When people talk about branding, the first thing that comes to mind is the multi billion dollar business of major corporations trying to make consumers buy their products rather than that of a competitor, but loyalty is just as important, if not more so, for small businesses and freelancers.
You may not think of it as branding, but why do your clients choose you over someone else? The first time it may have been your location, or the time you were offering/available, but what makes someone become a regular client, whether you offer, for example, personal training, massages or exercise classes? It’s YOU, it’s the connection made between the two of you. This connection, or relationship, becomes stronger over time, and your clients recommend you to their friends, they start to go to other places you teach, or have other treatments with you, helping you build your brand, your success and your marketability. The more successful you are, the more successful you will be.
BUT, being your brand has its own problems, especially in the social media world we live in. As you are your brand, everything you are seen to do by your customers becomes part of your brand image. So be very selective when becoming “friends” with clients on Facebook if your lifestyle outside work is very different to your image at work. So maybe you do go wild outside work, and there is nothing wrong with that, but don’t let it be detrimental to your work. Your clients have built their own image of you through your work, and they may believe that you lead your whole life through the ideals you imply and project at work. So have a business page as well as a personal profile and be careful of the overlap.
In my next post I will continue with the second issue I see when you are your brand. In the meantime, if you have any questions or comments about anything I have written feel free to contact me.
