Personal Branding

[orion_joel]

There has been some interesting responses here. I think what i am really looking for is to still brand my company for the products and services that it provides. But additionally to brand myself and make myself known for what i can do, rather then singularly branding the business.

While i know it would probably be a pretty silly idea to brand myself as the business, more so because one of the big things that i look at is the value i am creating in the business, as an asset that could potentially be sold. I also see that i have talents outside the scope of the business, that could be put to good use not just for my business but for myself as well. In reality the branding may not really be to build a business or profit or even revenue but to build my image and to make it easier for me to make a move through the local and later on not so local business world.

[vangogh]

I had a feeling that's what you were looking to do. You're reasoning for wanting to brand yourself is the same one many people have. If you brand yourself you can later sell Orion and still carry your brand into your next business venture.

The issue becomes having to brand two entities, you and your business, which is naturally more difficult than branding only one entity.

One way to do both is for a time to connect them. You kind of do this already with your username here. You could change your avatar to be a picture of you or something you'll specifically associate with yourself, and then add the Orion Networks text.

Make the image in the avatar something you don't specifically use for Orion. Sometimes be one or the other only and use the appropriate images, but more often connect them in some way. Why not add your blog to your site. You could still keep it on the separate domain, but link back and forth between the two. Make sure the site and blog each link to each other in their main navigational structure. At the top of every post use the same image that represents your personal brand. Ideally the site and blog would have identical designs and both would use Orion Networks in the header. But make yourself (along with your name and personal branding image) very visible on both the site and blog.

Spend time participating in communities online and depending on which site push either the personal or the company brand more. On a site like Digg you'd probably want to be Joel Brown. On a site like LinkedIn you might choose to be Orion Networks. But whichever you choose to brand make sure the other is still connected.

It might dilute your efforts a little when it comes to branding one or the other, but overall it will likely be less effort to build both brands that way.