How to spread the word of you
Volume 2, Number 5  |  May 2008

So you've got your brand in order--or a kind of a start, anyway (remember that everything, branding included, is a work in progress: just like you!) What next?

Well, now you've got to start looking at ways of getting that "you" out into the world. The big boys do it up big--on TV, radio and other (dying) mainstream media. But you, smart-and-nimble person that you are, can do it anywhere, in any medium. Here are a few places to start...

1. You! You! You!

Think Audrey. Or the other Hepburn, Kate, with her comfortable, elegant and style-forward mannish look. Or Hunter S. Thompson, Mr. T, your favorite TV character (I'm partial to Rhoda and Maude) or anyone else with a distinctive style. Yeah, it's can get a little dull, always sporting the same hairstyle/glasses/pantsuit, but think of how much easier it is getting dressed in the morning! I learned my lesson on this last conference trip: I'd grown out my hair and taken to wearing it up since my last headshot photos were taken--the ones I use for my avatar (which has recently won some acclaim!) and everything else public--and more than one person didn't recognize me. Taking a page from my own book, I got a cut & color upon landing back in L.A. Lesson learned!

2. Other "signature" elements

I talked to my actor-homies about this in this month's acting column--the importance of getting super-basic stuff like your email signature(s), your voicemail message(s), your bio(s), etc., in sync. Too often, I have people come to me for serious identity work who haven't gotten their baby ducks in a row first. It costs nothing but a little hair torn out to spend some time crafting a series of great email sigs, outgoing messages, short and long bios, elevator speeches. And the payoff is huge. Not only do you make sure your stuff is consistent across all vehicles--you'll actually feel more comfortable and confident in any situation where you might meet someone. (Hint to non-actors: just like I tell my actor-buds to come here and read about general marketing, I'm telling you there's LOTS of good stuff about communication to be learned from what I talk about in my monthly acting column for LA Casting. Just sayin'.)

3. Color. Typeface. Cropping.

The real elements of identity go deeper than your logo. In fact, there are plenty of people who come to me for a logo whom I send away with this advice: Find a typeface you like, some colors that are "you," and have yourself a cheap card made up at Stinko's, or a printer near you. I started using some version of Garamond/Century Schoolbook (clean, serif fonts) in all-lowercase years before I came up with the current communicatrix logo. And I've been a clean, "lotsa whitespace" kinda gal since I felt the walls closing in during a visit to a friend's home chock full of Hummels (not to dis the Hummel-lovers; I'm just not a big tchotchke fan in general). If you don't know what you like, spend some quality time ripping out pages from magazines. Just...not from the library, okay?

4. What you have to say

Blogs. Podcasts. Newsletters. Emails. There are so many fantastic vehicles out there these days for what you have to say, and the way you have to say it. You can write a jingle, shoot a little film, put together a bunch of audio interviews from your perspective, or even send out email forwards--one friend of mine is now fixed in my mind as the guy who always sends out fascinating clips about science and progressive issues from a crazy-wide variety of sources. (Of course, you could also be the person who sends "DO NOT DELETE THIS WITHOUT FORWARDING TO 55 PEOPLE OR THIS KITTEN WILL DIE" kinda messages, but only if you want to be "that" kinda person.) Start thinking about everything that passes through your hands as being representative of you and your "brand"; if nothing else, it'll make you more thoughtful about what you do pass along.

4. What you stand for

Here's where I get super-square and earnest, but those of you who know me already understand how deeply nerdy I am about personal integrity. More than anything, personal branding is about what you stand for: your beliefs, loves, ideals, principles, mantra, etc. Which quotes move you? How are you here to help make the world a better place? What skills (or batches of skills) are yours alone? What are you passionate about? I talked about this a little in my previous newsletter, but if you want to delve (or dwelve) deeper, pretty much my entire blog deals with the subject, especially the topic of "change," which is pretty much my defining struggle.

So...

...where are you at with defining who you are? Where in the process, if anyplace, do you get stuck? Are you trying to take yourself "wide" and feeling overwhelmed? Are you just starting out and don't know where to begin?

Or do you, like me, grapple with the idea that personal branding is a little...er...grubby?

Remember, it's a great, big, wonderful world that we live in, but it's also hella crowded. Having a strong personal brand gives people a quick way to remember you, which does them a service.

And it helps start conversations and fosters communication, which does us all a service.

What are you going to do to strengthen your personal brand today?