Budgeting for Your Personal Brand
It’s that time of the year when individuals and organizations are thinking of ways to use their remaining 2017 marketing and PR budget, plan for 2018, or both. When thinking of these funds, your personal brand or those of your employees or clients should be at the top of your priority list.
Many individuals and organizations are beginning to understand that investing in personal brand is a vital cost of doing business. Like office supplies and coffee, budgeting for the tools and resources needed to create and grow brands should be a set line item.
For those still struggling with why this is vital and/or how to make it work for their budget, I offer some food for thought.
Why have one when you can have many?
Why have only one marketing stream when you can have many? The more people on your team who are building their brands and, by extension, your company’s brand, the more opportunities you have to distribute content and connect with your audience.
It’s happening so stop ignoring it.
Your employees and/or clients are online daily posting content about you and their work. Why not get out in front of it and provide them with tools and resources to be more effective?
Quality writing and graphic design matters.
If you or your staff are sharing information about the company or their work, you should care about the quality of the writing and graphic design used. Just like with any other marketing, how social media posts read and appear is a reflection of your company. Time and attention should be paid to ensuring these posts look their best.
You don’t need the kitchen sink.
You and/or your staff may not need a full strategic plan or fancy new design software to create and grow your brands. All you may need is a training or brainstorming session with a brand expert to help get everyone on the right track. A day-long or half-day brand training session is a great way to connect as a team and share content ideas.
Don’t have a strategy today? Better have one tomorrow.
If a comprehensive personal brand strategic plan is not in the works for 2017, it is vital that it be included in your plans for 2018. For your personal brand to truly be effective, a strategy should be developed to assess and provide a blueprint for how you will capture all paid, earned, owned, and shared media opportunities at your disposal.
In an ever-increasing media market, knowing how to effectively articulate your narrative and differentiators will truly make a difference to your bottom line. Investing in yourself and your staff or clients is no longer just a “feel good” initiative. Personal branding is proving to be one of the most effective marketing tactics an individual or business can deploy to reach their target audience.