Branding, And Why It Is Important

Branding, logo, About page, re-design… these are the items on my to-do list that I have yet to find time to attend to.  But soon, I will.

Truth be told, I’m quite happy with my brand.  There is no plan, whatsoever, to change it in the foreseeable future.  What has been nagging me for months now is my logo, and my About page, and my desire to re-design this blog so that it will keep up with how I have evolved from The Happy WAHM who found happiness in virtual assistance, to The Happy WAHM who took control of her already full daily schedule to make time for a hobby.

I always tell people who attend my virtual assistance workshops, or people I communicate with thru my Facebook page, that in order for them to succeed in WAHMing, it is important to build a strong cyber presence.  And not just thru social media, but thru a fully functional website where they can showcase who they are and what they do.  In short, build a digital brand.

I built my first website on my first year of WAHMing.  At that time, I was working with an affiliate marketer in London who sent me articles to read so I could understand his requirements.  And read, I did.  In the process, I understood more than just my client’s requirements.  I learned early that for me to be found by clients, for me to build credibility, I had to have my own address on the web.  And so my quest for a domain name started.

My first domain name was called myhomeworkspace.com.  I wanted my domain name to encompass that little space I have at home, to tell people that I work from home, but alas, it was more descriptive of the space, not my services, not what I do, not me.

So I thought, I’d build a name around my skills as a virtual assistant.  I played around combinations of keywords that could still compete on searches, and settled with VASupportPro, which actually means Virtual Administrative Support Professional.  Still, I was not happy.  It did not sound like a brand I could put to life.  It was good as a business name, maybe.  So I kept it, but not as a brand.  I didn’t know it then, but subconsciously, I was leaning on building a personal brand, rather than a business brand.  I was more keen on reaching out to people, especially moms, who would just love to leave the corporate life, but so afraid to take the leap.

Then I stumbled on the Pajama Mama, and she has this other site called WorkAtHomeSuccess.com.  Ah, now there’s an idea! I searched some more and found WAHM.com, and I decided, I want to be known as a WAHM.  Not a VA.  I was thinking, I may not forever be a VA, but I will forever be working from home, so a WAHM I will be.

But yeah, WAHM.com was already taken, so I thought about it some more.  Asked myself, what’s my message, really?  What do I want to tell people?  I am a WAHM, so what?  What does WAHMing mean to me?  Do I develop a voice for the service or the voice of a person behind the service? Again, I thought of how ambitious I am, that I may not forever be a VA.  I knew I could do more, and I wanted the branding to be able to adapt to how I would evolve as a person working from home, or more to the point, a mom working from home.  And then I decided, I want to be the voice who would inspire working moms to give it a try.  Most moms I know, especially those I left behind when I left my corporate life, would just love to stay at home and take care of their kids, but they were afraid to let go of the income, they were afraid that working from home cannot support a family.  So I wanted to be that person who could show them that it can be done, and how.  My brand will not be about clients finding me, but about creating a career from home with the family at the center, and being successful at it.  I will leave that aspect of clients finding me to marketing.  But my branding will show the characteristic, the values, the nuances of the person offering the service.

And then one night, in one of those moments that my husband would fret about me being deprived of the opportunity to pursue my corporate career dreams just because I happen to be a mother, who, by default, should be the one to take care of the children, I voiced out my assurance to my husband.  “Dad, I’m happy where I am.  I’m happy working at home and staying home with the kids.”  And that’s how my brand came to life.

A brand that I am living every single day.  A brand that I am so proud of, I don’t even care that people address me as The Happy WAHM, not Marge.

So what’s my point, really?

Is this just to brag about hitting the jackpot on choosing a domain name that became my brand?

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Well, you can say that.  But I’m hoping that this post will be taken more as a how-to post on how you, too, can work on your branding.  More and more people are choosing to stay home to earn.  More and more people are going online and putting their services out there.  The competition is getting stiffer, and you don’t want to be left behind.  You may be skilled and qualified to be a WAHM, but are you being seen?  You may have a website now, but do you have a brand? You have may have a brand, but is it really who you are?  Is it really your voice?  Your message?  And, will your brand keep up with the potential change on how you want to be heard?

Ask yourself these questions, and think about the answers.

If branding is something that you have not seriously considered yet, now is the time to do so.

When you finally decide to work on your branding, just make sure that you are delivering your message clearly, that people can emotionally connect with you and encourage them to work with you.

Do you have questions, comments or feedback about this post?
Please leave me a message, or post them, at my Facebook Page.