Wednesday, October 12, 2016

Are You A Brandable Author?



The key to branding yourself as an author, expert, and personality may seem to come down to things like social media savvy, having time or resources to promote, and creating some type of gimmick or event from which you can build on.  Though it would be helpful to possess any and all of those items, it really comes down to your attitude.  Your frame of mind and vision for your brand will shape and dictate your success.

I’ve seen it time and time again. Writers are eager to have a brand, but few are willing to do what it actually takes to build a platform.  It all starts with how they view themselves and the brand-development process.  If a writer lacks the will, confidence, or proper mindset to dig in and launch his or her brand, nothing will blossom.

The author brand that you create is one that has to come from within your heart. It logically flows and emanates from you.  You don’t become your brand – you are your brand and it is you.  It comes directly from your idea, your energy, your vision, your experience, and your connections.  It comes from your personality.  You drive the path of your brand with everything you think, say, and do – and everything you fail or purposely don’t think, say, or do.

So how do you go about branding yourself when you are reluctant to do so?

Give the keys to the car to someone else.

Let a paid professional do what’s needed to publicly establish who you are.  But you need to help that person help you –or their efforts go to waste.  You need to determine your writing persona, that image or personality that you want to be presented to others in your blog and social media posts, that gets shown to people in videos and public appearances, and that comes through in your books.

You become a character in your own book.  Who are you and what would or should such a person in your position say?  Who do you want to be?

Maybe you are incapable of being branded – or so you think?  Everyone has a brand, even if that brand is boring, stupid, ugly, quiet or any other negative thing. But no one is brand-less or brand-free.  We all become known for something – or nothing at all.  That’s still a brand.

We establish our brand with:

·         What we say.
·         What we write.
·         What we do.
·         What others say or write about us.
·         Whom we associate with.
·         What causes we link to.

There isn’t a day that doesn’t go by that we can’t contribute to the shaping of our brand.  It reflects who we are – or could be.  Our brand can have attitude, emotion, and color.  It is clay, waiting to be modeled and shaped. Every step you take to claim you are x is a step away from being y.  If you are a serious person, humor won’t be your brand – and vice versa.  Once you commit towards one direction it automatically disqualifies you from claiming some other real estate.  But the narrower your brand becomes, the more of a brand you have.

So many people are masters at branding.  Some brand based on a single incident or event that dramatically defines them.  Others have a brand that represents success, power, and wealth, based on their career in politics, business, sports, entertainment, and other arenas.  Other brands are personality driven, where they use a certain kind of humor or give a particular piece of advice.  What will drive your brand?

The details of a brand can be worked out.  What can’t be ironed out is one’s natural desire and ability to be a brand.  Just as you need to make huge decisions in life.  Who should I marry, if I marry at all?  Do I want kids, and if so, how many?  What shall I major in?  Where will I live – you must determine if you have a brand, what it will be, and what you will do to establish and market it.

Are you a brandable writer?

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Brian Feinblum’s views, opinions, and ideas expressed in this blog are his alone and not that of his employer. You can follow him on Twitter @theprexpert and email him at brianfeinblum@gmail.com. He feels more important when discussed in the third-person. This is copyrighted by BookMarketingBuzzBlog 2016 ©.

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