Consistent (Personal) Branding
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consistent (personal) branding

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(This post contains affiliate links. Read my full disclosure.)

“Make your name memorable. Make it work for you. Make it consistent with the rest of your brand.”
-Jeff Goins in You Are a Writer

As I worked on my own personal (re)branding, I studied the profiles of fellow bloggers and the social media experts I respect. I watched Emerging Mummy become Sarah Bessey and The Gypsy Mama start going by Lisa-Jo Baker. I took note of Jeff Goins’ and Michael Hyatt’s social media profile URLs.  I noticed the seamless brand experience throughout the Simple Living Media websites and Twitter pages.  And I took note of the consistencies and inconsistencies alike.

“A consistent brand is vital for a strong platform.”
-Michael Hyatt in Platform: Get Noticed in a Noisy World

What I found was that personal brand consistency simply means being the same person no matter where you are online (click to Tweet).  The same name, nicknames, photo, favorite colors, font affinities, and—of course—the same writing voice.

Personal Brand Consistency

1. Use the same avatar and headshot everywhere you have an online profile.

My friend Trina knows the benefit of having a memorable avatar—many people at Relevant (now Allume) recognized her from the hat in her Twitter profile shot.

Don’t change your avatar too often—people get used to it and won’t notice your Tweets if they don’t recognize your friendly face.  But don’t wait so long to change it that if someone were to meet you in person they wouldn’t recognize you from your avatar.

2. Use the same version of your name everywhere your name appears.

Blog byline, email signature, Facebook page, Twitter profile, Disqus name, blog comments—Michael Hyatt says to go by the same name everywhere, whether you use your first and middle name, your full name, or your first name combined with your blog brand.

3. Keep your social media usernames as close as possible to your domain name.

It’s not always possible—I found that out.  You might have to be creative with your personal branding, but that doesn’t mean you can’t be consistent.  But do what you can to make it easy for your followers to remember your username whether they are mentioning you on Twitter or typing in your domain name.  I’ve heard it’s especially important to have your Instagram and Twitter usernames match.  And of course, to look extra professional, have your email address be [email protected].

4. Use the same fonts and color schemes everywhere.

Simple Living Media is a phenomenal example of this—just look at all their different websites and Twitter pages!  But personal branding isn’t exempt just because there’s only one Twitter account involved.  Keep your Twitter background similar to that of your website, and make your Facebook page’s cover image match something on your website, to help people know they’re still visiting the same person.

5. Choose something you’ll still want to be known by in 20 years.

Choosing your name is fairly safe—unless you’re a single girl who’s hoping to change her last name!  Then you have the option of using your first and/or middle name, or choosing something different altogether.  Divorced or widowed?  Maybe your maiden name will become your new pen name. Just make sure that whatever name you choose for your personal brand will be something you’ll still want to claim as your online identity—not to mention see on a book cover—in 20 years.

“The goal is for your fans and followers to have a consistent brand experience. Use the same logo, color palette, and fonts on every platform. You want them to land on one of your social media profiles and know instantly that it is your profile.”
-Michael Hyatt in Platform: Get Noticed in a Noisy World

Consistent (Personal) Branding https://gretchenlouise.com/?p=6534 via @GretLouise

“Brand Inspection”

Below you’ll find the exact profile URLs as linked on a selection of the websites I studied. It makes for interesting comparison—not to mention inspiration—if you’re in the midst of your own rebranding.

Trina Holden, author of Real {Fast} Food (read my review here)
Lisa-Jo Baker, social media manager for (in)courage
Jeff Goins, author of You Are A Writer (read my review here)
Michael Hyatt, former Chairman and CEO of Thomas Nelson Publishers, author of Platform (read my review here)

“The publishing and speaking world is no longer about individual projects but instead personal brands.”
–Squee Inc.

Personal Branding Resources

the best personal branding advice I ever got or gave from @TrinaHolden on #Allume http://allume.com/2012/08/bestbrandingadvice/

“Your personal brand is what comes to mind when someone hears or sees your name.”
-Amy Lynn Andrews in “Your Personal Brand: 4 Things”

Have you found some good examples of consistent personal branding?  What techniques do you employ for consistency in your own brand?

“Branding yourself with a consistent image, voice, and name is how you gain some semblance of control over what people think of you.”
-Jeff Goins in You Are a Writer

Read More: my personal (re)brand >> (re)branding: step-by-step >> more personal branding tips

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7 Comments

  1. This is fascinating. I’m going to take some time to read through this. I don’t plan on changing my blog name, but I realized after reading some of these posts that I’ve taken small steps toward personal branding without even realizing it. My first name is spelled really uniquely so I’ve tried to make sure that it’s on all of my social media pages and have the same username/handle for everything. Twitter is Aprille
    @beautyinhistime Pinterest is http://pinterest.com/beautyinhistime/ but my display is Aprille {Beautiful In His Time}

    Not sure how to change my facebook page though. Thoughts? https://www.facebook.com/pages/Beautiful-In-His-Time/118552411553900?ref=hl

    I’ve also tried to use the same color scheme and avatar for everything, even commenting sites like disqus.

    I don’t think I’ll ever use my last name but I like having my first name on stuff. I’m definitely going to be reading more on this! Thanks for mentioning it on twitter!

    Reply

      1. Yes, I definitely understand–because so far, Beautiful in His Time has been as much a part of your brand as your beautiful name! I’d recommend transitioning to using Aprille as your display name with Beautiful (or Beauty) in His Time as your tagline everywhere. That way everyone knows you as Aprille first (in case in 10 years your tagline or emphasis changes), but still associates Beautiful in His Time with you everywhere you are.

        Reply