How to Make the Right Branding Decisions for Your New Business


Personal Branding 101: How to Make the Right Branding Decisions for Your New Business By copywriter and marketing coach Chris Marlow Inevitably, at some point in my coaching of freelancers who target corporate decision-makers, the question comes up: "Should I create a company name?" And usually, the answer is "no"...but the answer is not always "no." Here's the logic: When you are an individual who provides a service...a designer or copywriter or coach or speaker (you get the idea)...you are the company. Therefore it makes sense for you to brand your name. Word-of-mouth about your work, your byline on articles or publications you write, your name as a "draw" for public speaking events...your name on your business card, in your URL, on your Web site...all of this adds up to name recognition. Think for a minute... Do celebrities and speakers have a company name? Think Sigfried and Roy...Elton John...Jerry Seinfeld...Tony Robbins. What about copywriters? Here are some contemporaries: * Bob Bly * Gary Bencivenga * Gary Halbert * Dan Kennedy * Clayton Makepeace * Joe Vitale * Michael Masterson And some who are not contemporary, but who are nevertheless still "present": * John Caples * Rosser Reeves * David Ogilvy * Claude Hopkins Do (and did) these icons also have company names? Probably yes. I've worked for Jay Abraham...he sells seminars and information products. He has a company in the background, like many other entrepreneurs. But it's his name you know...and that's what carries the branding. If you have a partner, or employees who interface with your customers on a significant level, that's when it makes sense to have a "company" name if it fits your long-term goals. Do you want to build a boutique agency? A consortium of consultants? A traditional corporation? If so, then it makes sense to brand your company...and that means a company name (which can also be your name or the names of your partners, or something else), and usually, a logo. Just be careful. My old agency was named after the principals...Richard Rosen and Bill Brown (Rosen/Brown Direct). But when the partnership ended, the name was no longer representative. A costly renaming and rebranding effort took place (the agency is now called AlloyRed). The potential loss of name recognition is a very serious risk. Imagine a decade of reputation-building up in smoke...poof! Just like that you could be starting all over again. So if you're selling your skills as a service, and it's just you, use your name and a tagline for your branding. But if you have long-term goals to build something bigger than yourself, or a team you're working with, it makes sense to consider a company name and the logo (and sometimes tagline) that comes with it. © Chris Marlow, all rights reserved * * * * * Dear Reader: You have permission to publish this article wherever you wish as long as this resource box stays intact: Chris Marlow shows copywriters and other freelancers how to land the high-value, high-quality clients through her popular Coaching Program and Get Great Clients ezine. Sign up for your free subscription and get instant downloads of four timely articles on how the right clients can help you build your most profitable business! Visit http://www.GetGreatClients.com/signup

Personal Branding 101: How to Make the Right Branding Decisions for Your New Business

By copywriter and marketing coach Chris Marlow

Inevitably, at some point in my coaching of freelancers who target corporate decision-makers, the question comes up:

"Should I create a company name?"

And usually, the answer is "no"...but the answer is not always "no."

Here's the logic:

When you are an individual who provides a service...a designer or copywriter or coach or speaker (you get the idea)...you are the company. Therefore it makes sense for you to brand your name.

Word-of-mouth about your work, your byline on articles or publications you write, your name as a "draw" for public speaking events...your name on your business card, in your URL, on your Web site...all of this adds up to name recognition.

Think for a minute...

Do celebrities and speakers have a company name?

Think Sigfried and Roy...Elton John...Jerry Seinfeld...Tony Robbins. What about copywriters? Here are some contemporaries:

* Bob Bly

* Gary Bencivenga

* Gary Halbert

* Dan Kennedy

* Clayton Makepeace

* Joe Vitale

* Michael Masterson

And some who are not contemporary, but who are nevertheless still "present":

* John Caples

* Rosser Reeves

* David Ogilvy

* Claude Hopkins

Do (and did) these icons also have company names? Probably yes. I've worked for Jay Abraham...he sells seminars and information products. He has a company in the background, like many other entrepreneurs. But it's his name you know...and that's what carries the branding.

If you have a partner, or employees who interface with your customers on a significant level, that's when it makes sense to have a "company" name if it fits your long-term goals.

Do you want to build a boutique agency? A consortium of consultants? A traditional corporation? If so, then it makes sense to brand your company...and that means a company name (which can also be your name or the names of your partners, or something else), and usually, a logo.

Just be careful. My old agency was named after the principals...Richard Rosen and Bill Brown (Rosen/Brown Direct). But when the partnership ended, the name was no longer representative.

A costly renaming and rebranding effort took place (the agency is now called AlloyRed). The potential loss of name recognition is a very serious risk. Imagine a decade of reputation-building up in smoke...poof! Just like that you could be starting all over again.

So if you're selling your skills as a service, and it's just you, use your name and a tagline for your branding. But if you have long-term goals to build something bigger than yourself, or a team you're working with, it makes sense to consider a company name and the logo (and sometimes tagline) that comes with it.

© Chris Marlow, all rights reserved

* * * * *

Dear Reader: You have permission to publish this article wherever you wish as long as this resource box stays intact:

Chris Marlow shows copywriters and other freelancers how to land the high-value, high-quality clients through her popular Coaching Program and Get Great Clients ezine. Sign up for your free subscription and get instant downloads of four timely articles on how the right clients can help you build your most profitable business! Visit http://www.GetGreatClients.com/signup