Let’s get ready to rumble! In the blue corner you may know him as Col. James Braddock, Maj. Scott McCoy, or. Walker Texas Ranger. He’s the man, the legend, Chuck Norris. In the red corner, he bowls overhand, sharks have a week dedicated to him, he’s won trophies for his game face alone. He’s the Most Interesting Man In The World.If these two immovable figures were to square off in a throw down which one would be the last man standing? While we will never know the outcome of this mythical battle, businesses can learn a lesson from it.Both of our iconic fighters display a tenacity that businesses should strive for. Defeat is not in their vocabulary. It seems that no task is beyond their capability. In any adversity they adapt, create a plan of attack and act immediately. In business, we face challenges on a daily basis, some more daunting than others. How do we react to new competition? How do we react during a downturn economy? Or changes in government regulation? Price increases in materials and supplies?Do you view changes with dread, wring your hands and saying “what am I going to do?” Or do you welcome the challenges as a nudge to evaluate your business, to find more efficient methods and procedures? During challenging times like these, the businesses that are able to adapt are the ones that survive. And not only survived but thrive in the future.Our two combatants are recognizable brands. You can see a picture of either one and immediately know who it is without reading the name or seeing a logo. The reason – their brand has been so successfully created that we can easily identify it.We think of branding as a logo like Ford Motor Company’s blue oval or Geico’s Gecko. Or we think of slogans like “Red Bull gives you wings” or “Just Do It.” But a brand is not a logo or a slogan. A brand is a perception, the entire persona that exists in the mind of your customers.As small business owners we may think we don’t have the resources to create a brand. If a business does not create its own brand, their customers will. Whether you’re a company or an individual, you have a brand. To quote Seth Godin, “A brand is the set of expectations, memories, stories and relationships that, taken together, account for a consumer’s decision to choose one product or service over another.” (Linchpin by Seth Godin).Create your brand by finding your niche, what you do best, and continually reminding your current and prospective customers what you do. Consistency is the key. Your brand should reflect your personality, your company philosophy and its environment. Don’t be afraid to be different, to have fun if that’s who you are. Obviously there are certain businesses that require a very rigid, professional persona. Even in that case, it’s still critical to brand what separates you from the competition.I always find it an interesting exercise when talking with a new client about their business. One of the questions I ask is “what do you do better or differently than the competition.” Another is “why should a prospective customer choose you over the competition?” The answers I typically get are “we all do about the same thing”. Or I may get an answer like “better customer service” or “lower price.” What that really means is “I don’t know. We are just doing our thing. We don’t really pay attention to our competitor unless they beat us on a job.”The first step in creating a brand is defining what separates the business from the competition. Every business (if they are going to stay in business) must define their strengths and own their niche.I recently went through this exercise in my own business. While there are many web site designers, many search engine optimization specialists and many social media experts, very few do all three with successful results I can produce. After many years of identity crisis, I finally created the brand that separates my company from the crowd.In today’s online marketing world, buying decisions are influenced (if not made) by your brand reputation. What is your brand to say about you? Does it accurately portray your strengths and your specialties? Is it consistent? In a throw down with your competition who’s going to come out on top?

In this article I want to talk about why you really need to have a specific brand for your online business. If you don’t have a brand then you will have no means of standing out from your competition.It seems that when people start looking for ways to make money online it is very easy to start a particular system or scheme and have no concept that you really need to develop a business in order to succeed. If you think about, it every business has a brand and the reason is because your brand becomes a part of your whole marketing strategy.If you don’t have a brand how can you market your business? Perhaps you don’t yet have a business or maybe you haven’t considered the possibility of turning your online venture into a business. You see, having an online business is an important distinction to make as it allows you to differentiate yourself from your competition instead of just being one of many other online marketers.Even if you are an affiliate marketer and promoting someone else’s business it is still possible for you to have your own brand. However, I believe that it is far better to promote your own products that you have created yourself so that you are able to promote your own brand with your own products.So what is a brand? A brand could be your business name, the logo or image that you use, particular colours or combination of colours and the various words that you use to describe your brand message.Basically, by having a brand you are able to communicate something specific about your business to your customers.If you think about brands that are well known and that you know of, when you think of that particular brand you will immediately have some form of connection to it. It might conjure up a positive or negative feeling or desire but one way or another you will connect with it either in a good way or a bad way.If you have no brand to your online business then you are not enabling people to connect with you but rather you encourage a feeling of indifference. This is not good for your online marketing because when you market your product or service you are wanting people to make a specific connection so that they identify with what you are able to offer and ultimately become your customer rather than a customer of your competition.Here are some questions you need to answer in order to establish your own online brand:What is unique about your business? What message are you trying to convey to your customers?If you have a logo and you should, what does that logo represent? Is it suitable for your business?The colours that you use on your website will play an important role in terms of the message that you convey. Therefore you need to choose the colours carefully to make sure that it is consistent with your brand identity.Think about how you would describe your brand to a friend. How would you describe it in just one sentence so that you are able to convey and communicate effectively what your brand stood for?When you understand what it is you have to offer and therefore who will want your offer, you are more able to understand what type of brand message will appeal to your ideal customer.

Everywhere you look things are changing and in the business world your personal brand is your biggest asset in the new economy. In the 21st century the new real estate is on the internet and if you haven’t taken your business there yet you’re already behind. But it’s all good because I’m going to help you get up to speed in this short article.In this article we’re going to explore some of the most profitable business opportunities for people with little to no experience, but who have a strong desire to take charge of their financial destiny and create a lifestyle of freedom for themselves. Your success in all of these business opportunities is dependent on your personal brand.Your personal brand is what is going to make you stand out above all of your competition, many of which are still using replicated marketing systems that do well branding the system but not YOU. Let’s face it, there’s only one you, so in that sense there is no competition. The key is going within yourself and discovering what you are truly passionate about and highlight that in your branding.Branding is visual communication and you want to communicate why someone should join you in business or by your product and service. It’s all about ATTRACTING the right people to you and you do that with a magnetic personal brand. Your website, blog, lead capture pages, sales letters, and social media sites should all carry a congruent message to your market, the message is that you are a leader.Here are a few highly profitable 21st century business models for you to consider:1. Affiliate Marketing/Information Product Marketing:Knowledge sells, and it sells BIG time. Information products are incredibly inexpensive to create, practically free, It’s basically a PDF document with a professional looking cover (more personal branding), and of course high quality content based on your unique knowledge base.Selling information products has become a billion dollar industry. It’s a rapidly growing industry and it’s easy to get into. If you you’re not ready to write your own E book yet that’s OK there are a ton of affiliate programs that you can get involved with.2. Coaching and ConsultingHere’s another business model where personal branding is absolutely key. You want to brand yourself in the eyes of your clients as a leader, someone of value that people can trust and can learn from. If you are already a coach or business consultant here’s a wonderful opportunity to take your skill set online and make an absolute killing.Many speakers, coaches, and consultants are making $1-3K per sale with their services and personal brand.3. High-Ticket/Highly Leveraged Direct Sales Business ModelsNow this is a truly revolutionary business model that has just skyrocketed over the last few years online. It has taken absolute beginners to millionaire status within their first 12-24 months after getting started online.This opportunity is a very wise decision if you are looking for a business with the power to propel you to internet success very quickly. There are several companies right now in travel, personal development, and financial education that will pay you $3K-$15K commissions for your marketing and advertising online.The great thing about this last business model is that they all three have systems in place that make it easier for the average person to turn a profit fast. These systems do the selling, prospecting, and education of your potential business partners for you on complete auto-pilot.Lastly, a piece of advice, things in the online business world are changing rapidly and require forward thinking people to make decisions fast and take ACTION. According to FORBES magazine there are 79 million opportunity seekers coming online over the next 3-5 years.If you want to succeed you want to position yourself AND your personal brand directly in front of them. Remember, your personal brand is your biggest asset in the new economyWelcome to the new economy!