achieve a certain level of success in business, their personal brand stops just growing.

And they have to start working on it.

Building a personal brand is almost like building a business. You also need to understand who your audience is, choose the best marketing techniques, and constantly, diligently work to give your audience what they want.

Yes. This is hard. Yes, it's long. But believe me, the results are worth it!

Once you create a personal brand and make a name for yourself, interacting with potential clients and selling them your product will become much easier.

For a good start you need a good base. Here are a few facts to help you understand the basic principles of creating a personal brand:

5. Determine your target audience

Finding your calling is only half the battle. In addition, you must clearly understand who your activities are aimed at. Building a personal brand will be a waste of time and money if you fail to target the right people.

Once you decide on your target audience, the results of all your efforts will immediately begin to attract people's attention. As a result, opportunities for monetizing a personal brand open up.


It can be compared to playing darts. You earn points as long as you hit the target. But it’s hitting the bull’s eye that brings the most points. Without understanding who your audience is, you are simply throwing darts blindly.

By understanding your target audience (target audience), you can:

    • generate valuable content that suits the interests of these people;
    • create products that will solve their pressing problems;
    • choose the most successful tactics to attract customers;
  • identify channels of interaction with your audience.

Finding out your target audience is not so easy - it requires spending time on conducting a series of studies and subsequent analysis of the results. But, sadly, without all these actions you are unlikely to create a personal brand.

6. Train yourself to think “like a student”

“Live and learn” - this idea is ideal for building a business. You need to develop a constant thirst for new knowledge, regardless of your field of activity. Nowadays, only those who think “like a student” can keep track of all the rapid changes in the world and apply new knowledge in their business.

Always stay on top of the latest changes in your field of employment, otherwise your audience will turn to someone who manages to jump on trends even before they officially appear. Everything you learn is a chance to give your customers something valuable and needed.

7. Create a marketing strategy

Before launching a personal brand, it is worth thinking about how exactly you will promote your name. At this stage, in an amicable way, you need to write your

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