5 Benefits of Personal Branding for Authors

 

When I was growing up, my grandfather used to say, “Get an education because once you have it, no one can take it away from you.” I feel the same way about authors and their personal brands. As authors, once you build and establish your personal brand, no one can take it away from you.

For some authors, the idea of a personal brand is uncomfortable. Some tell me that they don’t want to “be a brand.” Building a brand doesn’t have to be scary. Branding is simply sharing your stories and expertise while building trust — that’s all it is — and it’s so important in today’s market.

Fair warning though, branding is not something you do for a few weeks before your book comes out. Many people, including myself, did not see the benefits of investing time and energy into a branding strategy for 18 months to two years. So if you want to take more control of your writing career, then get serious about your personal branding strategy. Here are five benefits that make it worth your time:

1. Show Your Uniqueness. Investing time and effort in your personal brand is crucial to your success as an author. If you are asking, “What’s in it for me,” you should know the most important element of a personal brand is that it helps you be yourself, stand out from the crowd and carve out your niche. After all, there is no competition for you. Your brand is the essence of who you are. There’s a huge difference from an author who has worked to develop a strong personal brand versus an author who hasn’t invested any resources in developing an online presence. Consider your brand as your digital reputation, resume, platform and an extension of your business card. Your personal brand will make you more valuable to publishers and agents. Together your book and your brand are credibility builders and door openers.

2. Control the Perception. Branding is about how you are perceived in the market, and today you have control over that perception. Personal brand management is about cultivating the pieces that tell your story. You build your reputation with your willingness to share your knowledge and expertise. In today’s socially connected world, our reputations have become global, making our brand more important than ever. Social media has given us an opportunity like never before to communicate with others and shape personal brands with a myriad of online tools. You can proactively build, maintain and protect your good name in the public eye by authentically investing in your brand.

3. Build a Following. Each social media outlet offers you the opportunity to build a following by generously sharing your time. With focused effort, a plan and allotted time, you can become known as an expert in your industry. Before putting in your time though, make sure you take time to think of the goals.

4. Leverage your brand. When you invest time in building your personal brand, you can leverage it to get more online reviews, write and publish other books, secure speaking engagements and build your business. Your book and your brand can be the gateway for other entrepreneurial pursuits, books, services and revenue streams. Look at leveraging your brand as an opportunity builder.

5. Learn From Your Readers. Branding helps your readers and potential readers to understand who you are and what your value proposition is so they can make an informed buying decision. As you build a following, you will be creating your ideal audience — readers interested in what you have to say and interested in buying from you. You in turn can learn about them, about what they like and need. Online branding is building a relationship based on trust and common interests. Done correctly, you’ll get as much out of it as you put into it.

Your brand is the story of your career. It may take time and money and effort to cultivate but once you establish it no one can take it away from you. Here’s a blog on developing your digital marketing blueprint to get you started.

Culled from Huff Post

Seven Questions To Ask When Building Your Author Brand

 

An author brand is more than just a fancy website. It goes beyond color schemes, fonts and a logo. Sure, these things are all part of the bigger picture, but they don’t reflect your brand as a whole.

But, what exactly is a brand? And how can you develop one as a writer? In simple terms, your brand is what distinguishes you from everyone else out there. It’s your values, your personality and, ultimately, the unique stories only you can bring to the literary community. All of these things should be reflected in your personal author brand, whether that be through your website, or through your social media feeds.

While it can be easy (and tempting!) to get caught up in the process of picking out color schemes, fonts, and a logo that is sure to blow everyone away, it’s important to dig deep and focus on the core questions that truly set you apart from everyone else. That’s what branding is all about.

So, as you start (or continue) to develop your own brand as an author, keep these questions in mind.

1) Why do I write?

This question lies at the heart of every brand, not just author brands. Why do you do what you do? What motivates you to sit down at your computer (or notepad) to write? These are your values as an author, the things that keep you writing day after day, even when the going gets rough. You can use your values to guide your brand forward in a way that is authentic and meaningful.

2) Who are my readers?

Understanding who you are and what you believe in is important, but so is understanding your audience, or readers. Without a firm grasp of who your readers are, you won’t know what they need and want. And if you don’t know what they need or want, how can you effectively build a brand that attracts your ideal reader?

3) What do I have to offer my readers?

I know what you’re thinking: “I offer awesome stories, isn’t that enough?” And, to an extent, it is enough! However, it’s best to get as specific as possible with what exactly you have to offer your readers. For example, if you’re a romance writer, what sets your book apart from the thousands of other romance novels out there? Why should a reader pick up your book, specifically? Again, really dig deep, and if it helps, reach out to your beta readers. What drew them into your book? For them, what sets your book apart from the rest?

4) Does this truly reflect who I am as an author and a person?

It can be really tempting to try and imitate another person’s style and brand. Especially when we view that person as being more successful than us, whether that be through more book sales, or a bigger social media following. No matter how tempting it may be, don’t be a copycat! It will only hurt you in the long run and, ultimately, it’s just not sustainable. Pretending to be someone you’re not is exhausting, so it’s best to be as authentic as possible when building your own (unique!) author brand.

5) What are other authors doing?

I know, I know, I just told you not to be a copycat. Now, I’m telling you to look at what other authors are doing. Why? For starters, it’s always a good idea to follow other authors, especially those who write in the same genre as you, because it can be an excellent source of knowledge. Maybe a fellow author blogged about a conference that you couldn’t attend. Maybe another author has valuable insight on writing and selling e-books. Ultimately, you should never ignore other authors just because they’re “competition.” More often than not, it’s the friendships that you form with other authors that push you to grow, evolve, and improve, so don’t miss out!

6) Am I willing to be consistent?

Brand consistency is key to making sure you don’t confuse your readers, or yourself. But what does it mean? On the surface, it means consistently using the same design elements, such as colors, logos, taglines, and more, across every platform you’re a part of. At a deeper level, it means that your message (i.e. who you are as an author, who your readers are, and what you have to offer) are crystal clear.  

7) Am I willing to evolve?

Authors evolve over time, and so do their brands. Maybe you’ve decided to go in a completely different direction with your writing. Maybe your values and core message have changed. Whatever the case may be, there is no shame in adjusting your brand to account for your growth as a writer. On the other hand, while it’s important to remain flexible, you don’t want to shake things up too often, as this can create confusion. It’s a good idea to reevaluate your brand once a year, and ask yourself: does this still represent who I am as an author?

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Culled from DIY MFA