Arbenting

Previously, on Arbenting: The Basics of Brand Building – The Who, kicked off the heart of the discussion in this new series, getting into the idea behind it.

As a freelance desidev you are competing against an established sea of both freelance and corporate adversaries both for visibility and work. Branding your business can offer you a leg up on this journey…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. By hiding the identity of the people behind the brand…may be construed as a lack of pride in your freelance business, or worse, an intention to not see it through to the end.

And now…we continue this examination of the branding process with our next area of consideration.

What – The Business Model

As our inquisitive quest continues looking at the construction of a brand through this new Arbenting series, the next basic question desidevs will need to tackle is the what. This is where your business model comes into the branding equation, so the what is a query you should have long asked yourself before you set out on this path in the first place.

Because if you want to build your brand in the correct and lasting fashion, then you are certainly going to need to know what it is you are building towards, right? So ask what your goal or endgame truly is? Knowing this is beyond key in getting the foundation for your business laid. Deciding on a focus and direction will determine every step you take on this journey. Just as you would expect a client to fill out a full design brief, you should be prepared to do the same. We often forget that when we do these things for ourselves, we are the client. Why skip these important steps?

As you set out to brand your business and find a logo, you want them to embody your freelance desidev mission as much as possible, so you need to be clear with yourself on where exactly you plan to take the business. Especially if you are a freelancer working on your own, not having any focus can have a lasting negative effect on your brand, and any negative associations regardless of the length of their linger made with your brand can prove hard to overcome or correct. This is of vital importance especially in the beginning, where too many negative reactions can keep you from ever becoming established.

What you need to realize in these cases is that a lack of clear direction on your part can be seen in a couple of different ways. One interpretation that potential clientele may end up walking away with is that you are trying to take on too much, and possibly beyond your expertise (given that you have no defined expertise offered, this is not a far reach for them to make). You in fact end up just being seen as a jack of all trades, but a master of none.

Another interpretation some may come to is that you are undecided yourself, and that this fickle nature may also bleed over into and impact their projects. Impeding their willingness to place trust in your business to either finish their work, or to be around in the near future to support it. Too many changes in direction could effect the trust people are willing to place in your business, so make sure that you have your bearings set before you set out on your road.

So be sure that as you embark on this branding journey that you remember what? The Business Model.

Next Time on The Basics of Brand Building

We keep the ideas flying in this branding dialog, continuing to move through the various queries we’ve left to tackle as the week drives on. On tomorrow’s edition of the series we are going to examine the next question, the when. In this next chapter of our talk on branding we focus on Timing and Networking.

A Final Word

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