It is interesting how when we go into Alpha (brain wave frequency) that we receive insights. Being in the shower has the effect of calming us and getting the brain into Alpha as you probably already know.

The issue of Branding oneself for effective marketing hinges on the principle of authenticity. In life are we authentic people? Are we aware of the need to develop sterling Character on an ongoing basis?

How do we do this? By practicing Truth and Right Action in ALL that we do including MArketing and making money or friends for that matter. So Branding ought to be a natural process. HOWEVER,most people appear to negate their need for Character Development, particularly in business and undermine who they really are just to make a quick buck as our American brithers and sisters might say!

The above translates to having a PURPOSE that encompasses one’s personal and financial goals. In this way Authenticity and Character will be demonstrated as an integral part of one’s PURPOSE on the way to knowing who we really are.

In marketing this means that we must be HONEST, TRUTHFUL and do what is right so that our clients are best served even if we have to sacrifice profits from time to time.

Thank you for a thought provoking article.

May you and yours enjoy a Vibrant, happy and Peaceful life.

Omrajesh

This one bothered me for some reason. I felt and said out loud – “I’m NOT selling me.” Yes, I get the need to be a product of your brand and even to Be the brand and all of that. There was still something about me being the product that disturbed.

It clicked last night. If I’m the product, then it all depends on my physical presence. We’re trying to build a legacy – something black folks in America need to do more of, btw. We’re passionate about this in our home, family and community. We want to be able to die without the brand and business dying. How do you build in longevity while being the brand, personally? I often wonder about what happens to the Oprah companies and good works when she dies. What a shame and an even greater loss if they die too.

The definitions of marketing and selling…interesting. I’ll have to follow that link and see what is really being said. On first read, it didn’t seem to settle well.

This blog was indeed a huge blessing. It sparked many debates and is rich with meaning and significance.

Thanks for living your life with such intense integrity.
All the best.

@John-Paul Micek – Awesome comments, thanks for sharing them, JP. Your analogy of comparing ‘authenticity and transparency’ to lenses indeed makes a lot more sense – and is more widely applicable. And the focus you refer to is kind of what I’m telling @Katie above – that once you hold the controls, you can move the vehicle to where you want to go.

I also like your view about the role of one’s personality in success at social media marketing. Thanks for taking the time to add to this discussion, JP.

@Judy Vorfeld – Great points about showcasing elements of your identity to create resonance with your audience. It helps even more when one is as multi-faceted as yourself

@Andy Beard – You put your finger right on the one ‘missing piece’. The way I think about this is matter for another full blog post, but in a nutshell, what I believe is that you first sell the ‘YOU’ – and once that trust and following is built, it can be leveraged in any number of ways and combinations to sell and profit from.

But when you miss selling the ‘YOU’ – the rest is just a house of cards that can fall down all of a sudden.

Thanks for dropping by and sharing your thoughts, Andy

@Chris Brogan – Thank you very much for your comments, Chris

@Teeg, thanks for the kind words and I’m glad the bits and pieces of the picture I shared on this blog earlier were of some help to you in formulating what is now revealed as a winning strategy in making you the ‘go to gal’ for most social media things!

@JoelBomane – Thanks, Joel. John H is a good friend and one of my biggest inspirations, the moving force behind my ebook, The Emotion Prism

Rick B and I go back quite a way too, from his ‘Internet Toy Drive’ days

@EdShaz – I deeply appreciate your kind and gracious words, thank you

@Anne P.Mitchell – Anne, thanks for sharing your perspective. While I do believe developing YOU into a micro-brand is a good strategy, it isn’t necessary (or maybe even advisable) to make it by default your business brand too. It’s a choice – like Joel and Chris have chosen to make it.

But there are others, like Chris ‘Sparky’ Knight, for instance, who have kept the Ezine Articles brand distinct – yet by being the ‘human’ face of the business, has grown his micro-brand in parallel. Another person who comes to mind is Tom Kulzer of Aweber.com

The *other* flipside (what do you call the flipside of a flipside, btw?! ) is that you don’t want your personal brand so closely identified with (or dependent upon) your business to the point that once you sell off your business, YOU lack an identity!

Thanks for a most stimulating and informative discussion on this interesting topic. Please keep the conversation flowing by sharing any thoughts you may have had since posting the last time!

All success
Dr.Mani

Live JoyFully

I’m meeting someone tomorrow for a mentoring session, and I will bring this issue into the mix. Thanks for pointing out the pros and cons.

BUT..there is a serious flipside, which *can* be a downside, which you need to consider..

If you are so intertwined with your business that you make yourself indispensable – if *you* are what you are selling – then, you can never leave or the business will collapse. You make the business unsellable, unless you go along with it. You can only retire if you save enough – not retire by having someone else take over, or buy you out – because *you* can’t be replaced – it has become *you* (not your company brand, but *you* as the brand) that people want.

That’s a fine line that I walk, and think about, every day. And, in fact, I’m very pleased that as we make more and more of a name for ourselves – our *company* name – that my own involvement, while still critical, has become less personally immediate – people trust the company because I am there, but I am no longer “the company” in people’s eyes – and for *our* business, that’s a good thing. If I took ill, or decided to sell (and we have had purchase overtures, which would never have happened when ISIPP SuretyMail = Anne P. Mitchell), or heck, just wanted to go on a 3 month vacation, the company would still thrive, which it couldn’t do nearly as well if it truly relied on the me’ness aspect.

I know people who have successfully made themselves into the brand – the *only* brand – my good friends Chris Pirillo and Joel Comm come to mind – ask them when they last were able to take a vacation with their families – a *real* vacation.

I’m *not* saying don’t make yourself the brand – I’m saying that if you *want* to make yourself the brand, you should be aware of all of the aspects of success.

It is not without reason that this commenter assigns many precious hours to Ed Dale and Dr Mani.

They give more than they take.
They give before asking for anything.
Their names are synonymous with trust for me.

That’s a brand I’ll buy.