What is Your Brand?

On the path to entrepreneurship, one of the questions you will continuously hear is "What is Your Brand". By definition, your brand can be described as the image, design, or feature that you provide that separates your product and service from that of a competitor. This represents the consistent image and perception that you give off to others. As an entrepreneur, artist, or freelance consultant, you will have to identify your personal brand so that you can carve your niche market, and coordinate your efforts to fit the needs of those that needs your goods and services the most. Your brand signifies why consumers love or dislike you based on past experiences. Always focus on building your brand while protecting your overall brand image.

Be Professional

When it comes down to building a solid brand, always make sure you analyze your competition and evaluate what you think helps their brand stand out. Always remember that quality will reflect brand perception. Consumers evaluate the smallest factors when estimating value. The more people respect your brand as superior, the more business you will get and the more people will be willing to pay for your value. For instance, an artist that has a professional image attached to their brand will have a less difficult time getting booked for paid gigs. For instance, if a booking agent contacts a venue and is able to send the decision maker professional quality photos along with a professional bio, videos, and music links with quility recordings, then this artist or band will more likely have more opportunites to get booked and paid over an independent artist who contacts a venue with mediocre photos and video footage, no bio or EPK, and music that sounds like it was recorded on garage band. People have to take you seriously if they want to do business with you, whether you pan on being a DJ, publicist, or any type of freelance professional. Consider getting promotional material such as flyers and business cards to help give your business a professional look.

Identifying Your Brand

When identifying your brand, you must be precise and specific. Find out what you, or your business represents and use that to speak directly to your audience. This can go as far as certain colors you feel represent your brand, certain symbols and images, the principles that guide your brand, and event behavioral characteristics that coincide with your brand. For instance, mogul T.I.P could be branded as a hustler (Grand Hustle Ent), gangster rapper, and actor from Atlanta, Ga. This brand is recognized by consistency and can be identified back when his 1st album was released. Another would be how Whiz Khalifa embraces the stoner lifestyle and Lil Thony boasts about living the lifestyle as a "player". The three mentioned above identified what they where known for, and embraced this to the fans that relate to their brand.

Once you know who you are and what your fans want from you, you are now ready to build your brand. As an entrepreneur always consider using symbols and logos to brand your business. Create something that will stand out and represent your business identity. You want your brand to be noticeable and distinguished. Think about when you watch a Progressive Insurance commercial or an AT&T commercial. As soon as the commercial comes on, the colors or music used in the advertisement will give you some indication to what company your looking at. Advertisers know how important branding is with 15 second radio and television commercials. The human attention span is very short, meaning you have to make your brand stand out to get noticed. Remember that your brand image and professionalism will indicate the value your brand provides. Always aim to brand yourself, even if you are working with another company.