Why Build a Brand, Just Buy It!
Personal Brand Protection
February 17, 2016
Welcome to Alphabet Domains Live Online Marketing Class for Wednesday, February 17, 2016 … Tonight … Brand Protection
More specifically, Why Build a Brand, Just Buy It! … Part 2 … Brand Protection!
Last week Class … Why Build a Brand, Just Buy It! …. Personal Branding. #brand #branding #opportunities
Tonight we’ll look at protecting one’s personal brand … Brand Protection.
What is Brand Protection?
Brand Protection is the act of preventing someone from illegally making and selling a product using a brand name owned by another company.
We’re going to look at brand protection from an individual perspective … later we will widen the scope to include companies and startups.
Recap: Last week we discussed why Personal Brands are hard to build, so we we say Just Buy It!
That seems very simple when you look at it … however, it can become very complicated from a business perspective.
Why Build a Brand, Just Buy It! … Part 2 … Brand Protection!
Personal Brands are hard to build, so we we say Just Buy It! … Then avoid the brand killers … care for one’s customers and prosper.
Well, there is more to add about “brand killers”.
Almost immediately after our marathon class last week we were inundated with stories of “brand killers” from professional sports to people.
First, there was the story of two basketball players in an altercation, not with the opposing team players but between teammates … live … during the game on worldwide television. WOW! … fighting a teammate is bad enough but during a televised event!
Nothing can help wreck a personal brand more than when the whole world knows you have such low value of your own personal brand.
Brand Protection is akin to Reputation Management … building value is a must have component to personal branding and managing it well.
Regardless of what has happened in the past … today it is important to build value to one’s personal brand by having a good reputation. Having a good reputation to manage.
Where does one start? What is a must-do first step?
First, one would have to let the whole world know of one’s brand … people will have to know you are a brand. You have to make it very clear … YOU … are a brand … that is what #personal #branding is all about. Nothing does this more than a personal domain name … yourname.com or dot something.
For this personal branding to succeed, one will have to stand out in the crowd … a personal domain name does this well. It’s one of a kind. Never has it been so easy to start this process … a personal domain name identifies you from all the other people with the same name.
One can not manage what is not within one’s control. You can not be confused with someone with the same name. Notice the political candidates … they have their .com address proudly displayed at every event so anyone can go there and connect.
So for this discussion, we would recommend one secure the .com for their web address since it is the global #domainleader … if possible. Try adding a middle initial or middle name … If MaryDoe dot com is taken, try MaryJDoe or MaryJaneDoe .com.
Sometimes a name could be so common that confusion may arise. If confusion arises you can always say mine is dot com as in MaryJDoe .com
In other words your domain name guarantees you stand out in the crowd…since all domains are one of a kind! #domainname #BrandingPays
Now that you have a personal brand (global domain name or company domain name) you can now begin the process of Brand Protection.
This is a must-do first step. To be clear, it does not have to be developed at this point. It (domain name) has to be in your control. Now the next step … how does one bring value to that new or existing domain name?
Remember last week … the cattle brand had to be “Registered” to have validity. Today it’s not enough to be Mary J Doe, you have to “Register” your brand, this is so easy because you can do this for about $10 to $12 year.
We’re repeating this because this is where control of one’s personal brand protection is lost … losing here means GAME OVER!
If you have not already done so … we urge you to register your personal brand or your company brand so you can stand out in the crowd going forward. If you don’t have some control over what appears when someone enters your name into a browser and adds “.com ” or .”something” you lose … almost always.
Don’t leave it to a search engine … take control of your brand (or you could rapidly find yourself in some awkward situations. Having an online presence that you have some control over is so important. Don’t leave it to search engines to decide what people see when they search for you).
That’s why political candidates use a domain name to say who they are and not search engines … they want control and that’s what #people and #business need … control. So Brand Protection involves control of brand identity.
There are five areas one should address to protect one’s brand identity.
1. Understand what’s being said about your brand …
One can build the most beautiful website and spend a lot of money telling the world who you are and your offers. That’s a good thing. The real point here is … what are people saying about you or your company (your brand).
We’ve all heard someone say, “I don’t care what people say!” That may be good if we’re talking about going to the moon and back. If you’re a business you have to understand what’s being said about your brand.
Social media has taken this from the neighborhood corner to the whole world…reason enough to care about what’s being said about your brand.
If Tig.. Wo… or Bi.. Cos.. had cared enough in advance they may have chosen a different course … personal brands does matter … a lot!
2. Listen to what people are saying. No, Really listen to what people are saying… #Listen #payattention #learning
Since moving from good to great is our goal, if someone offers a suggestion to help or point out a problem or issue, ask “Are they right?”
What people say can become a teaching moment. Never get defensive, turn that into a moment that will allow you to bring value to the brand.
May your coffee is too weak or maybe you do spend too much time trying to sell and not enough time trying to help those who have already bought your product or service.
Maybe your clerks are not “welcoming” to customers … rather than say “we don’t need them” try having more smiles and hellos.
Maybe negatives can become positives when we really listen to what people are saying.
3. Become part of your success with grace and humility …
When people say something negative, humility is the quality that “levels the playing field”.
Don’t be quick to “pull the trigger”. This is a common mistake business make when dealing with negatives…the “defend at all cost” mentality.
No all of the time is it a “real” negative … waiting a few moments will allow you to become part of the conversation … #patience #care
One could say …
Maybe, “You’re right, and we’re addressing those matters and we will comment on them tomorrow.” This will allow you to become part of your success with grace and humility.
4. Adjust quickly when during a crisis …
Freely admit mistakes … quickly and change course … quickly!
It’s been said there are two sides to every story, in most cases this is an quite an understatement.
The reality is there are four sides: the height, breath, depth and width of the story and it’s hard to see all of those sides at first.
With millions of eyes trained on the issue … we can be confident they see all sides and will comment on them, quickly.
So adjusting quickly when and during a crisis by acknowledging it exists will prevent this from damaging one’s brand.
5. Always Do the Right Thing …
Shakespeare is quoted as saying, “Mind your speech a little lest you should mar your fortunes.”
Care about your customers and when you make a mistake, acknowledge it and make it right…do the right thing.
Putting profits ahead of good customer relations is always bad for business. Good customer relations ahead of profits–always brings profits.
Having the right temperament when engaging on social media is a must … lest your profits suffer. “Never blame the victim (customer)” should be part of brand managing.
“Always thank the victim (customer)” is part of doing the right thing.
We use the word “victim” because that is the common word they will use when they “blast” there dislike for what they perceive as a “wrong” all over social media.
Look what a popular restaurant chain did to show they cared about their customers…free food giveaway … here.
When one does the right thing … one brings value to their brand.
Those are the five areas leading the charge in good brand managing while managing a good reputation among customers.
It becomes clearer why Brand Protection involves more than preventing someone from illegally making and selling a product using a brand name owned by another company.
In a much broader sense it involves protecting one’s brand name or image in the eyes of customers and the general public.
Protecting the value of the brand … been built over time … like this company.
Why Build a Brand, Just Buy It! … Part 2 … Brand Protection! Because in the long run it will always pay.
This has been Alphabet Domains Live Online Marketing Class for Wednesday, February 17, 2016 …
Coming tomorrow … the Daily Trending Domain Report (DTDR.club) Domain information you can use and we Recognize Achievers!
Thanks everyone for attending … Have a great evening … good night!
