I wasn’t always a brand strategist, but had good understanding of marketing because of my education, training and successful corporate exposure. I also observed how whatever people spoke, and the way they behaved or the perceptions / opinions I carried about them impacted me in the way I would deal with them. And, when I started interacting with self employed professionals, I realised that their business was directly proportional to the opinions their audience carried about them in their minds.
People like Doctors, Trainers, Financial Planners, Architects, Interior Designers, Lawyers, Fashion Designers, Consultants, Artists and even Authors generated business basis what people thought of them and their knowledge. That is when I started consciously working on the concept of “Personal Branding” for such professionals. This also led me to be convinced that Personal Branding also impacted C – Level executives for whom it was advantageous to be seen as subject matter experts and thought leaders to create an impact and build credibility.
What is Personal Branding?
Here is a short video of what I believe Personal Branding is:
HOW I LIKE TO WORK WITH MY CLIENTS
Individual 1-2-1 coaching
This is where I spend 3 hours with you in which I will understand your business, know more about you and what is it that you want to achieve? I will try and understand your vision, your strengths and your weaknesses to define what your Unique Value Proposition (UVP) is when you do business. This will help you identify your differentiation. We will also discuss your target audience and define how you should engage with them, which are the important touch points for you in your business and what should be your strategy to demonstrate your UVP to your audience. I will also suggest what kind of communication and what channels of communication could work for you. This is the best engagement you could have with me if you are not sure if you need personal branding, and if yes what could be the roadmap for you.
Retainer Model
This is when the commitment levels of the client are really high and they willing to commit investment of their time, efforts and funds in building their personal brand. This is where I work like a member of their extended team and not only strategise but also help in nurturing internal and external communications. This may require working closely with services providers such as writers, designers, photographers, web developers, PR agencies etc. I will help in identifying resources, negotiating with them and following up with deliveries.
As I believe that perceptions and opinions are created when people observe your actions more than paid marketing efforts, it is a slow but surer process. This kind of engagement usually if for at-least 12 months.
Identity Creation
For those of you who are looking at creating your presence in the digital world and build influence using online engagements, I have a 3 month plan with clear deliverables. I will create an online strategy and deliver the following:
- Your psychometric test to know your personality type to understand how to position you
- Personal Logo
- Your Personal Photo Shoot in a studio (to get images for website / media )
- Professionally designed website
- Professionally designed stationery (does not include stationery cost)
- Professionally designed Social Media Cover Images
- Content Strategy for social media