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One of the greatest things your online business can ever hope to achieve is instant recognition based on nothing more than an image. When consumers can identify your company by viewing a logo or photo, then you know you have successfully conquered the realm of personal branding.

The status achieved through personal branding can be somewhat complex. Online business owners must understand that much of personal branding is about perception. For instance, personal branding may mean that consumers not only identify your company upon viewing an image, it can also mean that your business is the specific one that comes to mind when thinking of your industry. If that’s the case, that means the general public may begin to perceive your online business as the leader in its field, regardless of whether or not it is true. With such perceived greatness comes a high industry standing, which in turn can breed additional customers and revenue.

Repetition is key when trying to achieve a successful personal branding experience. As a result, you need to ensure that your image of choice can be found on every aspect of your website and on every piece of literature or advertising referring to your company. If consumers continue to see your business associated with a particular image it won’t be long before they link the two together. It is only then that personal branding is successfully achieved. It can be a trying and seemingly tedious job but it is definitely worthwhile. Keep in mind too that such acts of repetition allow your online business the opportunity to stay highly visible, an important factor in the competitive realm of online businesses.

Some online businesses may forfeit the chance to design a logo as the image by which they wish to be associated. Instead they decide on a personal photo as a means for branding. Although unconventional in some circles, it is an unwise move. Photographs featuring the face of an individual can humanize a vast company in ways that logos may never be capable.  Just remember to hire a seasoned professional to photograph your session, the same way you would utilize the services of an experienced graphic designer to compose a logo. As the symbol for your company, you need to ensure that the photo projects an aura of professionalism.

It would be much better if you had a personal brand, and then people would be looking for your name, not the name of a Web site or a product. Personal branding can give you credibility, too, which is important for online success. When you have an online business it can be hard to get that credibility and to get people to trust you, because you don’t meet people in person. They can’t shake your hand or talk to you about what you have to offer, but if you have a personal brand that speaks to integrity and honesty, more people will feel safe dealing with you. That’s a great thing for your online business. If the trust is not there, there is little point in trying to operate an online business, because people won’t come and buy from you.

Personal branding can get you past that and show people that there is a real person – a good person – behind the business and the products and services that are offered. In addition, you can take your personal brand with you as you expand your online business endeavors and start creating other Web sites. You can sell different products, provide new services, and your personal branding will help to ensure that customers know where they can find you and what they can expect when they’re dealing with you, no matter what they’re actually buying.

I mentioned that we live in complex times. We can no longer afford to take things for granted as people are far more aware of what we do than we may know. I ran a Google search on a term a while back and shockingly, it returned a number of results which were not positive for a popular soccer player. Sadly, the search was not even on him at all! The point is; people are talking and we may not be able to influence what they are saying after the discussion starts but then, we can do so before it starts.

One other example which readily comes to mind is the Chris Brown/Rihanna saga. It was unfortunate as the damage was done not just by the continued indiscretion of both parties in leaking damaging pictures to hurt each other but more by the endless commentaries. Again, these commentaries were not run by either party but by third parties. Any search done at the time and even now on either Rihanna or Brown was sure to unearth very damaging materials which have little or nothing to do with their musical careers. I have outlined some of the key challenges which personal brands face today.

Communication. There are so many means of communicating today that it has become even more challenging to influence people. A little incident can lead to a deluge of posts on a site about a person and if it isn’t positive, then the result will likely be horrible. Consistency. The extremely diverse nature of the society today certainly makes consistency difficult but it has to be done. You cannot afford to become a chameleon by changing your fundamental tenets all the time. Character. A strong personal brand has character and must continue to deliver on this across all media as at times of major tests, the issue which determines how you will ride it out is the character.

I mentioned that we live in complex times. We can no longer afford to take things for granted as people are far more aware of what we do than we may know. I ran a Google search on a term a while back and shockingly, it returned a number of results which were not positive for a popular soccer player. Sadly, the search was not even on him at all! The point is; people are talking and we may not be able to influence what they are saying after the discussion starts but then, we can do so before it starts.

One other example which readily comes to mind is the Chris Brown/Rihanna saga. It was unfortunate as the damage was done not just by the continued indiscretion of both parties in leaking damaging pictures to hurt each other but more by the endless commentaries. Again, these commentaries were not run by either party but by third parties. Any search done at the time and even now on either Rihanna or Brown was sure to unearth very damaging materials which have little or nothing to do with their musical careers. I have outlined some of the key challenges which personal brands face today.

Communication. There are so many means of communicating today that it has become even more challenging to influence people. A little incident can lead to a deluge of posts on a site about a person and if it isn’t positive, then the result will likely be horrible. Consistency. The extremely diverse nature of the society today certainly makes consistency difficult but it has to be done. You cannot afford to become a chameleon by changing your fundamental tenets all the time. Character. A strong personal brand has character and must continue to deliver on this across all media as at times of major tests, the issue which determines how you will ride it out is the character.

It’s one thing to say, here’s a hot company or product – and I need to devote significant company resources to forming and shepherding a brand that builds share value. It’s another thing to proclaim, I am the brand – and I need to spend the rest of my life making sure my brand reflects who I am, what I do, and how well I do it. Quite simply, meaningful personal branding is an ongoing life activity that requires degrees of introspection, regular self-examination, and plain old hard work that’s demanding for anyone.

But, your personal brand happens whether you shape it or not. If you are out in the world at all, you are known for the qualities you project and the qualities external audiences believe are true of you. Your choice is simple: Own your brand, or let external audiences own it for you.

So, treat your brand like you would any other brand. See yourself as the asset you must nourish, the true legacy you must protect. Your personal brand is your current and future value.

Like any other brand management initiative, a well-managed personal brand follows a strategy process that completes a brand framework like the following:

1. Brand Attributes: Your brand attributes are the qualities that embody your personal brand, and should always be associated with it. To get there, distill down your core professional and personal values and the values of the key audiences you interact with, and in this intersection you’ll find your most important brand attributes.

2. Brand Promise: In its most fundamental form, your personal brand promise is what you guarantee your key audiences (think employers, clients, customers, community) will experience because of their relationship with you. So, as with any other commitment, promise only what you will deliver.

3. Brand Positioning: Your personal brand positioning statement will (1) define your key audiences – the most important audiences you interact with, are influencing, or trying to influence); (2) pinpoint what they care most about; and (3) synthesize the value your brand delivers to them.

4. Brand Driver: Your brand driver is the outcome your personal brand is dedicated to seeing achieved with the audiences you interact with. It is the essential idea the captures and integrates all brand actions.

5. Brand Personality: Your brand personality is comprised of the human elements connected to your personal brand, and are the characteristics that inspire (or not) specific feelings in your key audiences.

Personal brand management always pays off, although the process and associated actions are not always the most tangible or quantifiable. However, personal branding is a critical investment in yourself and it’s an investment that will stay with you for life.

1. Get a domain. A top level domain, preferably a dot com domain, is a must for your personal brand. It can be a your name, your business name or some other assumed name that you want to associate yourself with. If you already own an offline business you can start with your business name.

Finding a short domain name is almost impossible these days. In most cases, you will be able to find a three words domain name easily. If your own name is somewhat unique, you can be that lucky one whose name is not already taken by domain squatters.

Use DomainBot to do your domain research. When you enter one or more keywords in the DomainBot search box, the website will suggest a large number of available domains that are different variations of your keywords. If you like a domain, you can directly register the domain with one of the domain registrars like godaddy or 1and1.

2. Get a website. After you register a domain, you need to get a web host to host your website. If you are absolutely not going to spend any money for web hosting, sign up for Google’s Blogger platform to start a blog. It is free. Use your own registered domain, instead of the default sub domain that Google offers for Blogger platform.

If you are ready to spend $25 a month, you can sign up for a reseller account at Hostgator. With a reseller account, you can create unlimited websites. Hostgator offers a commercial script library called Fantastico that automates installation of web applications in your sites. Start with installing a Word Press blog.

3. Get your globally recognized avatars. A globally recognized avatars or gravatar is a picture that follows you from site to site appearing next to your name when you do things like commenting in a blog, posting in web forums.

You can use your own picture or a professionally designed graphic image for your gravatar. If you are using a graphic picture, make it unique and get it done professionally. If it is your own picture, take the picture in a lighted area showing your face clearly.

4. Start a blog. Pick a few topics that you are interested in. One of them should be your chosen profession or business niche. Also pick topics related to your hobby or something that you want to learn more about.

Create an about page in your blog, put your avatars and tell your story in short 300-600 words. Make it interesting, intriguing, or humorous.

Go to Technorati, a blog directory, and search your topics to find blogs related to your interests. Subscribe to a dozen high quality, popular blogs using Google reader. Make a habit of reading a few interesting articles in your niche every day.

Now start writing your own articles for your blog regularly. If you like writing, you can write couple of times a week. If you have hard time coming up with topics to write about, start with a few articles a month and slowly work towards one article per week.

5. Visit blogs and forums related to your topic of interest. Leave insight full comments in other blogs and create interesting posts in forums. Create a forum signature with your gravatar in every forum you join.

Use a back link to your blog in your signature. When you create a post in a forum, your signature will be appended to your post. When you post a comment in a blog, use the URL of your blog and your gravatar name. You will be instantly recognized.

6. Create Facebook, Twitter and Linkedin Profiles. Facebook and twitter are two popular social media sites with millions of users. Facebook is mainly used for networking with like minded persons and Twitter is for sharing short timely messages about news, industry trends, interesting articles, and if you are doing any interesting thing. Linkedin is for exchanging information, ideas, and opportunities with professionals in your field.

Update Facebook status and post twitter messages every day. You can start with sharing interesting articles that you have read, productivity tips, interesting pictures, etc. You will soon find people start following you in Twitter if you are posting interesting things every day. Using Facebook’s friend suggestion tool, you can request friendship with others in the Facebook network.

7. Learn and use search engine optimization. It is a very valuable instrument at your disposal to propel you websites and social media profile pages for higher search engine rankings. You don’t have to be a professional in search optimization, just learn the basics and apply them whenever you create contents.

You don’t need to buy any expensive books or sign up for extensive training program. Use free information available online. You can start with SEOBook site and download some free ebooks on search engine optimization.

Need proof? Read Seth Godin’s post, “Personal branding in the age of Google.” He sums it up nicely by saying, “Everything you do now ends up in your permanent record. The best plan is to overload Google with a long tail of good stuff and to always act as if you’re on Candid Camera, because you are.”

Just like any major business brand, personal branding is not a one-time process. Instead, think of it as a “work in progress.” It is something you need to work on and build over time.

To be truly successful, your personal brand must be a true reflection of you and your business. It must become the core philosophy or the foundation on which you build your entire business.

Your vision is the framework of a good, hard-working personal branding system. This vision gets translated into a brand and is then used in different forms of communication with your customers and the market.

Referrals work very well in building your personal brand. Customer testimonials build credibility and trust with your prospects. They increase your name recognition and awareness about your business. This form of word of mouth publicity is invaluable.

Building a personal brand sounds simple in theory but it is much more difficult to pull it off in the real world. That’s because a unique personal brand is much more than an elegant logo or a catchy tagline. It involves paying attention to many details of various different parts that together create a powerful personal brand.

Once you have put in the hard work and built a strong personal brand, it makes sense to do all you can to protect and preserve its integrity. You constantly have to evaluate your  branding system to ensure that you are communicating your brand’s message effectively.

Investing the time and effort in your personal brand will ultimately payoff in the long-term success of your business.

I believe therefore that personal branding is the relationships an individual has with its public essentially personal public relations.

Effective relationships are built by communication. Personal branding is communicating the inner essence of you – your uniqueness, qualities, strengths, skills and passions. It is also about your visual communication. Not only your business communication collateral such as stationery and websites but how you appear through dress, style, and personal presence.

As we all need to make a positive impression in today’s competitive work place, here’s:

A Dozen Ways to Develop your Personal Brand

Personality * Work out your personality characteristics and your passions. Discover what sets you apart. Develop a personal brand statement that is just for you – your internal dialogue – then use that as a basis for external communication

Promote * Develop your PB statement into a short ad or commercial about you. When you meet people you should be able to say clearly what you do, how you do it differently, and the benefit it provides.

Package * Develop a unique style suitable to your personality and work. Dress for the role you want, not necessarily the one you have. Balance your individual style with clothing that will appeal to those you are trying to impress.

Presence * Become a class act. Learn good business manners and social etiquette. Send hand-written notes, return phone calls – it’s the ‘little things’ that count

Publicise * Become an expert source for the media. Get known in your niche. Write articles for magazines and online newsletters. Speak for Rotary clubs and other organizations. Send out interesting media releases on your topic to journalists to help create word of mouth buzz.

People * Build your network. Make new business contacts and stay in touch with them. Choose those appropriate to you and your personal brand; those you can help and those who can help you. Help others become as successful as you. Be selective with which networking groups you belong to.

Positioning * What position do you already own with your audience and what do you want to own? Is there a unique concept or idea you can hang your hat on? Where’s the creative element? Build your brand by being first with a new idea or by recognizing a major trend in your field and moving to the head of it.

Presentations * Learn to be a confident communicator. Join Toastmasters or hire a communications coach to ensure that your written and verbal skills are at their best. Strong communication skills and presentation skills are a must and being a proficient public speaker will help reinforce your personal brand.

Perfection * Well there’s no such thing. We all make mistakes. You may have to try many ways to discover and reinforce your personal brand. If something is not working try something else.

Profit * We all want to be profitable but remember to give something back. Giving your time, talent, or money to charitable causes or industry associations can help build your brand. And of course it will be more enjoyable if you find something you are passionate about or complements what you like to do.

Partners * Work with the best whether employees, contractors, consultants or partners. They will help build your brand reputation. Leverage your time and find someone else to do the job for you so you can concentrate on what you do best.

Personal Branding can be the most powerful tool for success in your self-marketing toolkit. It involves identifying your key strengths and expertise, identifying the real needs that you can meet for your ideal clients, and then communicating your message consistently in many different ways.

You can identify, package and market who you are to build a personal brand that leads to business growth, influence, and income.

Here are three key things you need to develop a strong personal brand:

1. A clear, unique strength, talent, or expertise.
Get clear on your personal strengths, talents, values, and core area of expertise. Understand how you connect best with people. Consider what your target audience needs and wants, and then identify the value and the experience that you can deliver to meet those needs and wants. Communicate in ways that reach into the hearts and minds of your target audience and connect with their core values and deepest desires.

2. An ability to clearly articulate that uniqueness.
The personal branding process is about having self-awareness of your strengths and talents, and then letting everyone know about your gifts, talents, and experience. It’s about giving a clear impression of who you are, what you value, what you’re committed to, and how you can be counted upon to act. It’s about having clear, key marketing messages to convey in all of your communications with prospects and clients.

Your branding statement must provide a clear, concise view of your unique set of strengths and tell why you can do it better than anyone else. You need to be able to state clearly and unequivocally why you are different than everyone else, and what services you offer that make you unique and set you ahead of your competition.

3. The persistence to communicate your brand consistently through many channels.
Consistency is one of the keys to building a strong personal brand. Be aware of being consistent in every interaction you have, both in what you say and how you respond.

Your brand is developed over time by all the associations made, the expectations met, the messages communicated, and the services delivered. A great way to deliver a consistent message is through an email newsletter that you send on a regular basis to clients and prospects. You can write articles in your area of expertise so that over time people come to know and trust you. They’ll know what you stand for, how knowledgeable you are, and how you work with clients.

Establishing a Professional Brand is absolutely critical to long term, sustainable business growth. In an overcrowded marketplace, if you’re not standing out, then you’re invisible. Branding your products and services will give you an edge over your competition and enhance your value to your target market.

Personal Branding will differentiate you, your business, and your products and services so that you stand out from the crowd, get noticed – and get hired.

The marketplace is waiting for you to make your mark on it. What are you waiting for?

Personal Branding is all about knowing what you have to offer to your marketplace and what makes you different from everyone else so that you can stand out and be recognized and remembered. It is having a reputation for delivering a product, program, or service that delivers extreme value to your target market.

Fill in your answers to the following to gain clarity on the unique aspects of your Professional Brand:

1. My top three personal strengths:

2. My top three talents:

3. My core area of expertise:

4. What my target audience needs and wants:

5. The value and the experience I can deliver to meet those needs and wants:

6. What I can do better than anyone else:

7. What services I offer that differentiate me and set me ahead of my competition:

Developing a brand identity is like putting together a jigsaw puzzle. With some thought and creativity, all the pieces will eventually fit.

The next phase to attract new clients for your business isn’t necessarily in the way of snazzy marketing techniques, it’s bigger than that. So what is it and what do business consultants and professionals need to know to stay ahead of the massive changes that are about to occur in the realm of marketing their services?

It’s personal branding!

What is personal branding?

It is your own personal signature that is unique to you and to you only. It leaves an impression on those that you come into contact with. It could be positive, negative or indifferent. But whatever it is, it must be memorable in such a cluttered market space that you as the individual stand out and stand out for all of the right reasons.

It’s a dog eat dog world out there and if you want to stand out and attract new clients you’re going to need to lift your game and develop your own individual brand. You are literally your own billboard after all aren’t you?

We’re running out of ways in which we can differentiate ourselves from one another. I guarantee that what is unique about you is also the same selling point hundreds of other consultants are currently pushing. Simply conduct a Google search on your competitors and you’ll see what I mean.

This then ultimately leaves us to focus on our own individual personal brands to in-still positive impressions that assist in converting more prospects. We literally need to see ourselves as a complete package and ask ourselves if that package is marketable and will it be attractive to prospective clients?

To develop this package and your own brand, the following needs to be carefully considered;

Creating the Package of You – The first person you need to sell yourself too is you and if you don’t like what you see then why will others? Clearly define who you are as a person in your field, what’s unique about you, personality traits, your image, the way that you manage clients. Identify these clearly, are they marketable or do you need to groom yourself to become so?

Visibility – Developing your own individual brand is phenomenal, however if you’re not being seen you’re not going to be attracting new clients. Networking is one of the most cost effective ways to brand yourself effectively to generate referrals. Attend the same networking events consistently so everybody recognises you. Be the first to introduce yourself, start conversations and be the person that everyone loves. If this isn’t you, work on it. It is a skill that can be learned. Other areas to make yourself visible are YouTube, Facebook, blogging and local papers.

Consistency – Whatever exposure you can get is fantastic. Consistency is king. If they don’t see you they forget you! Get out there in your market place, write articles and have your picture plastered everywhere. If you receive media exposure, plaster it all over your website and send the link to the article to your clients. Leverage the hell out of it.

Relevant/In front – The ideal personal brand is someone like Seth Godin or Richard Branson. They always remain relevant and in front of their competitors in the market space in which they play. Think leader of the pack in your industry and you have a brand that is saleable.

Culture – Know the culture of your industry and be willing to push new boundaries, ask questions everyone else is too afraid to ask. It is important that you stand for something as a person and as a personal brand. By doing so you may potentially polarise those around you into two categories, those that are raving fans and those that can’t stand you. This is the perfect situation to be in, after all is there any one person on this earth that everyone loves? I very much doubt it, even Oprah has her critics. Critics are a healthy part of ongoing development, if no one is criticising your work then no one really cares enough about what you do?

Image – What you wear will ultimately determine how people treat you and how you treat yourself. Don’t attend business events dressed like everyone else in the room. Men, wear a stand out tie, women wear unique pieces of jewellery that people are going to gush over. The minor details make the major differences in memorability.

Reinvention – Part of building your personal brand is reinventing yourself on a regular basis to ensure you stay current and relevant to your ever changing ever growing consumer base. Watch videos on YouTube to observe what the rest of the world is doing, there is a wealth of information online available at your fingertips that will assist you in gaining the cutting edge. Artists such as Kylie Minogue and Madonna have continually re-invented themselves over the years. Why should business consultants be any different? Clients want to know that you’re innovative, leading the pack and the best in your field. A failure to reinvent is a failure to market yourself effectively.

These are all key aspects of branding yourself as the complete package that your clients want to buy. Focus on these and you will find that you attract new clients at the drop of a hat. Failure to do so and you’re just going to be another business consultant looking for just another client.