Have you thought of your brand as a creative entrepreneur? My friend and personal brand coach Paul Copcutt says, “ Your brand is what people say about you when you’re not in the room.” What do people say about YOU when you’re not in the room? As someone with various brands from podcast to television shows it is easy to get caught in the fact that a brand is a logo or what people see on social media, but it is more than that and we are going to offer some tips in this newsletter to help you build your brand as a creative entrepreneur.

There are three areas in brand building that need to be the focus of any business and it comes down to your brand name, the value the brand delivers, and your dedication to the community. There may be more that are important to you but these three I focus on in our businesses.

Brand Name:

Whether using your name as a personal brand or a separate identity as in a corporate name like Nike the name will mean something to your followers. Sure it may be situated in a certain place in the industry but it is what you think about what it means to you and your followers. Nike may be in the sports industry, but the name means inspiration, energy, and dedication which is why their tagline is, “Just Do It!” What does your brand name say about your business.

On July 1st we published a podcast episode about Canadian Artists, what do those artists names mean to you when you hear them and then think about your name. How will it measure up.

Brand Value:

What is your brand value to your community? I find many artists build brands that focus on them, look at “me me me me me!” Look what I’m doing, look at all the content I have, look at my songs. They don’t offer value to their audience they just want their audience to look at them. That is not delivering brand value and after a while gets tiresome. There is a way of keeping yourself in the spotlight while offering value to your audience and that is through providing products and services that speak to them. If you only write one song and are constantly telling people about that song then they will get tired of hearing about it. If you are constantly producing songs and tell people about them then they feel you are writing for them and your name stays at top of mind as well. Make the value about them not you.

Brand Dedication:

Brand dedication is an area I see many creative entrepreneurs fail. It can be very hard to get work in the creative fields but can be done successfully with determination. It is a long term game that many artists aren’t willing to play. Your brand is built over time and needs to keep going even when things aren’t going so well. Are you in this for the long haul or just so people can see you? Are you constantly improving or just hoping for the next viral video? If you haven’t created a piece of content in over six months that appeals to your audience then you may not have the dedication your brand needs to be sustainable. Creating content is how you keep your name top of mind while delivering value to your audience.

You may enjoy the Cashing in on Creativity Podcast episode 267 with Marika a photographer that started as a self taught photographer and now works with top brands in her industry. Great tips on how to build your brand.

About the Author

Bruce Outridge is a media entrepreneur specializing in the transportation and creative industries. Apart from being a professional cartoonist Bruce is the producer of several podcasts, television shows, and radio networks. He is also a published author and professional speaker. You can learn more about Bruce and his work at www.bruceoutridge.com