How to Brand your Multi-faceted Talents

We are all capable of wearing more than one hat, but people tend to get confused when you tell them you do more than one thing. Especially if they seem totally unrelated. (“You’re a chef? Wait, I thought you were a copywriter.”) So how do you brand your myriad facets in a coherent manner?

Simple. It’s called Umbrella Branding.

Umbrella Branding
Think of it as broadcasting from the same station (you) using multiple channels (your services). To avoid confusion, each channel has a look and feel of its own, and the station also has its own overarching signature.

You will need to set up separate branding for each of your services. i.e. a separate visual identity, business card, website, email signature, etc. Stop rolling your eyes. It’s easier than you think, and well worth the payoff. See my recommendations for free DIY sites.

Use the appropriate channel for each market that you’re trying to reach. This level of focus communicates that you are catering specifically to their needs and they will appreciate not having to weed through any extraneous info. i.e. Don’t broadcast Heavy Metal to the Easy Listening crowd. And for Pete’s sake don’t try a mix of them on the same channel.

But what happens if someone Googles you? That’s where self-branding comes in.

Self-Branding
If you’re on Google+  or have filled out a Google profile (if you haven’t Google does it for you, so you may as well control it) this will probably be the first thing that shows up when you Google your name. Often the personal info appears above business results, because your social media comments are more likely to be the most recent data on you.

If you want to have even more control over those search results, set up a self-branding site that shows how everything integrates (e.g. yourname.com).  This is especially useful for gathering all your social media profiles in one spot. People come at you from all corners of your life on Twitter/Google+ and you have no idea which part they’re interested in. They are also looking to connect to the whole you, and they assume you will have multiple interests, (unlike a business or dedicated blog, which should be focused), so it’s appropriate to show a fuller picture on a personal site.

For a DIY self-branding site, I recommend a free WordPress.com site, or for extra flair, try flavors.me. The basic service is free, but spend the $15/year to host it at your own domain (e.g. http://yourname.com versus http://flavors.me/yourname).

Summary
There’s a difference between self-branding and services branding. They’re connected, but not the same thing. You need both.

When it comes to a business pitch, if you give clients exactly what they’re looking for in a super-focused format, they’ll assume you’re 100% dedicated to what they need done. Once they’re interested enough to do a little more research, they’ll find out about your other talents as well, but first you need to show that you’re tailor-made for their needs.