Ep 2-4 - Interview with Mitch Joel: Taking Control of your Personal Branding
February 27th, 2007 by 
chris
Ep 2-4 - Interview with Mitch Joel: Taking Control of your Personal Branding -:- answersforfreelancers@gmail.com [1:06:36m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download
In this fantastic episode, we speak with Mitch Joel, president of Twist Image and host of 6 Pixels of Separation, about the value and importance of building, not just your company brand, but also, in building your personal brand.
We all have a personal brand, whether we work on it or not. What people think of you. What they think of your values, your personality, your dependability, the quality of your work and your character. Its something that just exists. Grabbing hold of your personal brand, and making sure that people see you for who your really are, is a task that most of us neglect.
The fact of the matter is, if YOU don’t take control of your personal brand, then either someone else will, or worse, no one will, and it will present itself differently to everyone you meet. How do you take control of your personal brand? What kinds of action can you take to promote it? How does your elevator pitch fit in, and what’s the best way to introduce yourself to those who are in your network?
This interview is a favorite of both Bob and Chris. However, because we had so much fun doing it, the interview definitely ran long. Its a full hour. Some of the language in this episode is a little harsh, thus the explicit tag, but its nothing racy or explicit.
Show Notes:
Twist Image Blog:
http://www.twistimage.com/blog/
Six Pixels of Separation Podcast:
http://phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?id=157616278
Mitch Joel’s presentation with C.C. Chapman at Podcamp Boston:
http://www.managingthegray.com/2006/09/11/
building-your-brand-podcamp-boston-presentation/
Just One More Book!
http://www.justonemorebook.com/2006/10/28/listener-input-show-5/
This Week in Tech: http://www.twit.tv/TWiT
This week in Media: http://www.twit.tv/TWiM
Podcasting Software:
CastBlaster (Windows) - http://castblaster.com/
UberCaster (Mac) - http://ubercaster.com/
GarageBand (Mac) - http://www.apple.com/ilife/
Posted in Foundations, Interviews, Podcasts | 
March 1st, 2007 at 6:54 pm
Great show guys, as always I find your podcast to be a great source of inspiration for me. Mitch really made me feel encourage to continue on my dreams. I have no words to describe my appreciation.
Thanks again,
Luis
March 6th, 2007 at 6:01 pm
This episode was really awesome!
It touches the biggest problem many starting businesses have - lack of “brand”. And I find Mitch’s tips very helpful and not frightening. Networking is really a key. Even for artists. In the podcast, Mitch mentioned, you should go out, which means not necessarily go out of the house, but also show yourself - even in I-net forums, etc. Ok, let me ask you a question: where do you go networking, guys? I-net forums, cocktail parties, chamber meetings, or where? What do you do for your “branding”? The question goes also for the listeners of the show.
Thanks
alex
March 7th, 2007 at 10:30 am
Thanks for the kind words Alex and Luis. Remember, networking is not just about going to “events.” Asking a local art gallery owner for 15 minutes of their time to buy them a cup of tea and ask some questions about how THEY got into the business is networking as well
March 17th, 2007 at 8:14 pm
Thank you for the tips, Mitch!
But tell me something. It might happen, that you have the “wrong brand”. People think that you do things that you do not (want to) do. What does one have to do in a case like that? What should you do in order to re-brand yourself?
March 18th, 2007 at 6:37 am
I don’t think you can have a “wrong” personal brand.
See, you are not a company where you’re trying to define a differentiator and then putting all of your marketing and communications into what could be a “bad play.”
You are who you are. I’m sure people tried to change or re-focus people like Albert Einstein, Shakespeare, Seinfeld and Picasso. You see, most people try to fit themselves into a category where they are like everyone else (because they think that’s the “right” way to be). It’s the “lunatics and freaks” (as Tom Peters calls them) who really make a difference and change the world.
Personal Brands can’t be re-branded - you are who you are. What you can do is work on developing your brand, through understanding the three types of conversations, so that your message - your personal brand - is connecting more effectively to the “right” people for your success.
Re-branding your personal brand just seems inauthentic to me. Developing, nurturing and connecting to others who are like-minded seems much more natural.
I hope I answered your question.
March 18th, 2007 at 7:11 am
Thanks for the quick feedback, Mitch,
what I meant was that freelancers should see themselves also as a company, a business that provides some kind of service. I do not touch the “being-yourself part” of one’s personality. What I meant was for instance: Let’s say, I want to do caricatures and children’s books. But people think I do only design of catalogues, because that’s what I’ve done for them. The question was what should I do to re-brand the service I am providing.
But I think you answered my question anyways.
Thank you
March 18th, 2007 at 8:52 am
First, I think we’ve all got it now, but its important to note here that we are definitely talking about 2 different brands. The first is your personal brand, which covers every aspect of your life and work. A possible “personal brand” might go something like this:
Good son. Loving father and husband. Loyal. Trustworthy. Loves Rock & Roll and Country music. Hates the cold, loves the heat. Mountain bikes. Stays up too late. Works too hard. Enjoys Sci-Fi. Thoughtful. etc.
Your “company brand”, even as a freelancer, can be what you make of it. Choose what it is you want to do, and how you want to do it, and you can build a brand for your business. Now, as a freelancer, your personal brand also becomes a driving motivator as to how people see your business, since your personal traits will come through in how your business interacts and delivers to your customers. Even so, your company brand lives separate from your personal brand and can be completely re-branded if it needs to be, as long as you can deliver on the re-brand. For instance, if next week I decided I didn’t want to draw anymore for a living, I could become a Mountain Bike repair man. That’s OK to re-brand. It’s much harder to re-brand the fact that I like Country music, and if I tried, it would leave those who know me wondering about my truthfulness on the matter.
I think I know where you’re coming from, Alex. Its like the time when I started attending Chamber networking events, and after a few months, everyone referred to me as ‘the web guy’.
After that started happening, I had to stop and think about the reasons that had happened. There were several. First, if you let them, people will bucket you where they most need you, and while I provided a number of services, the most relevant to these small business owners was that of a web designer, not an illustrator, so that’s what they remembered. Second, since people kept asking me about web-related stuff, that’s where a lot of the conversations led, which reinforced the “web” idea onto my company and personal brand. Third, I wasn’t really telling my story, so people weren’t hearing about the fact that I was an artist.
So, you can look at the services you offer, and re-brand your business based on the ones you want to focus on. If you feel a client is overlooking some of your skills, focus on the conversation you are having with them. If you want to reinforce that you do caricatures and children’s book illustrations with a client, you can mention them when you talk to them. When you finish a project, send out a small email inviting your clients to see the finished work. Make sure those services are easily seen in your business cards, stationery, signature, literature and website.
You see stuff like this all the time from companies. “You already use us for X, did you know that we also offer Y & Z, and that we’re the best in the industry at them? Come see what we’ve done for others and how we can help you with Y & Z.”
So, if you feel that people aren’t ‘getting’ something about you, as Mitch says, focus on the conversations you are having.
Also, if you haven’t started listening in to Mitch’s show or reading his blog, check it out at http://twistimage.com/blog/ There’s lots of good stuff there.
Pod on!
March 18th, 2007 at 12:55 pm
Good point Chris.
Alex, you might also consider where you are marketing yourself. Let’s say for instance your client base is mainly IT. You present them with your children’s book art and everybody loves it but, as an IT company, they simply don’t have a need for illustration.
Do a little market research and find your target audience. Find the companies who are most likely to buy children’s art and begin marketing to them. Consider advertising in one of the many publications or directories that list illustrators (Some even cater specifically to the children’s market). The closer you can get to your target audience the more bang you’ll get for your buck.
Try creating a separate portfolio to show off your illustration skills. Take this opportunity to shed the catalog designer image, if you wish, by leaving the catalog design stuff out. Since these will likely be new clients they have no point of reference other than what you show them. You can re-invent yourself anyway you like. Present yourself in the way you would like to be seen and you will be on your way.
Hope that helps
Good luck
Bob
March 20th, 2007 at 2:28 am
Yeah, I meant exactly the “company brand”. This is what one can change.
Very good points, Chris, I liked the idea of the X-Y-and-Z follow-ups. And Bob, you are also right about the target audience, I kind of missed that one. By the way, I subscribed to Joel’s podcast [;-) Chris]
Thank you very much, guys, I am sure this will help. I’m waiting forward to the next episode!
Pod on!
September 5th, 2007 at 1:04 am
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