Building a Brand

by Darcy Knapp, (Network Solutions)

What is in a name...your name is your identity, but it is also your brand. Your name is the first thing you give new people that you meet. Every voice mail you leave, every letter you sign and your business cards all have one thing in common, your name.

You need to consider the value of your name and make sure that if a potential customer loses your contact information, they can turn to his or her most trusted ally and instantly have your information.

Do you know who your customers ask? The most significant third party reference source for the average American is Google...and good electronic reputation management will insure that your contacts can find you with just a click of their mouse.

Go to Google and put your name in the search bar, if you do not appear you have some work to do. Start registering with social media sites and create a profile for yourself, your online business card. Consider joining sites like Linked-In, Facebook, Naymz, YouTube, eBay, Classmates, Plaxo (all dot coms by the way) and build your brand.

Go and buy yourself a domain (your name, if it is available) and build a Web site, even a simple one page business card site will do the trick! They are easy for any novice to build and less than $5 a month to host with any domain provider. In this electronic age, think about how many times you have Googled a prospective customer/provider to see if its site measures up to your expectations? Your credibility as a business person is dramatically increased if you have a Web site.

Would you do business with a company that did not have a Web site? You can win that prospect’s business if you have a solid Web presence and your competitors do not. Take that one step further and build your personal site. Google has become the new reference provider for all generations. You do not ask your mother where to get a product or service anymore, you ask Google and take the recommendations you receive as the best options available.

Now you just need to make sure that you are one of the options that Google provides if your name is queried. If you do not own your name (www.yourname.com) you should consider the $10 investment before a disgruntled employee, angry neighbor or ex-loved one buys it and builds an embarrassing page on your behalf. And for those of you with simple names (like John Smith) you can try adding in your middle initial or the town you live in (www.johnsmithalbany.com).

Darcy Knapp, Director of Business Development
Leap Frog Marketing
Darcy@LeapFrogMarketing.net
DarcyKnapp@Hotmail.com


View article on A-C Chamber site: http://acchamber.org/MediaCenter/businesslibrary/buildingabrand.aspx