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pAs freelancers, we sometimes tend to think that branding is only about being different enough to attract clients. We want to stand out, so we spend hours adjusting our logo./p
pBut great brands are more than an attractive symbol alone./p
pGreat brands have values. They?re passionate about these values too. They respect the goals of their customers and they keep their promises. They strive to make a positive impact. They tell stories and capture the imagination of those they speak to. Brands that believe in the work they do for others are the exceptional ones./p
pNike+ doesn?t tell you that wearing their shoes will make you the next Michael Jordan. They focus on helping their customers be the best athletes they can be because they believe in a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded#038;v=C_vK1r9s3tg"human potential/a./p
pCreating a great brand is essential to the success of your freelance business. Go beyond the skin and dig for the core of your brand identity. It?s a story, a feeling, and a goal to create things of value. That?s where your brand exists./p
pHere are 101 branding tips to help you improve your freelance identity and help your business succeed:/p
pspan id="more-32115"/span/p
h2Create Real Value/h2
ul
liYour client is the hero. Not your business. It#8217;s your role to a href="http://entreproducer.com/jedi-content-marketing/"be their Obi Wan/a./li
liDon?t put down a bad idea. Suggest how it can be improved./li
liBe human./li
liIf you make a mistake, apologize sincerely./li
/ul
h2Enhance Your Brand Experience/h2
ul
liA niche is a start. Passion is the progress./li
liBelieve in what you do because ?people don#8217;t buy what you do, a href="http://www.ted.com/talks/simon_sinek_how_great_leaders_inspire_action.html"they buy why you do it?./a/li
liBe your brand outside of your business. Do your values hold up? If not, try refocusing your mission./li
liListen to other experts. Listen with the intent to learn and use their insight to make improvements/li
liDon#8217;t try to please everybody. Focus on helping somebody./li
liStart by creating a a href="http://entreproducer.com/minimum-viable-audience/"minimum viable audience/a./li
liThink of the theme of your brand in one word. This is what director a href="http://the99percent.com/articles/6973/Francis-Ford-Coppola-On-Risk-Money-Craft-Collaboration"Francis Ford Coppola/a does for his films #8211; saying, ?Knowing what the theme is always helps you [make decisions].?/li
/ul
h2Simplicity Is Supreme/h2
ul
liYour brand name should be a clue as to what your business is. Don#8217;t try to say everything at once./li
liKeep it simple. As Leonardo da Vinci said, #8220;Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication#8221;./li
liForget everything about competition. Exceptional brands are about a href="http://www.fastcoexist.com/1678768/the-brands-that-survive-will-be-the-brands-that-make-life-better"making a difference/a in the world./li
liA client list is a privilege. Try to not send too much promotional stuff. Focus on giving valuable content./li
/ul
h2Consistency Is Key/h2
ul
liMake promises and keep them./li
liDescribe your brand to a twelve-year old. Would they get it? If not, simplify it until the message is clear./li
liLike BMW values performance, and Volvo values safety, think about your own angle./li
liHave a focused list of services. More is not always better./li
liMake sure the colors, typography, and style of your website work well together./li
liPut a href="http://www.dzinepress.com/2010/08/75-most-creative-free-social-media-icon-sets/"social media icons/a on your site that match the overall style./li
liThe language you use for your blog posts should match the language on your website./li
/ul
h2Be Remarkable/h2
ul
liSet values for your business. Standards about what you do and a href="http://freelanceswitch.com/freelancing-essentials/8-essential-strategies-to-saying-no/"do not do/a. Then stick to them forever./li
liChoose something you could happily do every day./li
liKeep up with industry news so you#8217;ll always be a step ahead./li
liTruly try to help people. Listen to their concerns and wishes with compassion./li
liOver deliver with everything you do./li
liBe easily reachable. Respond to calls, emails, tweets, and other forms of messaging as quickly as possible./li
liTake on a project that challenges you. Then showcase your work./li
liOffer a free product; such as an eBook or guide that helps people better their own life or business./li
/ul
h2Your Brand On Social Media/h2
ul
liUse the platforms your clients and prospects are using./li
liDon#8217;t talk about your #8220;brand strategy#8221;, but instead focus on interacting./li
liUse the same gravatar image across different sites./li
liThank your readers, friends, followers, and clients for sharing your content./li
liShare great content from numerous authors./li
liDo more listening than tweeting, updating, and posting./li
liJoin a group on LinkedIn./li
liEncourage others to comment on your work./li
liChoose a specific purpose for using Twitter./li
/ul
h2Create A Website Worth Bookmarking/h2
ul
liWho are you? Use your About page to tell a story. Keep it light, focused, and different./li
liTell prospective clients exactly what they can expect./li
liAsk your clients for testimonials you can include./li
liCreate a funny 404 page or find some a href="http://graphicriver.net/category/web-elements/4-4-pages"clever ones here/a./li
liInclude a picture of your beautiful smile./li
liCreate a mascot; like our FreelanceSwitch character who encourages us to #8220;think outside the cubicle#8221;./li
liWrite the copy first, then design around the message you created./li
liUse an effective landing page./li
liMake it easy for visitors to subscribe./li
/ul
h2Consider Website Extras/h2
ul
liInclude a greeting somewhere, such as a #8220;Happy whatever-day-of-the-week-it-is#8221;./li
liAdd an a href="http://news.cnet.com/8301-17939_109-9976422-2.html"Easter egg/a to your own site./li
liCreate an a href="http://uxdesign.smashingmagazine.com/2008/01/31/10-principles-of-effective-web-design/"exceptional user experience/a./li
liGood branding is like classical music. Repeat yourself, and a href="http://contently.com/blog/beethoven-brands-sxsw/"toss in a few surprises/a./li
liChoose a domain name you can be proud of. Imagine shouting it from the top of a mountain./li
/ul
h2Be A Leader/h2
ul
liInspire readers to see a common thing from a different perspective./li
liBe an expert without calling yourself one./li
liFocus on the iresults/i your service will bring a client./li
liTell people what to do. Subscribe, sign up, follow, etc. Look at the most popular Youtubers. They all spend a good amount of time at the end of each video telling you all the ways to stay in touch./li
liSpend time on your own creative projects in addition to client work./li
liHave confidence./li
/ul
h2Improve Your Brand Blogging/h2
ul
liTell truthful stories. Infuse a href="http://www.copyblogger.com/nostalgic-content-marketing/"nostalgia/a and knowledge./li
liDon#8217;t contradict yourself./li
liTell stories that match the worldview of your readers./li
liAllow some room for your audience to draw their own conclusions from the stories you tell./li
lia href="http://www.copyblogger.com/insider-secret/"Tell a joke/a only a few would get./li
liWelcome guest bloggers in different creative fields./li
liIntroduce your clients to something they#8217;ve never heard of./li
liMake a habit of blogging regularly and readers will make a habit of reading./li
liWrite a post that cures a typical #8220;headache#8221; your clients might have./li
liShare your own (thoughtful) take on a trending topic./li
liMake a video blog post./li
/ul
h2The Art of Refinement/h2
ul
liTake a look at your most recent blog post. Take out at least five sentences./li
liEmail using an @yourwebsite.com address. Not a Hotmail, Yahoo, or other type of account./li
liSecure yourself with a a href="http://freelanceswitch.com/clients/8-things-you-should-include-in-your-terms-of-service-agreement/"good contract/a./li
liMonitor reactions and listen so that you know when your quirkiness has gone too far./li
liStay away from giving your prospects too many choices. No one wants to be put in #8220;choice paralysis#8221;/li
liTake out one of the services you offer that you really don?t like doing./li
liSay no to 1,000 good ideas. Go with the few great ones./li
/ul
h2Think Visually/h2
ul
liCapture the imagination of your audience with a perfect portfolio display of your work./li
lia href="http://freelanceswitch.com/freelance-news/commentary-analysis/color-psychology/"Colors/a (and the combination of colors) do create a mood. So choose wisely./li
liCreate an infographic that tells your business story./li
liChoose compelling images and graphics that reflect the style of your brand./li
/ul
h2Don?t Stop at Social Media/h2
ul
liWrite helpful and informative guest posts for blogs related to your field./li
liMake a href="http://freelanceswitch.com/inspiration/beautiful-business-cards-creattica/"high-quality business cards/a./li
liCreate themes and designs for a href="http://themeforest.net/"ThemeForest/a and a href="http://graphicriver.net/"GraphicRiver/a and build your reputation there./li
lia href="https://tutsplus.com/"Create tutorials/a for Tuts+ Premium/li
liPut together an eBook of your best 100 posts./li
liHelp people on online forums by giving valuable advice./li
liMake video tutorials and put them on Youtube./li
liAim to start a iconversation/i with your a href="http://freelanceswitch.com/finding/not-getting-a-rise-out-of-your-elevator-speech/"elevator speech/a./li
/ul
h2Consider the Future of Your Freelance Brand/h2
ul
liFocus on improving your freelance skills. Something can always be better./li
liEstablish clear goals for the future of your brand./li
liStart small and grow./li
liUse portfolio sites like a href="http://www.behance.net/"Behance/a to showcase your work to a wider audience./li
liDon#8217;t be afraid of constraints and boundaries. Creativity thrives here./li
lia href="http://freelanceswitch.com/inspiration/7-habits-of-creative-minds/"Practice creativity/a everyday and apply it in your business./li
liCreating is important, but remember to a href="https://vimeo.com/5895898"ship/a./li
/ul
h2More To Know!/h2
ul
liListen to others but never settle for something that doesn?t feel right to you./li
liKnow that building a brand is going to take balance./li
liIt also takes time (think marathon, not sprint)./li
liNever forget your vision./li
lia href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8rwsuXHA7RA"Think different/a./li
liMake your brand something people will care about./li
/ul
pstrongDo you have any more ideas on how to improve your freelance brand?/strong Please share in the comments below!/p
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