THE TOOLS OF THE TRADE

Thursday, 30 November 2006 09:08

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A brand can not live in theory alone. For a Personal Brand to work, an independent professional or entrepreneur must employ a plan that will promote and define the brand in the eyes of his or her target audience. Because most entrepreneurs begin the branding process fresh - without their brand identities, slogans, and logos positioned clearly in the minds of their clients - they must develop quality tools to promote their Personal Brands.

Personal Branding BrochureIn any campaign, one tool should sum up who you are and what you stand for. For most entrepreneurs, it’s the Personal Branding Brochure. It’s a full-color brochure designed to fold up in a non-standard size, such as a square. The heart of a Personal Branding Brochure is your story. Not the story of how you worked for such-and-such firm, but your personal story: where you grew up, your greatest adventure, an anecdote about your favorite college professor - something emotionally captivating.

Your brochure’s concept and text must engage your prospects and lower sales resistance in a way that a direct product pitch can’t. More important, it helps your prospect form a personal bond with you. Your Personal Branding Brochure - if it’s done properly - should get your prospects to like and trust you. It should instantly characterize you and make you memorable - where your competitor’s product or service-oriented brochure bores them. Personal Branding Brochure tips: Don’t sell on the cover ever. And don’t put your photo on the cover unless you have a very engaging photograph that communicates a theme for the brochure. If you’re thinking that keen business portrait you took last week will do, think again.

If you choose to use your image on the brochure, it must be a creative shot that conveys a theme or personal message. Likely, you wouldn’t be looking into the camera for that photo. Use emotional headlines and conceptual photos based on a central idea that appeals to your target audience. For example, if your brochure is written around your military experiences, try a photo of the sun setting behind a warship, or an old portrait of you in uniform. Hire a professional writer, designer and photographer to create your brochure. This is true for all Personal Branding materials. Design the brochure in a non-standard size for greater visibility. Focus 85-95% of the writing on your personal story, pointing out how the lessons you’ve learned from your experiences make you an emotionally and rationally more attractive professional today. Save a low-key sales pitch for the end or the back of the brochure. Place your contact information, logo and slogan on the back panel. Give a good logo one-third of the back of a brochure. Use graphic elements from your personal logo in other areas of your brochure - but only use the whole logo on the back. Do not use an affiliate’s logo in any prominent way. Print on 100 lb. cover stock with a quality printer (not just the one who gives you the best price).

Personal PostcardA direct mail Personal Postcard is the best way to consistently stay in touch with your prospects. It’s a full-color, 6" x 9" card designed to match your Personal Branding Brochure. On one side is your bold design, space for a label, your return address and logo, and brief marketing copy. The other side, aside from some artwork, is blank. This allows you to overprint new messages every time you send a mailing to your target audience, making the card a customizable direct mail weapon. Copy can be a marketing message, financial news, a holiday greeting or a notice about an upcoming event. Just write your new message, take blank cards to a printer, and in 24 hours you have a new direct mail tool. Personal Postcard tips: Allow plenty of blank white space for your messages. Make sure the design coordinates with your Personal Brochure. Print on 100 lb. cover stock. Print more than you think you’ll need. You’ll use them.

Sales LettersSales letters don’t get as many responses as Personal Postcards, but good ones attract much higher quality responses. The most important part of any sales letter is the beginning. The headline must be strong and interesting, to pull readers along. It should feature an emotion-evoking message first and foremost - than more business oriented language once you’ve captured your audience. Using personal stories on recent events or anecdotes can be effective if they are engaging enough to grab your audience. Sales letter tips:
Use subheads to make the letter scannable - easier for readers to get your message in case they decide to "skim" through the text. Make it no more than two pages in most cases. Get to the point about your services by the end of page one. End with an offer or discount to invite responses. Use "P.S."s to make important information stand out. Studies show that the text after a "P.S." is 10 times more likely to be read than any other sentence in your letter. Proofread your work twice and then have someone else look at it.

Personal BrandingYour branding tools are your logo, your slogan, and your name. They go on every marketing piece you create, and are intended to get your name in front of as many people as possible, helping establish your "brand identity." Personal branding tips:
Keep your logo clean and easy to reproduce. Make your name the most prominent feature. Develop a slogan that reflects the values presented in your Personal Brochure. Avoid clichÉ phrases like "working for your future" or "committed to excellence." Build your slogan into your logo artwork and always use them as one unit. Build your company name around your name, just as Charles Schwab has.

Published with permission from Peter Montoya Inc.

Peter Montoya is president of Peter Montoya Inc., the world’s only Personal Branding agency. For information on Personal Branding Magazine or his acclaimed book, The Personal Branding Phenomenon please visit www.petermontoya.com or call (866) 288-9300.