Aug 7, 2019
Today, MiloTree Community Manager and my friend, Paula
Rollo, is back on the show and we are talking about how to think
about branding yourself and your
business.
We're looking at the question of where best to focus your
energy.
In this episode, we share how we have both gone through our own
branding process and how you can easily do it, too.
Branding Beginnings
Branding is so much more than just hopping onto sites like
LogoJoy or TailorMade
and creating your logo. There is also a tool on Shopify
that will generate business names for you.
These are all fun tools to play around with but there are steps
you need to take before you start making logos.
When Paula started her business around 15 years ago, she did not
even know about branding. She simply made content without a vision
and hoped people would find it.
Tip: When coming up with your blog name or logo, you don’t want
your viewers to have to guess what you are about. You have to state
upfront what your brand is about.
When I created Catch My Party, I was very
specific about what the business was, but that made me feel
pigeonholed into that space without a lot of room for growth or
change.
The inspiration for MiloTree comes from a beautiful tree found
in Hawaii.
The name is very open-ended, which allows me to expand somewhat
within the boundary of the name. And I’m glad we chose it as we
have definitely expanded the things we offer through the app. It's
no longer just the "Pinterest Pop-Up Company."
When branding first became important, you didn’t have to be as
specific, but as Google has evolved and the industry has grown, you
need to be much more specific about what you’re offering to your
audience so that you become an authority in your field.
Personal Branding vs. Company
Branding
Before I started my own personal Instagram account recently, I
thought through what I wanted my account to look like.
I keep Catch
My Party, MiloTree, and my own
personal account, Jillian Tohber
Leslie, separate to brand them as the individual things that
they are.
I decided to focus on three things with my personal account:
- How I run two businesses and a podcast
- Moving to Austin and discovering the area
- How I focus on my wellness and health
My husband and daughter occasionally show up on there, but they
are not the main focus.
When I am posting about myself, I am showing the human side of
my business and people can get to know me. That builds trust with
my audience.
You have to decide early on if you want your brand to have a
personality, or if you want to be your brand. A
lot of blogs and brands get stuck trying to do both.
Some brands don’t want a face behind their brand, but then they
lose all personality whatsoever. People want something to connect
to, even if it’s just a common theme.
Sharing Yourself To Build Trust
When building your brand, you need to know where your business
is going, know what you’re trying to accomplish in the
world.
For instance, if you have a health and wellness blog, you are
trying to convince me to change something about my lifestyle. To do
that you need to share your personal story and credentials in order
to gain my trust.
Anyone can start a business success blog, but I need to know
your backstory. I need to know that you have a successful business
and that you know more than me about building a successful
business.
Focus your personal brand on how you can serve others, and you
will be able to remain authentic and true to yourself.
Being A Personal Brand
We all need to be mindful of the brand we’re putting
forward.
Today it is easy for people to find us online, including
prospective employers. The brand you put forth is what they’re
going to see and how they’re going to think about you.
If you do not brand yourself, and you focus on your company’s
branding, you are still discoverable. You still need to have a
personal aspect of your brand.
I always suggest that people Google themselves and see what
shows up.
Do you like what pops up under your name? If not, you may need
to think about some personal rebranding.
Comparing Yourself To Others
Another way to get clear on your branding is to look at your
competitors to see what they are doing right, and mimic that. But
you should also be looking at your competition in order to see the
ways that you are different.
If someone was unhappy with another company, how would coming to
your business offer them a different experience?
Find ways to differentiate your blog from others who are in the
same niche.
Brands tend to solve one problem and move on. Focus on being
cohesive and offering solutions to problems that might not even be
known yet.
You can fill in the blanks that the big companies are missing
because what may not be lucrative enough for big brands could be
lucrative enough for you.
Honesty vs. Oversharing
At one point, a couple of years ago, our culture decided that we
wanted to know everything about everybody. We shared pictures of
our food, our friends, our evening routines.
But people quickly discovered that they didn’t care what their
neighbor had for dinner; they weren’t following them because their
neighbors were food bloggers.
Today, people want you to be honest, but people also understand
that there are boundaries to sharing your life.
Boundaries look different to everyone, and you are free to
decide what your boundaries are.
I do not post any pictures of my daughter on Instagram, whereas
Paula has pictures of her children all over her account, but
without their names posted. We both set the boundaries that we are
comfortable with.
I came to the personal branding game late, but if I am
making someone feel happier, feel less alone, or more inspired,
then I am branding myself the right way.
What Type of Online Entrepreneur is MiloTree Right
For?
Are you serious about growing your online business
(advanced beginner and above)? Have you
got some traffic but you know you need
more?
Let your MiloTree pop-ups help you get to that next level by
turn your visitors into email subscribers and social media
followers on Instagram, Pinterest, Facebook and YouTube.
Sign up today!
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Timestamp
- Intro
- 1:14 Branding Beginnings
- 14: 41 Personal Branding vs. Company Branding
- 24:47 Share Yourself To Build Trust
- 28:08 Being A Personal Brand
- 29:34 Comparing Yourself To Others
- 32:56 Honesty vs. Oversharing
Read the podcast
transcript for “How to Think About Branding Yourself and Your
Business”
TOP 4 TAKEAWAYS
- Don’t make people guess what your blog is about. State upfront,
through your name, logo, description, bio, etc, exactly what you
are about and what the reader can expect.
- Decide if you want your business to have a personality or if
you want to be your own brand.
- Share your own story so that your audience can develop a sense
of trust in what you tell them to do.
- Find ways to differentiate your blog from others in the same
niche. Ask yourself, “If someone was unhappy with another business
in my niche, what could I offer them for a better experience?