Have you ever wondered about the feeling of trust you get from certain names and logos? or why certain ads mention nothing about the product and focus on showing some random stories and building emotions? Welcome to the world of branding where they sell not just the product but specific experiences and feelings around it.

Let’s talk about branding and the types of it.

You might already be familiar with brands like Apple and Nike. There are multiple other companies manufacturing sneakers and mobile phones. But what makes Apple and Nike different from them? 

The answer is simple -the identities they created around their products, the brand. That’s what adds value to the names ‘apple’ and ‘nike’. So what’s a brand, if not the product alone? 

Brand is a story that you construct around your product. It’s much more than just the logo or name of your company. Rather the feeling and impression your customers have about your company. It adds value to your company as a whole, in addition to the value offered by the product alone.

In this blog we are looking at two types of branding- personal and business branding and why exactly do you need it.

In simple terms, Personal branding means amplifying your already existing personality and sharing stories behind it, to attract a specific audience.

 Business branding means adding a unique personality and identity to your business so you can stand out from the competitors.

Let’s dive deeper !

PERSONAL BRAND

Personal brand is the image you present of yourself for others to see. It includes your personality, the stories you tell, the experiences you share, your skills, vision, goals and behaviors. 

It makes you stand out from others and add credibility to the values you share.

Having a strong personal brand not just helps in sharing your experiences, but gets you connected with people globally.

The benefit of personal branding, unlike business branding is you don’t have to stick with any particular content type. You can share multiple things you are interested in and it will only make you unique.

But the important thing to take note is just being a content creator will not make you a strong personal brand. You have to share what actually is working in the background. People will only accept you as an authority when you have an actual foundation which makes you efficient to create content about.

Tom Noske, the branding expert says, “People follow people, not companies”. That is, people are more interested in learning about the thoughts and habits that lead a company rather than the actual product or service of a company.

Well, that explains why you follow Elon Musk on multiple platforms, even when you have no plans to own a tesla!

So what goes behind creating a successful personal brand?

Why – this is the most crucial part of your brand. You should have a clear vision and goal about why exactly you are on the battlefield. What’s your purpose? What do you get from it? What can you give others?

What- this is the foundation of your brand. What are you building your brand on? What’s the problem that you are solving and what’s the story you are about to write.

Where- the platforms you are choosing to build your brand. You have to be specific about it because each social media platform has a different type of audience.

How- now that you have built a plan, you have to be mindful of how you are going to implement it. Craft a strategy and a schedule to create and post content. Take inspiration and learn from the best in industry.

Here are some powerful personal brand examples to check out : 

Alex Hormozi: Entrepreneur and founder helping businesses grow and scale. Founded Gym Launch, aiding fitness businesses in growth.

Iman Gadzhi: Digital marketing expert and founder of IAG Media. Empowers entrepreneurs through his social media marketing strategies.

Steven Bartlett: Influencer and CEO. Founded Social Chain, a leading social media marketing agency, also  known for his insights on brand storytelling.

BUSINESS BRAND

Building a business brand means crafting a specific identity and personality of a company for its audience to see,feel and perceive. This includes multiple factors like design,logo, name, mission,values,message etc. 

The aim is simple- your audience needs to know you are there, and you are not like others in the market. That’s it? There’s more!

Unlike personal branding, a business brand should also aim at driving maximum sales and retaining the clients. A business brand is promotional in nature while personal brands are mostly conversational.

Branding your business not only helps you establish trust and build a long term connection with your clients, it also determines how your company is looked at by your audience. You either tell your own story, or let others tell it for you. You choose.

When branding is done right, it ensures that your brand’s message and mission is consistently shared wherever you show up. This can cut down much of marketing worries because you can develop clear and precise strategies for an already established brand.

Need a branding buddy like me, so you can actually focus on your business while we sort out your digital dilemma? Here’s how I can help you.

So, what’s the formula to brand your business?

What – this is the positioning of your brand. What do you want to be perceived as?

There are a lot of sneaker brands in the market. What made you choose Nike over others?

Why – just like a personal brand, you need to have a reason, a purpose to keep your brand alive. Why are you in the market?

Who – your brand can’t live without the audience. Who are you selling to? What type of customers do you want to target?

How – You need to have a proper system to communicate your brand’s message to your audience consistently. Decide on a strategy to promote your brand through consistent content on various platforms.

See how these two brands could impact its audience and set a unique footprint :

Apple: known for the innovative products, premium quality and minimalistic designs and out of box marketing.

Nike: The inspirational messaging and the collaboration with top athletes gives a sense of belonging to the clients.

In short, branding is the only way to make a commodity, a service or even a thought valuable and irreplaceable. As personal brands tend to shape and amplify the uniqueness and character of an individual, business branding shapes the identity of companies. Either way, it is a method of influencing the perception of the world and making them engage with the product or services. 

If said any better, branding is yet another complex way of saying “we are here to stay”.