“Branding” Your Home Business
December 30, 2006 by Mary Emma Allen
Hope Clark’s article, What is a Platform?, in her newsletter, FFWSmall Markets, gives great information on promotion and branding oneself as a writer. Although Hope’s article is written primarily for the writer, much of her information has wider application for the home business owner.
“A platform is a brand. Your brand. Every entrepreneur seeks branding, including writers. The problem is most writers don’t envision themselves as business people. They consider themselves artists who want to make a dollar. Sorry…but if you make a dollar, you run a business and you need a brand.” (Read more of Hope’s information here…. Scroll down the newsletter until you come to the section called “Article.”)
What Hope mentions is true about many home businesses. The owners artists or craftspeople who want to sell and make money, but aren’t aware of the necessity of promotion. Or how to go about promotion and establishing a “brand” for themselves.
Hey there Mary, it’s Ron from Brand Curve.
Thanks for talking a bit about this. It’s only recently that businesses and entrepreneurs have really understood the importance of branding, or creation of a brand.
I feel that many times writers (self considered artists) believe that branding themselves would be selling out of the craft. I believe otherwise, creating a brand out of your work allows you to further your craft and grow as a business person AND as an artist while maintaining a following.
Before I turn this into a post, I just want to recommend to writers out there to follow a niche-marketing strategy. By focusing on niche markets you will reach larger interested audiences (at first), before going mainstream. It’s usually much more simple and relevant, both for you and your audience.
Thanks. Great post,
Ron E.
http://www.brandcurve.com
Thanks for your input, Ron. You have some good advice for entrepreneurs.