What IS Branding and Why You Should Care
These days, it seems like the word branding is everywhere. I find it particularly interesting as a graphic designer who 
has studied and practiced branding for more than 20 years.
To me, it’s phenomenal how popular the word has become! But what does it even mean?
After all, when I first started talking about branding, long before this popular bandwagon that is sweeping the small business and Internet marketing world, I would get all sorts of snide remarks:
“What do you mean you’re a branding expert? Do you BRAND cattle? Do you OWN a ranch?”
But these days more and more people are catching on.
The truth is, EVERYONE needs a brand. I have thought this for many, many years. Often I have felt frustrated that nobody seemed to get it.
But now the tide seems to be turning. A brand is crucial to business success. Actually, it’s crucial to success in life PERIOD!
How can I make such a bold statement?
Because any person who desires a career HAS to have a brand. A brand is simply the essence of a business or a professional that is communicated in a marketing message. It is a relationship that is built on trust, credibility, and authority. It is what DISTINGUISHES one person from another, one business from one another.
For instance, here are some different kinds of professionals and businesses that need brands:
1) Job seekers. Yes, I said job seekers. Job applicants need to carefully analyze what makes them different from their competitors and create resumes, letters (especially email letters), and interview presentation skills around this brand.
This means having unified and professional presentations. I always knew this instinctively. My resumes were designed with excellence and so I stood apart from my competitors.
In fact, a few years ago I brushed off my design resume and sent it to an adverttsing paper. The employer called me very excited, anxious for me to go for an interview. He raved about my resume. It was the best one he had received. He was very sad when I had to turn down the interview, realizing that the job would not work since at that time my special needs son needed me to be at home full time taking care of him.
2) Authors and writers. Branding is so important. These days, publishers look at the number of followers you have on social media. That’s branding. Sending in query letters is a matter of branding. How do you stand out from your competition? Are your letters professional looking? Did you include a business card and does it look like a cohesive package with your query letter? Do they communicate the essence of who you are as a writer and author? Read More
