Marketing Yourself? Apply a Brand AIDA

AIDA (Attention, Interest, Desire, Action) is a mnemonic well known in marketing circles, but you can apply it just as well to your whole business and particularly to your personal brand.

Using this checklist may help you to understand how your personal brand is closely interconnected with the brand of your company:

A for Attention. Catch the eye of the marketplace, and could be in the form of an interesting fact about you or your business expertise, an unusual question or a different kind of service.

For example, you could ask this question to your regular clients: "Are we being as proactive as you'd like us to be or are we simply reacting to your requests?"

That might open a can of worms, and elicit some interesting replies enabling that proactivity.

There may be methods and philosophies being introduced by people outside of your particular area that can be used in your own field that will draw attention to you and mark out your differentiation and help you look more cutting edge. What's new and innovative in your industry that you can earmark for your advantage?

Pay attention to your expert abilities. You need to have at least one, if not two or three, things you do really well. Being average overall wont get you noticed.

I for interest. Mark out your clear differentiation and ability to run ahead of the pack in all your markets.

Have an interest in your own development and self-improvement. Take a leaf from Gary Hamel, who speaks about core competencies and strategy and strongly warns against complacency.

D for Desire. Make it clear that you have an irresistible offer that your customers cannot do without.

Scanning the horizon all the time for out of the box opportunities that your competitors may be missing. If you have the desire and the differentiation to mark yourself out as special, opportunities will come to your door.

Make one of your desires giving great customer experience and dazzle them with your offering. Choose not to work with some potential clients if they aren't the right 'fit' for your business model, or if you've found out they can be truly difficult to engage with and satisfy. Think of your brand and how it is being perceived by others for what you will and will not do.

A for action. Send out a call to action to potential clients making it clear what you would like them to do next, such as book up for an event, dial a number, visit a website or purchase a product.

Your calls to action need to be consistent with your personal brand commitment. Keep that commitment reinforced by consistently delivering the values and standards for which you and your business stand.

Keep a note of your progress in terms of project-action-results, in order to prove competency to potential clients and to influencers who may be able to help you move on in your career.

If you would like a complementary ebook on Personal Branding then click here.