Building Your Brand as an Expert Author Share this Blog Entry:

[Branding is an essential part of article writing] 6 Questions to Ask Yourself About Your Personal Brand A real challenge faced by many article writers in today’s competitive market is choosing how to develop a personal brand. And no, I’m not talking about the type of branding Stuart is about to undertake in today’s cartoon. I’m talking about your identity as a writer and as an expert. This includes things like your stance on: Formal vs. Informal Writing – In some cases, a formal style makes more sense, like if you are describing how to do something. Other times, you’ll have an easier time building rapport by writing informally, like how you would in conversation. Check out this post on developing your own style. What You Say in Your Resource Box – Your Unique Selling Proposition (a.k.a. USP) should always be clear and correlated to the content you just shared in the article. It’s up to you to narrow down your USP to something with a true value you can provide. The Links You Include in Each Article – Do you have an appropriate link to share that directs people to a company website, product page, personal blog, etc.? How to Incorporate Social Media into Your Writing – There are a wide range of ways you can use social media to boost your effectiveness as a writer. Whether you’re using it to teach yourself how to write more concisely (like with a 140 character limit) or you want to keep your business clients and acquaintances up-to-date on the articles you’ve written, getting started with social media is one way to help yourself out. Striving for Quality – Do you ever let the quality of your work suffer by focusing on the quantity of articles you’re writing and trying to write more? How Focused You Are with Your Expertise – Do you write on a wide range of topics or do you try to stick to topics in your niche? By separating your writing style from other authors, you create an identity as the go-to person for information on _________________. (fill in the blank with your primary niche) Now, that doesn’t mean you have to make a joke in every single article (to be informal) or that you can’t write the occasional article on a topic outside your primary niche that you find particularly interesting. After all, the jokes can get old if the articles themselves aren’t oozing with great, reader-driven content. Writing outside your primary niche can show your readers that you are well-rounded and that you’re willing to expand your expertise. In the end, your unique combination of expert knowledge and writing skills will guide you through how to answer each of these questions best for yourself and … voila! Suddenly you’ll be building your brand as an author without even thinking about it. The next step is to get writing!