How to productively build your personal brand for speakers

by Neen James

A personal brand is one of your most valuable assets. It is you. Just like large companies invest in creating and protecting their brand, it is important you do this too. It doesn’t matter whether you work alone, with a speakers bureaus or consult with one client – you make an impression on the world and it affects your business.

To ensure you are productively building your brand, here are some ideas to help you:

Be memorable – don’t be like everyone else. Find a way to help you stand out amongst the crowd. A way to do this is to conduct a self-audit. During this audit list your strengths. Remind yourself what you are good at. I am known for my shoe collection and my love of pink. This means my wardrobe, accessories, stationery and other items I use all reflect this. My thank you notes are pink with a stiletto illustration on the front and my contact details on the back – what can you do to make yourself memorable?

Reflect your personality - make a list of words people use to describe you. Using this list choose the words that feel best for you. Once you know how to describe your personality you can use these words and “feel” in everything you create for yourself i.e. website, business cards and one page biography.

Use colour – choose one or two colours that demonstrate your personality. Pink is my colour; this colour is represented in all aspects of my business, home, wardrobe and accessories. Many clients make comments on my pink briefcase, hot pink jackets and other items I use in my work. This is part of my signature. I use this colour in all aspects of my handouts, books, folders, and handbag – any place that is visible to the world. Kirstin Carey, an American speaker, is known for her love of orange. Whenever you meet Kirstin you can be guaranteed she is in an orange outfit.

Keep it consistent – use your personality words in all marketing materials you develop. If you select a colour to represent you, use that in everything you do - if it is a symbol or character use that. Jean Wilcox from CattleLogos uses a cow to illustrate the importance of branding (that is the focus of her company) and she uses this cow in everything.

Develop an area of expertise – be known for something. Become the specialist in your area. Be the person people ask questions; be quoted as the expert in articles, newspapers. Be the ‘go to’ person for that area of expertise. I am known for my speciality in productivity and networking – what are you known for?

Have an interesting business card – be different. Keep the standard size but ensure the paper stock, colours or font are different to everyone else.

Design a logo – seek professional assistance to create a logo that reflects you. You can use this logo on all written communication. A logo can incorporate your chosen colours, a graphic or picture that reflects what you do or sell. Even if you work for a large corporation you may choose to have your own personal logo and business card.

Have a saying or phrase you are known for – Winston Marsh, an Australian speaker, is known for always saying “I am f-a-n-t-a-s-t-I-c” – every time he speaks with someone or signs off a letter he uses this phrase. I always say ‘G’Day’ – the Aussie hello – what phrase makes you memorable?

Create a website – this inexpensive tool creates an international reputation and profile for you. It is not expensive to establish but you must budget for funds to maintain it and keep it current.

Create stickers with your contact details on them – use these stickers on all physical mail, books, sample products or anything you send out. This will allow people to contact you at any time.

Establish an email signature – using tools like Microsoft Outlook, you can establish a unique signature that is attached to all outgoing emails. You could include a quote or a sentence about your business. Use colours, bold font and include your name and contact information.

Send Thank you cards – send handwritten cards to people to thank them for doing business with you, good service, referrals or just because… I use pink envelopes so they are also reflective of my personality and consistent with my brand. A coloured envelope also stands out amongst all the white envelopes people receive on a daily basis.

Send Client Thank you gifts – when you work with someone for the first time you may like to send them a thank you gift for their business. For my female clients I always send flowers and ensure they are delivered the day after my presentation with the client. This is a reminder for them that I appreciated their business and is something many clients comment on many years after the event.

Create a one-page biography – create a flyer with your photo, logo and a summary of your skills and achievements. This marketing piece will be useful for to send with your marketing packs, to potential clients, for any speaking opportunities you might have to promote your business, for press contacts that want to quote you in their publications and for your local community events.

Join Associations – find a professional or industry body that you are interested in. Become actively involved and join the committee. Commit to attending the meetings, get to know other members and provide lucky door prizes to increase your business profile.

Get a professional headshot – build a selection of photos (in electronic form also) that can be sent to anyone interested in featuring you. These will be useful for your website, business cards and one page biography. Any successful businessperson must have a good headshot. Tip: Keep it current, I don’t know how many speakers I have met with headshots that are 15+ years old… when they still had hair! Keep it up to date.

Learn to network – this skill is essential if you want to build your personal brand and build your business. People need to meet you and know you. If you struggle with this skill you could some excellent books from Robyn Henderson including “Networking for Success”, “Masters of Networking” and “Be Seen, Get Known, Move Ahead” or my book “Network or Perish”.