Why You MUST Create Your Brand If You Want To Build A Successful Digital Career

by MarsDorian · 16 comments

Personal brand - spread your influence

haha, bold headline, true core.

It still makes me want to cry at night to see so many people trying to establish their online career, while missing out on the essential:

You are a brand, whether you like or not.

The question you should ask yourself:

Am I creating a bland brand that’s forgettable, or am I creating a kick-ass killer epic personal brand that shines brighter than a thousand suns ?

This is a bit of the top, but if you treat your online presence like a brand, you have maaany advantages :

brand influence

  • You have a crystal-clear vision

Most people are confused. They really are. When they start their building their online presence, they have no clue what their core message is. What do they stand for ? What’s they unique story ? If they don’t know, then the readers and clients don’t know, and that means hasta la vista digital career.

Every good brand has a mission or a story that’s worth talking about.

They know what they stand for, which makes it easy to create raving fans and kick-ass business opportunities.

  • You own a grrreat digital presence

Well-created brands have a stronger presence. It’s not my opinion, it’s fact. Those peeps and companies get talked about…everywhere. Fans are spreading their message via tweets, Facebook-shares and articles.

You know how you call that ?

Free mass marketing.

Su-weet.

  • You stand out from the crowd

There’s a word that every average entrepreneur fears: competition.

If you are like everyone else, you have to compete against everyone else.

And if you happen to be in a popular niche, you can imagine the nightmare you have to go through. You against the rest of the world. Well, good luck with that.

But if you are an incredible brand, you have way better chances.

You are easy recognizable. People remember you. There may be thousand others in your niche, but that doesn’t matter.They fade away by the shiny rays that emit from your unique brand.

personal brand influence

  • You can charge…wayyy more

I can see the dollar signs shining in your eyes already, but it’s true: cool brands can charge more. Way more.

How many internet marketers are out there that teach you how to sell more stuff online ? Thousands. How many launch coaches are out there ? Mmm, I can give you one: Dave Navarro.

This guy is kicking digital ass on every level.

Why ? Because he built himself a killer brand, and found ways to make himself stand out in an over-crowded niche.

He has a short sharable story. His design is unique. He’s networking with influencers. He’s producing killer content flavored with a take-no-prisoner style. He’s helping people get what they want.

In short – he’s a kick-ass digital brand, which allows him to charge 250$ for a consulting hour. Nice one.

  • You enjoy stellar options in dark times

Your money is super-tight, but you need either a kick-ass ebook or consulting ? Whom will you bless with your green gold  –  the cookie-cutter what’s-his/her-name-again or the maverick of his niche ?

The answer is clear like the smile of the Buddha. You go for the best branded person – the one people know and trust.

  • You have access to magical opportunities

My brand is getting more popular – I get featured on lists , make interviews and enjoy creative project offers in my inbox. That’s white magic, right there !

Now, I’m not saying that to brag (maybe a little), but to show you the epicness that happens when you spread your digital influence.

I’m still at the beginning of my journey, but I get so many opportunities every week my brain barely keeps up with it. The same can happen to YOU !

A cool brand commands more influence, and that results in people wanting to work with you. The possibilities are endless – you can get more clients, build joint ventures and/or receive job opportunities etc.

Space’s the limits here.

japaneseicon conclusion…heck yeah !

Seriously, I could give you a trillion more reasons why it’s essential to build your brand, but those are the major ones. Crafting your online brand is ass-kicking on every dimension.

If you haven’t start branding yourself digitally, you need to do 2 things right now:

1) Slap yourself in the face

2) Start one thing today that will spread your influence, like reading this blog ;)

What do you do for your personal brand online ? How do you spread your influence every single day ?

Shoot me in the comments !

And please retweet and Facebook-share this post !

Now some people say

Gary Vaynerchuk is known as the whine guy – but check his tweets. Is he talking about whine ? Almost never !

Want to turn visitors into raving customers ?

Fuck yeah !

This is my favorite ecourse for people that HATE sleazy online marketing but want to make money from their site. It's genuine, entertaining and packed with valuable info that helps you make your website profitable like hell.

BTW - I use it myself successfully. It rocks. That's why I'm an affiliate for it ;) Get more visitors to buy your stuff image

  • http://www.TrafficGenerationCafe.com/ Ana | Traffic Generation Cafe

    “If you are like everyone else, you have to compete against everyone else.” – love it.

    You are so right though – the main problem with us is that you don’t know who we are, we don’t really know what we want or how to get it.

    For an ambition-driven society, it’s quite a surprise, I must say.

    I, for one, only recently discovered who I was and how to brand myself. I actually did not “discover” is per se; I let myself be me. What a concept!

    Thanks for your thoughts, Mars; greatly appreciated.

    Ana Hoffman
    202 Bite-Sized Tips To Insanely Increase Your Blog Traffic

    • http://www.marsdorian.com/ Mars Dorian

      Hey Ana,
      thanx

      And yeah – most people really don't know what they stand for and/or how to brand themselves.

      If being yourself means acting the way you want to act (based on your deepest desires), then I agree with you.
      Nice blog traffic list BTW, 202 tips – not bad ;)

  • IndieChris

    My brands in its baby steps just now, so I'm just learning all this stuff.But at least I'm learning, which puts me in the advantage, right?

    I'm not like your other readers, either. I write fiction, which I'm independently publishing and selling as e-books. Got in just in time, too, by 2013 50% of the book market in America will be e-books.

    I'm preparing for my launch, first novella comes out September 2010. I have a unique brand name, Scathach Publishing, and I'm on Twitter (IndieChris), facebook, and my blog log.

    I have a blog, I'm organising a blog carnival. I have a website, too… but the most important thing to a fiction writer is my writing. None of this will pay off if I can't write worth a damn.

    So I'm giving stuff away for free. I'm putting up short stories online, for free. I'm going to start releasing a scene from my novella each week in August. Before my e-book comes out, people will know I can write.

    If you want people to buy something from you, give them something for nothing first. That's my tip. I believe it can create trust and build relationships.

    Oh, and ultimately, follow Mars Dorian. My entire marketing plan is based around your What Lady Gaga can teach us article over at Think Traffic. One point though, how can you not like her music?

    Anyway, I wasn't going to post, but I just wanted to say thanks.

    • http://www.marsdorian.com/ Mars Dorian

      Hey Chris,

      woow, that's quite a response – I luv what you are planning with you destiny. I believe this is the future of publishing – self-distribution and direct relationships to the reader/buyer/client.

      Everything you have listed hear sounds grrreat – make sure you brand everything with the same design (get a kick-ass logo!) and make your core message discernible in everything you do !

      I have checked your blog – can't wait to experience what you create from it. Tell me when it's ready.

      BTW – I also have indie filmmaker in my audiences, so it's pretty diverse. Everyone wants to spread their digital influence ;)

      Keep kicking ass, Chris !

  • http://lexgarey.com Lex Garey

    Perfect time, Mars! I've been severely lacking in motivation to build my brand on a daily basis and now that I've given myself a good slap in the face, I can continue on with new found enthusiasm and focus.

    • http://www.marsdorian.com/ Mars Dorian

      Hey Lex,

      awesome. But don't wait for tomorrow, start today. Do just one tiny thing, each and every day, and you will surely build momentum !
      Let your passion guide you to the light ;)

  • http://jimijones.com/ Jimi Jones

    Good one, as usual Mars. :-)
    Why be ordinary? Tell your story and be who your truly are. Do something to break from the pack, otherwise it's tough to get noticed in a crowded field. No need to be just another also-ran.

    • http://www.marsdorian.com/ Mars Dorian

      Thanx Jimi,

      I wanted to remind people again why it's essential to play the branding game.

  • http://twitter.com/cmicules Cameron Micules

    Great post, Mars!

    I just talked about something like this the other day: http://bit.ly/aQVug0 – and would love your thoughts…

    It’s tough, as noted by other comments here, to pull yourself out of the daily grind to actually build your own brand, regardless of how vitally important it is.

    I completely agree with your points above, and would add one of my own that is “Believe that you are valuable, a true linchpin (to coin Seth Godin) and project that belief in every meeting/briefing/chat/tweet/blog you make”.

    Here’s to kicking ass and making names!

    Cameron

    • http://www.marsdorian.com/ Mars Dorian

      Hey Cameron,

      I'm going to leave a comment on your site as well. It's not as tough as it sounds – it always starts with focus, and focus leads to clarity. If you know what you want to stand for – if you exactly know what your mission is, you have grrreat base, and everything will be easier from there.

  • eblogr

    Slapped myself already… thanks for the push. I started putting more of myself lately into my posts.. especially the last one. It's all about gettign out of your comfort zone and crushing it…

    • http://www.marsdorian.com/ Mars Dorian

      Hey James,

      good to see you :9

      Pushing your comfort zones is one of the hardest yet most rewarding actions you can take. Stretching myself every day is my mantra, even (or especially) when I don't want to do it.

      It's true for branding as it's true for anything else in life.

  • http://www.technickconsulting.com Nick Rosener

    I couldn't help but retweet this. This message is so important, now more than ever.

    I have seen countless numbers of businesses just making a facebook page for the hell of it, without giving serious thought to their online image and brand.

    Great post Mars

    -Nick Rosener
    Tech Nick Tips
    http://www.twitter.com/technicktips

    • http://www.marsdorian.com/ Mars Dorian

      Hey Nick,

      thanx for the “compulsive” retweet – I agree, people should pay more attention to branding themselves. In your country, you compete with your countrymen, but in the internet, you compete with the world.
      It's about time to give the world more brand awareness ;)

  • lchris33

    Good points, and it's something I have to remember more often! Branding makes one unique, not just another blog or product among many thousands. Offline branding can be effective too. The most obvious example that comes to mind is business cards with your name, logo and website. Anyway, I'm glad I found this blog, which looks like it's going to be a great source of information and inspiration!

    • http://www.marsdorian.com/ Mars Dorian

      Hey,

      awesome that you found you way to my place.

      Branding your website and business cards visually is definitely a GO-GO,
      But don't forget about your actions: Every interaction, every phone call and every piece of work you produce is marketing too !

Previous post:

Next post: