Does Your Personal Brand Stand Out?

Are you doing anything to affect your personal brand? Since we all have a brand, it benefits us to be cognizant of the impression we make on others - since sales are directly affected by the relationship with have with customers, it is all the more important to make the best impression on them. Become known for something with them. Discover what makes them tick and zero in on that attribute.

Always be on the look out for opportunities for them. Be friendly with their employees (gate-keepers). They can keep you at arms length if they don't trust your brand. Don't leave any stone unturned when building your relationship and that building never stops. One thing about business is that it is positively and negatively affected every day. You have to be constantly aware of the culture your customer resides in and react to it. A strong personal brand will help you to weather the storms and reap the rewards of the sunny days.

Happy Birthday To Strengthening Brand America!

You probably didn't know it but Strengthening Brand America turned one year old in March!

The Strengthening Brand America project was introduced 1 year ago in March 2009. The mission of the community of practice is to catalyze the transfer of product and corporate branding knowledge from the private sector to the economic development community for reapplication in place branding.

If you are interested in the go-to location for place branding wisdom, drop by and give them a few minutes of your time. If you are a student there is a terrific resource area geared to your needs.

Cake for everybody!

Notice to Spammers!

Recently I've noticed two types of commenters that are plaguing my blog and I'm sure countless others. The first is the obvious, "compliment" followed by a large paragraphic of web links to porn, cosmetics and pharmaceuticals.

The second irritate me more.

They leave a generic complimentary comment on an article then have a link to what they are selling at their site. Sometimes it is related to my discussion, but I don't appreciate the bold sales hook. They always comment under the "anonymous" ID. Maybe they just don't know any better, but what I'm doing here at the Brand Corral is trying to provide valuable content to my subscribers and readers.

If you want to promote your site, do it honestly. Identify yourself, and join in the discussion and give valuable input. My readers (and myself) will follow your link back to your sites.

If you don't like that idea, be assured that your "tactic" will be deleted shortly after you post it. To my readers: be assured that if you see the comment, " deleted by author" or something close, these types of comments are what is being censored. I do not delete opposing points of view - those I enjoy :)

The Good Egg.

Happy Easter everyone!

Everything about Easter holds a great symbolic meaning. It all revolves around re-birth, a fresh start. The freshness of spring. The joy in the faces of children. Easter egg hunts. Everything bursts with hope and expectation for something better. The gathering of friends and family to celebrate and give thanks for what we have.

The Easter brand is probably the most optimistic of all the holiday brands. A colorful Easter egg for me symbolizes the playfulness and creativity of youth. It holds such promise. A child ambitiously cracks open an Easter egg anticipating the sweet reward that lies within. Whatever the reward inside, no matter how modest, is appreciated with out question.

We as adults can take a simple lesson from a child and their Easter egg. It is the simple things that have the greatest impact on our happiness. The riches in life most often come in small packages.

A great brand is a good egg to be sure!

Take A Stand!!

Custer's last stand, while something of legend didn't end nicely. Custer put himself in a poor position destroying his future.

If there is nothing else you do with your brand, take a position of strength and lead with your brand. When describing your company, don't say things like: "We are one of the leading..." or "We are one of the top producers of..." Take the high ground, step out in front!

"We ARE the leading..."

"We ARE the top producers of...

Mind you it has to be true. Exaggeration is as bad as lying. Have faith in your accomplishments - lead don't follow.

Two Wolves Podcast

This is a great inspirational podcast perfect for your corporate OR personal brand.

Closing Time? What Closing Time?

According to the Enterprise Council a whopping 71% of small businesses say they forward or accept calls to their homes or mobile phones when they're not in the office. Most entrepreneurs I know, (including myself) are accessible when ever a client needs them.

When the public at large thinks about "being their own boss," I'll bet they aren't thinking about taking the job home with them 24/7. One reason I can't leave my business behind at 5 o'clock is because, many of my clients are in other time zones. The other reason is I want my clients to have the peace of mind they desire, when a question or idea surfaces and they'd like to address it on their schedule. From my brand's perspective it's all about them - NOT ME.

What is your take on this issue? Can you leave it all behind at the end of the day? I don't know how any independent business person can. I have yet to meet one actually.