Branding yourself

Being online gives you the freedom to do pretty much
whatever you want. If you don't want to reveal your
identity then you can use a pen name and not post
your picture. It's entirely up to you.

A multitude of branding options are available to brand yourself
Knock yourself out... be innovative and deliver. Word of mouth
is important if you want to grow a brand to epic proportions.

Hint: your customers are more often than not, your best affiliates.

* Spruce up your communication skills
* Use the same punchlines
* Use a consistent tone

Either way is fine. Try with a pen name for a couple months and keep track of the conversion rate. Then do the same with your photo / name attached. If it makes a huge difference then you'll know which way works better for you. Every situation is different.

Whenever I start marketing in a new niche (usually every 2-4 months) I use a memorable or eponymous pen name and a "headshot" representing a composite of the targeted audience.

Hi s87634.
Why are you hesitant to brand yourself?
Regards.
Veena

Which is more recognizable Amazon or Jeff Bezos?

You can do whatever you're comfortable with doing.

Look at Eben Pagan. He's a big time internet marketer, but also made a lot of money in the dating niche as David Deangelo.

Look and bold and determined. The guy who owned the blog went as Victor Pride for years until recently he got saved and wants to go by his real name Nicholas.

If you want to use a pen name then go that route. If you want to build something big and have your name on it go that route. Just don't make it hold you back from taking action.

Hi,

I think it's perfectly fine to use a pen name and you do not need to use your own picture / photo if you do not wish to for whatever reasons that you may have. You can always get a copyright free picture of someone of the same gender or a different gender as you. It does not really matter.

Hope this helps.

You should be able to do either one. If you're not sure, start with a pen name.

See if you start to gain traction with internet marketing. If you do, you can always reassess.

People need something to relate to . . . that can either be a person or a business.

I am on many internet-marketing lists, several by people making big money from their lists. Some list-owners share details about themselves and become known as a person, to their subscribers. Others just post valuable info and are seen as a business. Either can work well.

So either choose a suitable business name and set up a high quality website and social-media channels, or be seen as an individual person which your list-subscribers will get to know, like and trust in some way (which can be mainly by you giving them great info that they benefit from).

Yes, a pen-name can work in some ways, provided you have some suitable images (find free images using a Google Advanced Search, or pay a few dollars for images). BUT have a think if you might ever need to promote on social-media, because some channels will only allow a verified individual person to be there . . . others allow a business to make a profile, or a pen-name, but that is unlikely to work on FaceBook for example. So think carefully through anything you might possibly want to do as part of the identity you choose, then choose carefully

Chris

Hello dear, I want to know more information about that matter. Please talk more about it.

To me, the difference is the same. You can decide to grow your real name or a pen name. I think the person who asked which is popular between Jeff bezos Vs Amazon was right.

Personal branding is a big thing right now, especially with the likes of Gary Vaynerchuk. Not everyone is going to be the guy on video talking about things. I don't see anything wrong with anonymity. Make the pen name catchy and the content sticky. Eventually, you might have to do things in person but, maybe not.

That is a great question.

I looked at a persons Brand image for years before realizing that they were now bald and totally did not look like their branded image. Is that branding?

Whenever I see a cute woman Profile I immediately assume its an old man in a thong and high heels at home or possibly in Nigeria...can't help it..I know too much about dating niche.

One of my favorite entrepreneurs of all time is Allen Says.

You will never find him he only went by "Admin" and we paid his PayPal Millions for years happily as he founded this forum then cashed out for a nice lump sum.

Building a brand does not mean you need to build it around your name. The Eban Pagan name mentioned above is a good example. The guy has 2 brands, one in the dating niche; the other in the marketing niche. Some marketers know about the dating part, I doubt the daters know about the marketing part.


Pick a good pen name and that will be your brand. I mean, you know of Nike, not of Bill Bowerman and Phil Knigh (the founders).



You know Elton John not Reginald Kenneth Dwight. For all you know, Reginald builds toy trains.

Pen names worked pretty well for George Eliot (Mary Ann Evans), Robert Galbraith (Joanne (J.K.) Rowling), E.L. James (Erika Leonard), John le Carré (David John Moore Cornwell), George Orwell (Eric Blair), Mark Twain (Samuel Clemens) and thousands more

Using pen names is a common practice used by marketers who need to differentiate their brand in widely disparate niches. Having a tactically attractive "personal" name provides a strong emotional connection perception in the sales process.

Using your personal name or a pen name both will work if you do it correctly. If you don't want to be known by your name then choose a pen name that is easy to remember, unique and can be turned into a brand. Make a list of major players in your niche who are using original names and those who made a brand out of pen name. Well, it's all personal choice.

You can decide the way to go with your name.
If you are not yet comfortable with your name, you can choose a penn name and use it accordingly.
More power to you.

if u want really brand yourself i think not only in the forums , social media will help u more .

I think that a well chosen pen name or something like an LLC (if you want to go that far) is a good way to go.

Personally I kept myself below the radar with a company name for nearly 10 years while I was employed.

Even now I am not entirely at ease putting together a personalized blog but am doing it as part of a course I am following.

Go with what you are most comfortable with. There are a number good observations from others here contrasting name versus 'brand' which suggest that it is not really that critical. Just make a good job of the approach you decide on.