Branding Yourself Online for Success

Many Solopreneurs fail to consider branding as a required goal for their vision. They simply want to create a website and make some money.

The Truth About Branding Yourself

Reality is, most consumers will not purchase from a business or person they cannot connect with in some way. Regardless of how small that connection may seem to be.

Trust + Relationship = Brand Loyalty

You must put effort into building trust and recognition for your brand so that your initial sale can occur, and your audience can develop loyalty to you through return business.

Without a relationship, there can be no loyalty.

Size No Longer Matters

Branding yourself online is no longer considered a Big Company problem. Solopreneurs no longer have to feel outmaneuvered in any industry.

This is your time. Being an individual and unique is more celebrated and rewarded than ever – particularly for Brands. If you can figure out how to brand yourself as a business, who would be interested, and how you can connect the two; your brand is on its way to not only being successful, but profitable.

3 Steps to Properly Cultivate Your Personalized Branding Roadmap:

1. Consider your market. Is there any interest in what you are trying to do as a company? Do people want what you have to offer? Are you able to offer these services or products successfully? Can you find help if needed?
2. What will your brand stand for? What are your values? Motives? Passions? What drives you? Your company is part of you. You help to define what your brand will be about. Think about how you want your brand to be portrayed publicly, especially if you have employees representing you. What type of business culture do you want to promote? Greed or generosity? Team support or self-advancing needs? Your behavior and personality help set the tone for your brand. This is where some Solopreneurs contradict their brands through the actions of the owner, associates, contractors, or employees.
3. How will you continue to improve? No brand should remain stagnant. This shows poor listening skills. You've failed to listen to your audience. There is no immediate need to follow the trends of society if your audience is saying and requiring something else. How would you know what they want? Ask them! No sense is assuming when your audience is ready, willing, and able to tell you – if only you'd listen.

With these steps in mind, you are on your way to building a successful and profitable brand because you are doing what some of your competitors are failing to do.  Listen to your audience and ensure that your brand aligns with what you've promised.

You've begun to shape your business to supply a need to follow the demand; while upholding standards that set you apart from others in your industry.

In another article, we will discuss how your Branding Roadmap will help you through rough patches and keep your brand evolving.

Lessons Learned from My Branding Journey

The more I learn, the more I grow. Cultivating a successful and profitable brand is part of a long-term journey. Many of us miss this point.

As Solopreneurs, we are so enthralled with the day-to-day responsibilities of operating a business that we miss the enjoyment of the journey. I recall the rush of nervousness and excitement that I got each time I worked on a task for a client and improving my business. The vivid details I could create in my mind about what I would develop next. That feeling of accomplishment each time a mock-up was approved, or a challenge was presented.

The vivid details I could create in my mind about what I would develop next. That feeling of accomplishment each time a mock-up was approved, or a challenge was presented.

The late nights I eagerly accepted, so I could work on coding a website or fixing a stubborn glitch that played hide-and-seek with my emotions until 3 am.

These situations that would seem painful to some thrilled me.

I soon realized that Solopreneurs loved these and other types of challenges that came with operating a business. Why would someone go through the aggregation? Simple. They were creating something that they could call their own.

Boss Up

Nurturing something out of nothing. Bringing a simple idea to life and growing it into a proud achievement.

This is why building a brand is special. Why does protecting what you worked for mean so much.
Hence, why defining your brand before someone else does is vital to its survival.

The Rundown

Branding yourself online will never be a simple task. There are simple steps to take, but you must be dedicated to your brand and respect the hustle of the Solopreneurs life. The joy of nurturing a dream into reality and experiencing success is an excitement everyone wants to feel. These won't simply appear to you. You must be willing to do the work and make boss moves.

So stop reading and take this time to cultivate your personalized branding roadmap. For more details, you could also check out my book Keep It Super Simple to help guide you along the way!