Branding in a Digital World
Being originally from Massachusetts, there is a lot I appreciate about Ann Arbor—although I do wish someone had warned me about the grey winters. But not to digress, what I love most about Ann Arbor is the intellectual energy. There is a WordPress Club, Pay-Per-Click Club and an organization called Social Media Michigan. I realize there are more groups outside of marketing, but being in this industry, I’m biased.

Last week, Social Media Michigan sponsored "Personal Branding in a Digital World," featuring Hajj Flemings, personal brand strategist and keynote speaker. Flemings brought with him some great ideas and even greater quotes.

Promise?
No, I’m not asking you to keep a secret. According to Flemings, a brand promise is the ability to deliver on a brand consistently. He gave the example of visiting your favorite restaurant.  Say you’ve been there 20 times and then, the twenty-first time, you find hair in your food. You probably won’t be returning anytime soon.

This also brought Zingerman’s to my mind—don’t worry, not the part about hair in your food. Numerous businesses have approached them wanting to take their business beyond Ann Arbor, but Zingerman’s knows the importance of reputation and is very selective when it comes to who they do business with. After all, it takes a long time to build a reputation and no time at all to ruin it.

The story comes next.

How does your story stand out? "When everyone is ‘zigging’ how do you ‘zag,’?” Flemings asked. This is an important question every brand should ask themselves. Here’s one example that was presented: 
Atomic Tom – Take Me Out (Live onNYC Subway). A lot of people wondered whether it was real or a publicity stunt; but either way, it went viral—attracting lots of attention. 

Know how to package your story: "Every story has a superhero," Flemings said. "What do you do better than anybody else?"  Before you can get attention you have to know what your strength is—whether it is an expertise, product or service.

Make a commitment to ship: Your YouTube video, advertisement, e-mail marketing campaign might not bring the success you had planned. But keep going! Analyze what worked and what didn’t so that next time, your campaign is armed with everything that worked. Flemings quoted his mentor, "I would rather try to make $1 and duplicate it one million times than try to make a million dollars once."

Perception vs. Reality: This isn’t a new idea, but it’s worth repeating. A brand isn’t how you see it;it’s how other people see it and what they are saying about you. As Flemings said, "People reinforce your story."

Personal Branding vs. Business Branding
Sure, this talk was centered on personal branding, but these ideas ring true for businesses as well. Branding is branding, and it is all about getting your story out there. Whether you are a freelancer promoting yourself or a business, be sure to:

• be consistent in quality
• create a marketing strategy that promotes your strengths
• brainstorm ways to market yourself so your brand stands out over the competition

Eventually, your audience will do the rest of the work.