Ok, I’m gonna say it. I know, I know. Sometimes I look at it and gag myself. However, when you want to take your creative thing out of the realm of hobby, you need to pay attention to your…
…brand.
Ew, gross, stop! Brand! Knock it off, Nicole!
Ok, put down the pitchforks and let me tell you a little story.
Once upon a time, while I was working a 400+ person event, I was approached by one of the attendees. Now being the event planner for this shindig, I thought she was going to ask about the agenda, or the upcoming networking event, or even to complain about the food (because happiness isn’t happiness at an event unless someone is complaining about the food…I digress).
Instead this happened:
Attendee: Excuse me, Nicole? I was wondering if you could be send a message to [the woman holding the event]?
Me: Possibly, is there something I can help you with?
Attendee: Well here’s the thing, I’m an artist.
Me: Oh great!
Attendee: No not great.
Me: Not great?
Attendee: The thing is, I really tried to open my mind to this last session on branding, and I have to say I’m pretty outraged.
Me: Oh really? Was your binder missing the slide printouts? Are you missing the worksheets? Could you not hear from where you were sitting? I can certainly—
Attendee: No, no. Nothing like that. I’m outraged that she didn’t take into consideration my craft. I just simply can’t be branded. I’m a person. What I do involves feelings and emotions. If I venture away from my craft then I will lose it. How can you possibly add brand?
After a few more minutes of talking the woman down and giving her an extra drink ticket for the party that night in hopes that an extra white wine spritzer would calm her down, I walked away flabbergasted.
How could she not see the sheer, dire importance of a brand?
And it wasn’t until I started traveling down my own creative writing path that I realized it: Creative types are certified geniuses when it comes to their thing/craft/art/skill/talent. They will spend hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars trying to perfect it. They will spend hours trying to hone into the “zone” (look I rhymed, just in time!) where the magic happens. And it is in this place where creatives thrive, are happiest, and excel.
However, if they stay too much in the creative zone, they ignore the tools and steps needed to take their thing out into the rest of the world beyond of the reach of their 75 year old grandmother in Missouri and her knitting buddies.
Branding yourself and your “creative company” is one of those tools.
Your brand is your mark of distinction.
It helps set you apart from all the other creatives in your field. A brand makes you look classier, like you have your proverbial shit together, like you’re taking yourself seriously and respect yourself and your “thing” so much that people will be more inclined to listen when you speak.
By creating a brand for yourself you immediately integrate your message into everything you do from your website, your email signature, how you handle meetings with professionals in your industry, how you present yourself, how you network, how you use social media, etc.
Imagine yourself in the center circle of a circus tent (because who doesn’t want to be the main event in a circus?). The stands are packed with people wanting to be impressed by what you have to show them….
Without a brand….
You run to the circle in your best leopard bodysuit followed by a kid dressed as an Ewok, Tony the Tiger because you couldn’t get ahold of Siegfried and Roy for a loaner, a soundtrack that keeps skipping because your mom is running it and only using the iPod you gave her for the second time in five years. You immediately jump into the act, bouncing from place to place, showing off and doing your absolute best. The crowd cheers with you, laughs with you a bit, and even politely applauds you when you are done. But—and this is a big but here—they aren’t really sure what just happened to them. They can tell you put this together at the last minute, that there was no cohesion to your performance but most of all…they will not only forget about you in a matter of minutes, but if they had a choice of circuses to see again they would probably avoid yours.
With a brand…
You are dressed in a beautiful white silk suit with a velvet red top hat. You are followed by performers who are equally dressed in splashes of red and white and the main attraction is your friend Betty the elephant who has a matching top hat. You notice that as the show progresses the guests are sitting forward in their seats and some are even staring with their mouth agape. Not only do you flow smoothly from one act to another but when you’re done the audience gives you the standing ovation you deserve. But most of all…they will immediate remember you when the circus rolls into town again and how much fun they had. Why? Because your brand made them feel something to the point where they will remember you and…help you stand out.
Think of the power of brands you know: Coca Cola, Disney, Apple, Starbucks. Love em or hate em their brand has held in so strongly over the years that you can immediately describe what a person would experience upon entering one of these stores for the first time.
The bottom line is, by creating and having a brand of your own, you can help others realize what they should be experiencing when they come into contact with you and your creative thing. So when the attendee asks me, “What I do involves feelings and emotions, how could I possibly brand that?” Well by golly! A brand is exactly that! A way to convey those feelings and emotions.
And the irony in all this? Branding yourself takes some of the most creative juices you’ve got! So open your mind, crack open that bottle of wine, and step up to the plate because you are getting serious about your creative career.
Have you tried branding yourself? What are some of your favorite brands out there? (Don’t worry, next time we’ll go over HOW you can start branding yourself).