Branding Yourself As The Product - Any Help?

RaiscaraAvalon

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I hope I put this in the right spot - this was the closest I could find, but if not, I'm sorry!

I'm currently planning a rebrand and working out all the details, but I'm kind of stumped on how exactly to start branding myself as a product. I understand the general idea, it's the details I need help with. What should I know to start? Should I have a mission statement? I want this rebrand to cover everything I do and may do in the future - I'm a polymath, though the general trend is that I like to help people solve problems, either directly by giving them advice through nonfiction books/articles or coaching, or indirectly by entertaining them through fiction (and maybe opening their mind a bit to possibilities that may help them directly solve their problem, but that's out of my control). I do other things as well, like photography, self-sufficiency and a few other things...mostly through that trend though is how I share with my audience.

But I'm not sure how to distill it all into a BRAND. And everything on the internet about it seems wicked vague to me. Even if you just get me thinking more, it would totally help - anything would be appreciated at this point. Rebranding - really branding for the first time, but meh, everything gets labeled these days - isn't all that easy.
 

veinglory

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There is a lot of talk about branding, and I think a lot of it is make-believe. IMHO your books are products, your brand -- to the extent you develop one -- is as their originator. I would suggest looking at what highly successful people in your genre right now are doing. beware of old or essentially 'made up' advice, especially from fee-charging services.
 

Cephus

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Honestly, in order to be a brand, you have to have some meaning. Stephen King is a brand because he has a long, rich history of producing quality work. A lot of people will buy his books, just because he wrote them. The same is true of J.K. Rowling and many other well-known authors. They are a brand because they earned it through hard work and success. I really don't think you can make yourself a brand unless you have that success to back you up.
 

mccardey

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Branding as a writer? You can't really brand yourself - it's the work that needs branding. In any case, I'd be careful of claims like 'I'm a polymath' Are you - really? Do you have encyclopaedic learning, or are you just a person who is interested in a bunch of things, like - well - most people? If you are a polymath, great - let it come out through your work; but just making the claim (for yourself, by yourself, with no evidence) isn't branding. At least - it's not effective as branding, and an ineffective brand that you make up for yourself is not going to help you at all. Write the books is the answer. (It usually is, unfortunately).
 
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WeaselFire

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Are you the product or is your work the product? For branding, check out any marketing textbook for help.

Jeff
 

stephenf

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To create a brand is really difficult . You will need a massive amount of time , luck and money. You will also need to be or have a marketable product . To have any traction into any market , you will need to have something that is unique or better than the competitors . It looks as if your offering advise and information . Google is possably one of your competitors ?
 
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