We've identified our passions and narrowed down our blog topic. Today's post might seem a bit unrelated, but I assure you, this is an ideal time to talk about your personal brand.
1. What is my personal brand?
Simply put, your personal brand is what comes to mind when someone hears or sees your name.
Companies work hard to ensure the name of their products conjure up positive thoughts — of their logo, slogan/tagline, product images and desireable qualities. We should also be thoughtful about what types of thoughts our name conjures up.
2. Why are we talking about my personal brand before I've even started blogging?
Whether you know it or not, as soon as you get involved online — especially in social media, of which blogs are a part — you start to build a personal brand. Jumping into the online fray without thinking about how you want to be perceived by others will, at best, limit your focus & effectiveness and at worst, cause you to dig yourself into an unpleasant social hole that could take months or years to dig out of.
3. What if I'm already online?
Well, today is the first day of the rest of your life, as they say. If your personal brand is strong, you're ahead of the game. If it's a little shaky, it's not the end of the world; simply commit to strengthening it from this point forward. If you've never thought about it before, now you have no excuse. 
4. How do I develop a strong personal brand?
- Give serious thought to how you want others to see you. What words, images or feelings do you want to pop into someone's head when they hear or see you or your name? Thoughtful? Professional? Intelligent? Authentic? Helpful? Fun? Friendly? I highly recommend you write them down and review them regularly!
- Figure out practical ways you can embody those characteristics. As we move along in the process of setting up our blogs, filter your decisions through the lens of "How can I enhance my personal brand here?" For example, if professionalism is important to you, when we talk about what to name our blogs, you probably wouldn't choose the name Casual Clothing Just for Fun. If healthfulness is important to you, when we talk about monetization (making money), you probably wouldn't choose to promote a fried chicken joint in your ads. Don't be rigid about it, just aware.
- Be consistent with who you are online and in real life. Don't try to portray yourself one way online when in real life you are completely the opposite. Talk about crazy making! Conversely, if you've chosen to exemplify a particular quality online, find ways to enhance that quality in real life.
- Understand that projects come and go, but your personal brand sticks with you. The blog you're about to start might very possibly morph into something totally different, die completely or launch you into something unexpected. For that reason, I would agree with Skellie in Rockstar Personal Branding (a free e-book on the subject) when she said, "a good personal brand is the single most valuable investment you can make."
I'll close with another quote from Rockstar Personal Branding that I love and sums it up beautifully: "Your personal brand is the ladder you use to escape the average."
What will your personal brand legacy be?
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Great ideas, Amy! I have been sort of developing my "brand" as I go along, and it is definitely better if you take some time before you start, figure out "who" you are and what you want to be known for in the beginning.
My biggest tip with that is use the same name on your blog, twitter, and all other social media outlets. MAke it easy for people to find you.
I totally agree with you, Sarah. I'm also a fan of using the same avatar.
Keep it coming Amy! This is great thought provoking stuff!
I have a question. What if you have more than one blog that you want to build. I currently have my family travel blog that I have built for a while and now I start this new blog because I feel that there is a need to provide more information about blog conference. So what's your suggestion? I use my real name on both blog but I have separate twitter/facebook page for each of the blog.
Do you develop your brand per blog?
Your personal brand is all about you. So, in that sense, it never changes. However, if I understand your question, I would definitely keep your two blogs separate. As far as Twitter goes, I tweet as myself only (and just use my name @amylynnandrews).
I have a question about branding…
I have been blogging since 2002. It is mostly personal ramblings, nothing very specific. I want to start a new blog with a more specific focus and message, but I want to retain my "history" and presence online. How should I do that? Should I incorporate my archived posts into the new blog even if they are not related, or let them all go and perhaps pull out key older posts to republish?
Any thoughts?
Wow! I'm glad I found your site-and personal branding has now been explained to me, which I never really understood! Thank you for such a helpful site! Looking forward to reading and visiting over and over again!
So glad it was helpful, Josanne!
My personal brand: genuine, honest, candid (hence the name), lighthearted, helpful, positive-amidst-the-negative, open.
Wow, and now I sound very granola. =D
Hi Amy,
I started blogging in 2009 inconsistently to date. Before really leaping back into the blogging world, I'm thinking about revamping my blog and/or where I want to take it. My name "Traditional Simplicity" is one of my struggles. What does it portray? Is it possible to build a brand around such a title? I do have a presence on FB and Twitter with TS, so I'm wondering if I have more of a brand than I realize. Is there a way to know or find out how others portray you/your brand?
http://www.traditionalsimplicity.com is my blog as it stands today.
Oh I think you can build a brand around just about anything! I think the better question would be to ask if it's something you can see yourself writing about for the long haul. Is it too broad, too narrow, etc? That would be where I'd start.
I want to write about natural living, natural health that my family has been learning about and benefiting from over the last 3 years. This would include meal plans, some recipes, herbal information, aromatherapy, non-toxic personal care, etc. Too broad or too many subjects or can that be a brand? I went with traditional simplicity thinking of going back to the way my great grandmothers lived – food, medication, home remedies, etc.