Better Blog Branding: Finding Your Uniqueness

• Madonna
• Gandhi
• Charlie Chaplin
• Princess Diana
• Elvis

Sum up each in a few words. Think you could do it?

Go on, have a go 🙂

It’s strange. Each of us is unique. We all know that. But ask someone to define how they are unique? Then we struggle.

Finding your Uniqueness is difficult but critical.

What makes you different matters because it is why someone should go to you rather than your competitor. It is what makes you memorable. The thing people will talk about, the “word” part of “word of mouth“.

I’m afraid if you don’t already have an answer then you are going to have to do some work.

Ask people who know you well, ask your friends, colleagues, family and most of all customers.

What do they think makes you different?

After that, get brainstorming:

1. How would you describe yourself in three words?
2. What are your values? What are your virtues?
3. How would you describe your competitors?
4. What’s your story? How is your story different to others?
5. Is there anything that could never be said about you?
6. Do you have a philosophy? Beliefs? Sayings?
7. Have you unique achievements to your name? Are you the first, best, newest …?
8. Which attributes are supportable by facts?
9. Can you turn your “features” into “benefits“?
10. What can you say about yourself that you could not say about anyone else?

Those last three are vital

• Your brand and positioning must be based on truth rather than aspirations – is rather than gonna be
• It is no good having attributes without benefits. You want the reply to be “interesting …” rather than “so what?”
• Keep working until you are describing you and only you.

People could argue that it is unlikely you will find something absolutely, unquestionably, uniquely you, which is fine! You just need something different enough.

Does it work to separate you from your competitors? Yes? Then it works.

To give you an example, you could say I am a “friendly marketing geek” (no laughing at the back)

• Geek = I was a programmer, moved into marketing, kind-of self depreciating humour, etc
• Friendly = Approachable, non-threatening, inclusive
• Marketing = The so-what, could be someone worth knowing if you have a marketing problem?

Now I am sure there are other programmers turned marketers. Pretty much anyone would consider friendliness one of their attributes. That’s ok, providing this combination that you arrive at gels with the experience of dealing with you. I hope you will let me know if my description does not!

“Friendly Marketing Geek” – How would you expect this person to act? What content will this person write? What sort of tone of voice? Comment policy? Photography? Design/Colours/Fonts?

You don’t have to actually use these words, just know what they are. Be able to picture and feel the meaning.

This Uniqueness process both informs future choices and serves as a litmus test for all your other branding work.

Change one word, say “Friendly” to “Professional” – how does that influence things now? You might swap my orange colouring for navy blue and grey? Change “Geek” to “Advisor” and my photograph would probably need to be swapped for something more formal, featuring (*gasp*!) a suit! 😉

Does this process encompass everything about you? Of course not. Apple in one context is represented by “iPod”, but then comes to mean “Business File Server” or “Photography Software” in another. Just as simultaneously you might be “CEO”, “Parent”, “Friend”, “Spouse”, “Cook”, “Cleaner”, “Chauffeur” 🙂 Darren Rowse is ProBlogger and the minister of a church. As well as being a “friendly marketing geek” I am also “Authority Blogger”. In different scenarios and context a different brand and positioning will come into play.

Of course this is not the only way to do it but it is one way. Let me know if you have another approach. Also, tell me if this process works for you.

The important thing is, do you know your uniqueness? Can you tell me in a sentence? If not, better get working!

Tags: positioning, branding, marketing, tips