The Basics of “BRANDING”. Discover Why Clients Keep Hiring You and Build Your Brand!

by Peter Bowerman

Several months back, at the local meeting of the Atlanta freelancers group I belong to (www.freelanceforum.org), our speaker Linda Travis (ltravis@brandrenovator.com, www.brandrenovator.com) shared her “services branding” expertise. Linda had isolated five components of branding to help any sized business stand out in the marketplace. Yes, branding is more important for a larger company engaged in high-stakes national or global competition, but these ideas are well worth pondering, even if you’re just a modest one-person shop.  

1) BE UNIQUE – Identify your authentic point of difference in the marketplace (and we’ll discuss how in a moment) and work to highlight that in your marketing materials. Maybe you have a skill in transforming complex subjects into layman’s terms. Perhaps you can step inside a client’s world, quickly grasp their business and create effective marketing strategies. Maybe your strong point is helping a client find THEIR unique voice in the marketplace.

2) FOCUS YOUR MESSAGE – If you want to be remembered, stand for something specific. As part of Linda’s presentation, she had bars of Lava and Dove soap resting on the lectern. Any questions? I mean, we’re talking textbook brands - each with their own culturally entrenched “promise.” And very focused. If you want to earn the lion’s share of your income as copywriter, then don’t present yourself as a writer, designer, photographer and illustrator, even if you can do it all. Too scattered.

3) ADDRESS BUYER VALUE – What does your buyer value? Do they value what you do? How are you addressing that value? Ask your buyers what they see and value in you.

4) TELL OTHER PEOPLE – What’s your answer to “What do you do?” You could just say, “I’m a freelance commercial writer” or you could figure out what’s unique about you and translate that into a niche and a story you can tell – in short, a focused message: (for example…) “I help small to medium sized companies reach their target audience more powerfully and effectively, boost market share AND their bottom line through powerfully crafted marketing materials.”

5) CONVEY CONSISTENCY – People experience your brand with every contact you make. Make sure your “package” (literally and figuratively) sends the message you want to send. Do that by maintaining consistency in your marketing brochures, web site, e-mails, letterhead, etc.

No one has your unique gifts. No one walking the earth has your particular combination of talents and abilities. How do you showcase that?

A client will usually hire you initially because you roughly match the general requirements that they have for a copywriter: relevant experience, a decent portfolio, confidence and enthusiasm, reasonably personable, adequate and (apparently) regular personal hygiene, etc. By definition, those are the only things they can consider because they don’t know you.

But if they keep hiring you, you can bet that it’s because there are certain things about YOU specifically that have real specific value to them. I say it’s worth asking your clients because those revelations can be the building blocks of your brand identity. If there IS something about what you do or how you do it that has clients continuing to hire you, you need to know it. Others would likely appreciate the same qualities. If the same things keep coming up, you build those messages into your marketing campaigns.

Linda shared the story of one client, a woman who asked her clients why they continued to do business with her. Their response stunned her. About 90% of them cited the same quality, something she had no idea was so valuable to them. Think that info was valuable to her?  

Whether you’re a novice or a seasoned pro, just some tasty food for thought that can turn one-time “snack” clients into long-term meal tickets.

ãCopyright 2005 Peter Bowerman. All rights reserved.

Peter Bowerman is the author of The Well-Fed Writer (2000), an award-winning Book-of-the-Month Club selection, and its companion volume, The Well-Fed Writer: Back For Seconds. A commercial freelancer, business coach and seminar leader in Atlanta, Georgia, his client list includes Coca-Cola, BellSouth, IBM, UPS, Cingular Wireless, American Express, Mercedes-Benz, Junior Achievement and others. Visit www.wellfedwriter.comfor more info and to subscribe to his critically acclaimed free monthly ezine on commercial writing, THE WELL-FED E-PUB.