BRANDING YOU

Nowadays, people get told to build a brand, maintain a brand, and defend that brand. 

If you an individual executive, a solo entrepreneur, a fledgling start-up founder, business coaches will tell you to build a brand.

A brand is a representation of quality and other great qualities in the mind of the consumer. 

With all the hype and padding about brand and branding, the branding power doesn't take place in the context where there is no market at all, or where quality is suspect, or where the ability to deliver is almost nil. Branding activities cannot mask the lack of clarity in company direction, the lack of congruence with market realities, and the lack of executive presence in matters of great importance to stakeholders. It is also not helpful when the value proposition is unclear and undifferentiated. Forcing to come up with a brand without dealing with the fundamentals will be like forcing a cow to jump through a series of hoops. 

Where branding helps when the public is unaware of what the product, service, or individual stands for value, and other good traits, what separates it from the herd, and what makes it an attractive force to belong to, to feel affinity with, to become a part of it network.

To work and maintain a brand is a lifelong activity that does not rest when you reach the zenith of success or great fortune. It has to be alive, well, and highly articulated in the noisiest corners of the marketplace. Despite the push to do the same marketing and branding strategies and follow the bandwagon, it is best to keep it to the most doable and simple that reflects your style and personality, without creating an enormous costs to maintain. 

If its your personal brand, there are no wrong or right answers, only wrong and right questions to begin with. 

Start with the fundamental why questions and you will begin to unravel those brand characteristics.