Have you ever looked at a competitor and thought, “I’m better than this person. I’m smarter. I provide a better service. Why does this guy get more customers than I?”? It’s boggling sometimes to see someone you know is a clearly inferior professional who clearly makes more money and possibly makes less.

Personal Branding means narrowing your audience from “just everyone” to the people most likely to respond to your message. It means remaining focused while your competition markets to everyone with a pulse.

Viral marketing (also called buzz marketing) encourages word of mouth, or “buzz,” by giving your prospect something exciting or valuable to share with others. That “something” can be vital information, a special offer, or a preview of your useful products or services.



True story. In shooting down their nemesis, Scope’s marketers didn’t use logic or claims of quality. They appealed to consumers’ emotions, to their fear that if they used Listerine, their breath would smell like a doctor’s examination room. By all accounts, the tactic succeeded spectacularly.

What does this little story have to do with Personal Branding? Everything.