{"id":1974,"date":"2012-08-10T19:20:00","date_gmt":"2012-08-10T19:20:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/aulas.pro.br\/paulo\/?p=1974"},"modified":"2012-08-10T19:20:20","modified_gmt":"2012-08-10T19:20:20","slug":"12-steps-to-building-your-stand-out-freelance-brand","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/paulopedott.com\/paulo\/?p=1974","title":{"rendered":"12 Steps to Building Your Stand-Out Freelance Brand"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><a href=\"http:\/\/freelanceswitch.com\/start\/stand-out-freelance-brand\/?utm_source=feedburner&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;utm_campaign=Feed%3A+FreelanceSwitch+%28Freelance+Switch%29&amp;utm_content=Google+Reader\">12 Steps to Building Your Stand-Out Freelance Brand<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/freelanceswitch.com\/\">http:\/\/freelanceswitch.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n<div>\n<ul>\n<li><a title=\"Posts by Carol Tice\" href=\"http:\/\/freelanceswitch.com\/author\/carol-tice\/\">Carol Tice<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0<a title=\"View all posts in Getting Started\" href=\"http:\/\/freelanceswitch.com\/category\/start\/\" rel=\"category tag\">Getting Started<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0August 8th 2012<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<div>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/freelanceswitch.s3.amazonaws.com\/articles\/2012\/article-12-Steps-Building-Stand-Out-Memorable-Freelance-Brand\/photodune-1458788-standing-out-from-the-crowd-xs.jpg\" alt=\"Stand-Out Freelance Brand\" width=\"360\" height=\"240\" \/><\/p>\n<p>There are a million freelancers out there. The question is, how are you going to get noticed and help people remember you and the type of freelance work you do?<\/p>\n<p>The answer is branding yourself. As a freelancer, you need to create a memorable way for prospects to easily recall who you are and your freelancing specialty. I\u2019ve reviewed hundreds of freelancers\u2019 websites, and most of them don\u2019t do a good job of presenting a memorable brand. But the good news is, it isn\u2019t hard to improve your branding and gain a higher profile as a freelancer.<\/p>\n<p>There are two basic ways to approach branding as a freelancer:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Create a business name that tells people what you do in a snappy, artful way<\/li>\n<li>Use your own name but develop a concise motto or tagline that fills prospects in on your specialty<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>I know freelancers who\u2019ve had great success using both of these strategies, so it\u2019s not that one approach is always better than the other. It\u2019s a question of which approach appeals to you and works best for the message you\u2019re trying to get across.<\/p>\n<p>Let\u2019s look at how these branding approaches play out as you develop all the building blocks of your marketing toolkit as a freelancer. These are the steps to building a brand each freelancer needs to go through. It\u2019s important to develop a clear brand message for your business.<\/p>\n<p>Your goal is to present a consistent, unified message in all your marketing \u2014 at in-person networking events, on your website, on your business cards and other printed marketing materials, and in social media. Repeating one brand message will also help make you easier to remember. Let\u2019s look at key branding tips to consider when creating your freelance brand.<\/p>\n<h3>1. Develop a Unique Selling Proposition (USP)<\/h3>\n<p>Before you dash off buying up any Website URLs or anything, let\u2019s start at the beginning. What makes you unique as a freelancer? For some, it might be an area of knowledge \u2014 you\u2019re a designer specializing in WordPress, or a healthcare writer.<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>No matter how you call out your strengths, your branding should quickly convey what you offer.<\/p>\n<p><!--more--><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Maybe your edge is that you\u2019re both a writer and photographer. Or perhaps you\u2019ve been at your trade for more than 20 years. Another angle is that you might want to emphasize where you\u2019re physically located to help attract clients based in your area.<\/p>\n<p>No matter how you call out your strengths, your branding should quickly convey what you offer. For instance, Stefanie Flaxman is\u00a0<a title=\"Revision Fairy\" href=\"http:\/\/revisionfairy.com\/small-business-writing-consultant\/\" target=\"_blank\">Revision Fairy<\/a>\u00a0\u2014 which tells you right away she specializes in proofreading and editing. Another approach: freelance writer\u00a0<a title=\"Emily Suess\" href=\"http:\/\/www.emilysuess.com\/\" target=\"_blank\">Emily Suess<\/a>\u00a0simply has her name and \u201cFreelance Writer | Indianapolis\u201d as her branding tagline (and she ranks highly on a wide-open search for \u201cfreelance writer\u201d).<\/p>\n<p>If you have more than one niche or emphasis point you could use here \u2014 say, you\u2019re a freelance Drupal site developer based in Dallas \u2014 you might want to brand your business with both identifiers, or pick the one you think will be most effective in drawing clients.<\/p>\n<p>While the Internet has made freelancing a global business and clients could be anywhere, many companies and publications do prefer local freelancers. You\u2019ll have to weigh where you are trying to find clients in deciding whether to mention your location in your brand.<\/p>\n<h3>2. Research Your Business Brand Name<\/h3>\n<p>Once you know what niche you want to present yourself within, you can begin thinking about whether to go the catchy-business-name route or whether you\u2019ll use your own name as your business brand name. To help you decide, take two steps: Do some<a title=\"Google key word tool\" href=\"https:\/\/adwords.google.com\/o\/KeywordTool\" target=\"_blank\">keyword research online<\/a>, and do some in-person market research, too. See how both search engines and live humans react to your ideas to help you find your best choice.<\/p>\n<h3>3. Choose an Appropriate URL<\/h3>\n<p>The big controversy in freelance marketing is whether to grab your name as your URL or a branded company name. If you take a brand name, buy your name URL to and just make it kick over to the branded one. Even if you don\u2019t want to use it now, lock down your name URL so nobody else takes it. You never know when you might want to use it in future.<\/p>\n<p>If possible, get good search words into your URL. To do this, think not just about what got the most searches in your research, but about\u00a0what terms prospects will enter when searching for your type of freelancer.\u00a0This is a smaller audience than everyone searching on Google, but it\u2019s the important one. For instance, more people overall might search on \u201cfreelance writing,\u201d but I believe prospects looking to hire a freelance writer probably don\u2019t search on that. They would search for a \u201cfreelance writer.\u201d Too many freelancers set up a URL like \u201chttp:\/\/cindywrites.com\u201d and blow an opportunity to get found easily on search by not thinking like a client about SEO.<\/p>\n<p>Strive for brand unity here \u2014 if you choose a business name, make it your URL and show it on your home page. An all-too-common mistake is brand disunity \u2014 your URL says one thing, your header says another thing, and your name is a third element.<\/p>\n<h3>4. Use a Snappy Tagline<\/h3>\n<p>If you\u2019re using your own name as your business name, here\u2019s where you\u2019ll put the snappy tagline that will give you the branding you want. Keep it short \u2014 five or six words is the limit. \u201cAustin healthcare writer\u201d may be low-glamour, but it will help you get found.<\/p>\n<h3>5. Integrate Your Brand into Your Website Design<\/h3>\n<p>Branding isn\u2019t just the words you choose to describe your freelance business. The look of your website also makes a strong impression and gives you an opportunity to help people easily remember you. For instance, I know a realtor whose last name is Aro. You guessed it \u2014 his logo is an arrow.<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>We don\u2019t all have as simple a way to make a visual connection, but think about what you could do to create a visual icon for your brand.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>We don\u2019t all have as simple a way to make a visual connection, but think about what you could do to create a visual icon for your brand. It can be well worth hiring a design professional if that\u2019s not your expertise. Take a look at Stefanie\u2019s Revision Fairy logo, for instance. She hired a professional cartoonist for that, and I would consider it well worth a few hundred bucks to develop a strong visual brand cue like this.<\/p>\n<p>Don\u2019t forget the most important visual element of your freelancer website: a nice photo of you that makes you look businesslike and approachable. I like\u00a0<a title=\"Oscar Halpert\" href=\"http:\/\/oscarhalpert.com\/\" target=\"_blank\">Oscar Halpert\u2019s<\/a>\u00a0approach.<\/p>\n<h3>6. Develop Your Bio<\/h3>\n<p>It helps if people can read a bit about you right on the home page (right next to that nice photo is a good spot). A mini-bio that links to a main bio or \u201cAbout me\u201d page is a great way to go.<\/p>\n<h3>7. Reinforce Your Brand on Your About Page<\/h3>\n<p>Many freelancers don\u2019t realize that this is an extremely important page. On most sites, it is the most-visited page after the Home page. On this page, you want to tell a story about who you are, the types of freelance work you do, and how you solve client\u2019s problems.<\/p>\n<p>The balance to strike: Reinforce your brand and call out what you do, while focusing on the way you help clients and make their lives better. For a good example, take a look at one of the best branded freelance sites I know \u2014\u00a0<a title=\"The Word Chef\" href=\"http:\/\/thewordchef.com\/about\/\" target=\"_blank\">The Word Chef.<\/a><\/p>\n<h3>8. Tell a Story with Your Resume<\/h3>\n<p>Do you want to read a freelancer\u2019s resume? I don\u2019t, either. Resumes are boring. Instead, if you feel a need to have a resume page, use it to tell a story of the best jobs you\u2019ve had or best clients. Show your personality as defined by your brand here. I\u2019ve turned mine into a tab that\u2019s called\u00a0<a title=\"Carol Tice resume\" href=\"http:\/\/www.caroltice.com\/resume\" target=\"_blank\">Where I\u2019ve Been<\/a>, which elaborates on why I\u2019m an experienced freelance writer in my market.<\/p>\n<h3>9. Use Your Blog to Build Your Brand<\/h3>\n<p>Your blog is another chance to expand on your brand statement. Are you writing about your area of expertise? Do the graphics tie back to your business site and brand? This is an opportunity to create shareable content that keeps reinforcing your brand online.<\/p>\n<h3>10. Compose Your Quick Elevator Speech<\/h3>\n<p>This is where you boil your branding down into a short statement that conveys quickly what you do for clients. Don\u2019t make it a laundry list of types of work you do or clients you have. Instead, focus on the results you get for clients. For instance, in my role as a writing coach and mentor, I say, \u201cI help freelance writers earn more money.\u201d<\/p>\n<h3>11. Further Your Brand in Your Social Media Profiles<\/h3>\n<p>Social media is a great place for snappy branding. If you\u2019re using your name as your business name, look at your tagline for inspiration for your social-media handle. On a quick scan of Twitter, I find\u00a0<a title=\"Claire Palermo\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/ClairelyWritten\" target=\"_blank\">@ClairelyWritten<\/a>, the handle of writer Claire Palermo, for one nice example of how to add branding in social media when you\u2019re using your own name as the business.<\/p>\n<p>Take the time to get your brand logos into your social-media profiles, too. You can make a great brand statement on Twitter by changing out the background to look like your website, for instance. Use your brand lingo in your social-media bios as well.<\/p>\n<h3>12. Design Integrated Business Cards<\/h3>\n<p>Once you\u2019ve got your Website and social-media profiles set up, get all of those links onto your business card. Make sure the look and tagline on your card is the same as the look on your website and all your other marketing materials.<\/p>\n<h3>Bonus Branding Tip<\/h3>\n<p>If you create strong branding for your own business, it can help you get freelance gigs assisting other companies work on their own branding.<\/p>\n<p>When you have all your branding elements in place, it\u2019s time to look at them for consistency and unity. Do they all use the same buzzwords and branding. Do they offer the same basic message about you? They should. To see a great example of unified branding on a freelancer site, go back to The Word Chef and check out that site in more detail. She uses her cooking theme in every line \u2014 even her newsletter for prospects is called \u201cFree PB&amp;Js.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>How are you branding your freelance business?\u00a0Leave a comment and a URL so we can take a look.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>12 Steps to Building Your Stand-Out Freelance Brand\u00a0|\u00a0http:\/\/freelanceswitch.com. Carol Tice\u00a0|\u00a0Getting Started\u00a0|\u00a0August 8th 2012 &nbsp; There are a million freelancers out there. The question is, how are you going to get noticed and help people remember you and the type of freelance work you do? The answer is branding yourself. As a freelancer, you need to [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3134,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[23],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1974","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-business"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/paulopedott.com\/paulo\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1974","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/paulopedott.com\/paulo\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/paulopedott.com\/paulo\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/paulopedott.com\/paulo\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/paulopedott.com\/paulo\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1974"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/paulopedott.com\/paulo\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1974\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1980,"href":"https:\/\/paulopedott.com\/paulo\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1974\/revisions\/1980"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/paulopedott.com\/paulo\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/3134"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/paulopedott.com\/paulo\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1974"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/paulopedott.com\/paulo\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1974"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/paulopedott.com\/paulo\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1974"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}