Someone I recently met said to me, “You’re just like you are on your blog.” I took that as a great compliment, as I try to project a friendly and approachable image as I write. And that, I think, is part of what attracts people to reading my blog, my book, and ultimately hiring me as a consultant.

When I first started writing the blog, I tried to be all business, keeping my personality under wraps. After all, I wasn’t just representing myself on the blog, I was representing my company. But after a while of striving for stodgy, impersonal writing, I realized that as a consultant, my personality IS the company’s personality. And by letting my own authentic voice come through, potential clients are able to get a sense of who I am and what it would be like to work with me.

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There is no more apparent demonstration of professional personality, than in the outward expression of what we, as business owners, believe and what we stand for. But of course, opinions are like…um, pick a body part. Everyone has one. And more than ever before, we have seemingly endless avenues to share our opinions with anyone willing to listen. Just look at the airwaves, the internet and the newsstand. From call-in talk shows and other broadcast “gab-fests,” to e-zines, chat rooms, My Space, YouTube and the explosion of internet blogs, everyone has something to say – and they’re fighting to get their voice heard.

The glut of voices in the marketplace creates even greater challenges for organizations and professionals looking to build and promote their brand in the marketplace. Too many in business are looking to differentiate themselves by discovering the “secret formula” to get the microphone or camera turned in their direction. Well, I hate to break it to you – but there isn’t a secret formula. The answer, in fact, is right in front of you on the air, online and in newspaper columns across America every day – you just have to pay attention and recognize the source of the music.

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Whenever we talk about a company brand, we are not merely talking about a set of guidelines on how to use logos and taglines. We’re talking about how that specific mark or set of styles communicates and expresses what the company, product or service is about. In my experience, there can be at least ten branding strategies. A company can:

1. Be the first
2. Be the expert
3. Be the leader
4. Be the anti-leader
5. Be preferred (as in we are the preferred partner in a venture)
6. Own an attribute (this can be aspirational as well)
7. Own a cause (for example to eradicate poverty through micro lending)
8. Be special (proprietary technology falls in this category)
9. Use its history (for example craftsmanship from the hills of Romagna)
10. Use a carefully planned pricing strategy (for example Tiffany’s)

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