Inbound Marketing University

As a virtual assistant dedicated to the success of my small business clients, I often need to consider branding in my daily work. Having immersed almost all my time in the web for the past two years, I’m aware that branding is what happens whenever you establish an internet presence. The combination of distance communications with the casual intimacy that social networks encourage has created a new kind of knowing about ourselves and other people. It has become increasingly important for an individual or business to take responsibility for their brand.

It may be helpful to understand branding as an ever enlarging spiral. The cycle begins with Discovery: what is my brand in the first place? Then it moves on to Description: how can I put this brand into words/pictures/symbols? Once the descriptions are ready, you can Distribute your brand universally, thus creating Dialog. Dialog instigates discovery, and you’re back around at the start of the cycle again, ready to lift the spiral.

Before I started up my business, I was an administrator for many years in non-profit arts organizations. I was definitely an administrator, and not an artist, but one thing did rub off on me in spades. I learned about creativity and its ability to teach about the self. Now, as I work with the nuances of branding, I see the close relation between personal creativity and reputation management.

It’s not news that creativity comes in handy when describing and projecting your brand. What many people don’t know, however, is that creative practices can help uncover your native branding. Your brand starts with who you are, your basic personality. Many adults don’t know and/or can’t confidently express what their personality is, what their innate skills are. The mini e-book I’ve just published is about focusing on your natural gifts, applying them in creative practices, and in the process discovering your brand.

The idea of branding has been applied mainly to big corporations in the past. For an individual to take seriously the need to nurture a brand is such a new concept that many of us have no idea where to start. How do you identify your brand in the first place? It’s not what you want to be; a brand is what you are, how you are perceived by others. It’s something you can’t really control, but you can work to affect it, to steer your reputation towards excellence.  The best way to do this is to discover and capitalize on your natural strengths. A brand discovered in this way is authentic and sustainable.

The e-book is free, of course. It’s a quick read, with a few amusing images and even one video. I hope you’ll check it out, and send me your thoughts.