Branding Your Freelance Business

Branding isn’t usually at the top of most freelancers’ “to-do” lists.

When you’re setting up a business, trying to find work, completing projects, handling administrative tasks, and trying to be a good parent at the same time, “branding” tends to sit quietly on the “when I have some free time” list. And we all know what happens to the stuff on that list.

I’ve been as guilty of this as anyone. I sort of have a brand – “smart writing for smart businesses.” But I haven’t spent enough time defining and building it. So I thought I’d do some research on branding, share my findings with you, and then try to apply that knowledge to my own business (I’ll keep you updated on that).

Here are the most important things I’ve learned so far about branding for freelancers:

1. Your brand has to quickly tell people what’s different about you. I like the way Dave Navarro put it in “3 steps to creating a freelancing brand that sells,” a guest post on the Freelance Folder blog: “Since the drop-dead easiest way to get extra business without extra work is by word of mouth, it’s up to you to give all of those mouths the word(s) they need to say.” In other words, it should be easy for people to tell others about you in a way that differentiates you from your competitors. What do you want people to say about you? What words should come to mind immediately upon hearing your business name? Do those words make it obvious why potential clients should choose you instead of someone else?

2. Your brand has to address a real need. This one is fairly obvious but extremely important – it’s pointless to build a brand around something people don’t care about. Make sure that your brand will really resonate with your target market.

3. Your brand should strike an emotional chord. Without an emotional aspect, your brand is boring and you won’t be able to command top-notch rates. That’s because your prospects are more likely to make decisions based purely on your rate if they view your service as an interchangeable commodity. If, on the other hand, your brand makes prospective clients feel something that makes them want to work with you, your rate becomes less of a deciding factor.

4. Consistency is key. Two types of consistency are important here. First, your message has to be consistent. What you tell people about you and your brand (through your logo, your blog posts, your social media activity, etc.) has to be consistent in order to make an impact. Second, the level of service you provide has to be consistent (consistently good – or consistently great if you’re selling yourself as the best in your field). People gravitate towards brands they can trust.

This is not meant to be a comprehensive list (branding is a huge topic), and I’m sure I’ve left out some important stuff – so please share your thoughts and suggestions in the comments! We can all learn a lot if we share our knowledge and experiences.