The Basics of Brand Building — The How » Arbenting Freebies

The Road So Far:

As you set out on the branding course, you must be sure to address those six standard questions: the who, what, when, where, why and how of branding...The Who, Your Name Here...You are the key, and therefore, you need to get your name out there and attached to your brand...The What, or The Business Model...where your business model comes into the branding equation...The When, Timing and Networking...timing is everything, and for your brand this is true as well...The Where, Marketing Might...as it relates to your brand building, is all about marketing with the location, location, location principle applied...Sam, I think Dad wants us to pick up where he left off! Saving people, hunting things! Wait, that's Supernatural, sorry...The Why, or The Community Connection...Realizing that you are setting yourself up in a community of relevant masses means a couple of things to your business that are extremely important to this conversation. It means that are going to need to work with and set yourself apart from said community to establish your brand.

And now...the highly anticipated finale of this examination of the branding process with our final area of consideration.

How - The Approach

At long last we have come to final chapter in this branding discussion, which also happens to be the most important query of the bunch, the how. Now as previously mentioned in other sections, everyone is different and we all respond to various stimuli uniquely, so remember that a varied approach is a necessity.

You have to engage this brand construction from multiple fronts, and each of us will need to find a how that works for us individually. However, below are some helpful hints that may point you in the right direction for satisfying some of the above who, what, when, where, and whys that we have posted about over the course of this week-long series.

Social Media

Social media networks are a fantastic way to help get you and your brand established, and connected with the community. The various outlets all providing the freelancer an opportunity to market their business and help out in the community.

Blogging

Turning to the blogosphere can improve the reach and effectiveness of your brand while simultaneously assisting with your personal visibility. Blogging on your own site, as well as for others is a proven method for helping with so many of the various brand building questions.

Buying Ads

When it comes to marketing and visibility, buying ads on various related sites to your own can be invaluable. This is not always a reasonable outlet for some of us, especially in our revenue challenged beginnings, but with ads on the right sites, you can often benefit your brand’s reach.

Link Exchanges

If the ad route is not one you can currently pursue, then you can often arrange to exchange site links with some of your favorite related RSS stops. Though you may want to be sure that you only approach sites that you are actively involved with. Try to connect with sites that you are already connected with in some way.

Comments and Critiques

For building a connection and establishing a relationship with other sites and members of the community you are now a part of, commenting on other blogs and offering helpful feedback when it is sought can do the trick. This can benefit your brand in a number of ways.

Become a Resource

To help satisfy these brand building questions a few at a time, you can also become a resource of valuable information and insights for the community at large that you freelance in. This reaches out to so many and helps to strengthen both your brand and the community.

Research Your Field

And in order to be effective in your field for both your brand and the community, you need to make sure that you have done the work to know the ins and outs of said field. Do the research, and stay on top of the learning curve to keep your brand on the forefront and from falling behind. Knowing when and where to turn all comes down to the research.

Give Credit Where Credit Is Due

Another way to approach the issues at hand is by giving credit and paying homage to those who blazed this trail before you, whom have proved as powerful influences on you and your work. Also, knowing that this process takes a village, if you realize that you are not building this brand alone, but in fact have help from others in the community, then make sure you acknowledge their efforts and show your appreciation for their contributions.

That’s a Wrap on the Series

That about covers the who, what, when, where, why and hows from this end. Feel free to leave your thoughts in the comments below on this or other installments of the Basics of Brand Building series.