Portfolio Spotlight: Personal Brand Implementaion Plan Student Project

Completion of this project exemplifies my ability to competently develop a personal brand as a communication professional. This project also highlights my mastery of understanding successful business practices on an entrepreneurial level as a communication professional. This project challenged my ability to develop a cohesive brand strategy, leveraging skills and knowledge related to target audience segmentation, authoring brand statements, and project planning. This project also demonstrates my understanding of communication laws and ethics, my ability to author codes of conduct, and successful consideration of budgetary limitations related to new business ventures.

While working on this project, I learned new concepts related to logistical needs of project oversight. This includes adherence to laws and regulations, tax and income reporting, and budgeting. Two of the most practical skills I gained from completing this project include the ability to author a cohesive, thorough project development plan, and the ability to create project objectives based on thirty, sixty, and ninety-day action plan segments. This project will help me create similar project development plans during my career as a communication professional. This project has also allowed me to identify my own personal brand through self-reflection exercises; something that I can take with me into my career and expand with professional experience.

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Key Components

Self-Reflection: While analyzing my own personal strengths, interests, and values, I tried to imagine certain core aspects of my personality. These aspects include what I am passionate about, what my aspirations are, and what accomplishments I am proud of. (Rampersad, 2015). Using these questions as an introspective guide, I concluded that my strengths include my ability to speak and listen, my sense of responsibility, and my adaptability. I am passionate about creativity. One of my deepest aspirations is to share my creative works with others. My interests pertaining to this include digital media production, videography, and themed entertainment. My core value in life is the concept of using personal strengths to protect others. This can manifest in many ways. Whether literally or physically, like nursing someone who is sick back to health, or facilitating a sense of belonging for someone by providing them the relevant resources. In general, my values can be communicated as believing that the highest form of intrinsic value comes from providing for others. These strengths, interests, and values of mine are not especially unique. I believe that my interest in creativity and sharing my work with others is something that many people could relate to. However, my core life values are uniquely my own. This is because these values are based on my own life experiences. While I am sure there are others who have similar core values to my own, mine come primarily from reflecting on different scenarios in my life and realizing my most valuable experiences are those in which I provided some form of need to another.

Codes of Conduct: In a broad sense, I want to implement standard IABC and Global Alliance codes of ethics in my brand. (Global Alliance, n.d.; International Association of Business Communicators, n.d.). Some of the codes outlined by these organizations most pertinent to my brand which I intend to uphold include following local laws and regulations, freedom of speech, fact-based communication, transparency, avoiding conflicts of interest, and practicing within my competency level. (Global Alliance, n.d.; International Association of Business Communicators, n.d.). Three codes of conduct which I intend to expand on and tailor for my brand are diversity and inclusion, privacy and disclosure, and commitment to ethical information accruing processes. I want to create a brand which holds diversity to the highest degree. This is my responsibility as a global citizen and especially as I offer services to the public. My brand will not treat any stakeholders who interact with it differently based on any identity or cultural labels or statuses. My brand will include clear, written contracts which promise my clients privacy and the right to disclose. Since I intend for my brand to provide communication services to clients, any material that a client provides to me for the sake of evaluation and consultation will be kept confidential. Any communication plans, materials, strategies, or other services that my clients receive from my brand will become their property, and not made available to the public. To uphold the highest standard of ethical practice possible, any outside resources used to create materials to be presented to clients will be sourced from ethical, unbiased sources, and cited properly.

Target Audience: The target audience segment for my brand will be independent artists. While I want my brand to appeal to this broader audience, my focus groups will be composed of independent artists who engage in e-commerce, and who engage with their audiences primarily through digital channels, including email, blogs, and social media. My brand’s target audience is 18–35-year-olds of all gender identities, with special interest in creating materials which position my brand as appealing to women and members of the LGBT community. This target audience is based in the United States, with consideration for potential phases of growth to include audience members from other countries where English is the primary language. The target audience for my brand is interested in the arts, alternative artforms and lifestyles, technology and social media, subcultures, global citizenry, advocacy, and freedom of speech. Members of the target audience for my brand value authenticity, personal connections, creativity, diversity, humanitarian causes, social responsibility, progressive ideals, open-mindedness, and community. This target audience is tech-savvy and socializes online frequently, and is therefore familiar with niche online subcultures, references to social media trends, and other forms of digital communication, including computer and smartphone applications which facilitate instant messaging, video and audio calling, and livestreaming.

Visual Design Considerations: I want my brand to be visually appealing to my target audience. It is deeply important to consider how visual design elements associated with my brand will translate digitally, since my target audience will likely encounter my branding materials digitally rather than through print mediums. Therefore, visual design materials should be created with careful consideration for the image and file type when exporting based on the channel through which they will be presented. (Hughes, 2019). My target audience will appreciate authenticity and personality over functionality. The typeface used for prominent brand materials, including logos, headers, and promotions should be in the serif font family. This font will communicate an adherence to authenticity and a feeling of refinement and elegance. (Vlahos, 2023). Communicating these traits visually is important to an audience composed of artisans. Colors to be considered for visual design elements include green, gold, and white. These colors are associated with growth, vitality, longevity, elegance, life, and tranquility. (Hughes, 2019). Since I want my brand to appeal to artisans, but to still communicate a sense of openness, these colors are strong choices. Other color combinations associated with artistry and luxury, such as gold, black, and silver, may appeal to the intended audience of independent artists, however, might come across as intimidating to artists who do not create art for high profits, or who do not practice traditional art. (Hughes, 2019). I want my brand to appeal to the modern, digitally based artist, and should instead use gold with green to communicate a touch of traditionalism with emphasis on progressiveness. (Hughes, 2019).

Personal Brand Statement: My mission is to facilitate effective, meaningful, authentic communication between independent artists and their clients. My objectives include providing communication consultation services to independent artists. These services include target audience segmentation, data analyzation, content creation advising, local and global brand development planning, communication plan development, social media strategizing, and connecting clients with other pertinent resources, such as visual design experts, quality analyzation testing, and mass production services. My target audience is independent artists, with a special interest in artists who participate in e-commerce, either through online storefronts, commission work, or both. My unique value proposition is connected to my target audience; (Rampersad, 2015). Although communication consultants exist, very few, if any, specialize in offering communication solutions to this niche market. Being able to identify this under-served market is a part of what makes this proposition have unique value. Communication services catered to the artisan community often overlook the artist who creates for a digital market. My goal is to suit the needs of these artists by listening and understanding their unique communication needs, and to tailor services to each client on a case-by-case basis. Standard IABC and Global Alliance code of ethics are applicable to my brand. (Global Alliance, n.d.; International Association of Business Communicators, n.d.). This brand adheres to specific written policies regarding discrimination and cultural sensitivity. Any services offered by this brand will include written contracts outlining nondisclosure agreements for clients; this is to ensure that clients’ sensitive information is protected. This brand guarantees that any third-party resources used to meet the needs of the client will be from ethical, sustainable sources, and cited appropriately, to the best human ability possible.

 

Entrepreneurial Considerations

Marketing Strategies: One key marketing strategy for my brand will be creating and maintaining brand social media accounts. Uploading promoted posts will help spread brand awareness and acquire new clients. (O’Dwyer, n.d.). Social media is a high priority marketing strategy for my brand since the majority of my target audience uses social media for their own personal brands. Another digital marketing strategy for my brand will be affiliate and referral marketing. (O’Dwyer, n.d.). Since my target audience values authenticity, creating relationships with other brands they trust will help legitimize my brand. For example, a company that develops a well-known digital art tool would have a similar target audience to mine. Members of this shared audience will be more likely to choose my brand over my competitors if I have an affiliation with this company which is familiar to them. A referral program would be a stretch goal for my brand to acquire new clients. (O’Dwyer, n.d.). A program like this would include incentives such as discounts that my clients would be entitled to for referring new clients to my brand. One more marketing strategy important for my brand’s success involves attending events to take advantage of in-person networking opportunities. (O’Dwyer, n.d.). This is important for my brand, reiterating that my audience appreciates authenticity and openness. Participating in events held for artists, whether through boothing, speaking, or sponsorship, will help solidify my brand as a cornerstone within the artistic community.

Communication Channels: There are three digital channels that my brand will use regularly to communicate with my existing client base and target audience, and one in-person channel that will be offered to existing clients on a case-by-case basis. The first digital channel will be a brand website. This website will include information about my brand, information about my services, any upcoming changes or promotions or in-person events related to my brand, and a digital inquiry form where visitors to the website can request my services. Based on the services requested in the form, email will be used to follow up with a quote. The second channel will be brand social media accounts. These accounts will be used for marketing, but also as a primary way to communicate important brand updates to my target audience. Social media will also allow me to communicate with my clients on an “informal” level; answering questions or concerns in post comments or private messages on these platforms is one way social media will allow me to maintain communication with my audience. The final digital channel my brand will utilize for communication is email. I personally do not want to implement a digital newsletter system. Although they have merit within digital communication, in my opinion they are antiquated and the majority of my target audience members are more likely to forward these types of messages to their spam folders than actually engage with them. Instead, email will be used as my brand’s primary point of direct professional contact. Having a professional email account where inquiry forms from the website are forwarded to is essential to creating that “first contact” with new clients. Additionally, this email will send important updates related to client relations and the occasional discount to any clients that opt to sign up for an email mailing list. This mailing list will act as a way to send relevant information to existing clients on an as-needed basis rather than a weekly or monthly newsletter. This is to discourage my clients from associating my brand with email spam. All three of these digital channels will be connected to each other via a distributed network of links. (Clampitt, 2017). For example, my brand’s social media profiles will feature links to the brand website and the brand email. Finally, I want to include an in-person communication channel which will exist in the form of a “meet and greet” for new clients. This channel will be optional for my clients, since my brand’s services can be completed digitally. Rather than being an integral part of the client acquisition process, instead it will serve to further associate my brand with authenticity and quality assurance. Since I plan to operate my brand remotely, this communication service will be available to clients that are geographically close to my central location. A digital version of this channel can also exist in the form of virtual meeting software. After submitting an inquiry form and receiving a quote for services, clients will be prompted with an option to meet with me personally. This gives them an opportunity to help me better understand their vision and goals, and shape the consultation package that I create for them based on their unique needs. This is a communication channel especially unique to my brand that I hope will help attract my target audience of independent artists.

Project Planning: One aspect of project planning to consider for my brand is visual communication materials. How, where, and when to acquire them will be fundamental to my branding success. I am comfortable with admitting that producing visual design elements is not within my scope of competency. I will need to rely on external resources to create these materials for me. This can be done either by commissioning an independent graphic designer, or by contacting a visual design studio. Another project planning aspect to consider for my brand relates to working remotely. I will need to ensure that I have the right equipment to make my brand successful. A laptop with Ethernet connection, a smartphone, a webcam and microphone, and various software tools for creating communication plan materials dedicated just to my brand are essential for functionality. Keeping devices for my brand and my personal life separate is a key aspect of my personal values that I plan to uphold. This also includes having a designated workspace. Whether this is in my home or in a rented studio, it is important that I create and maintain a space where I can maintain high productivity. Finally, it is imperative to consider legal documentation as a key aspect of project planning for my personal brand. My brand will function as an LLC and I will employ myself rather than working as an independent contractor. (Belew, 2019). Therefore, paperwork related to acquiring business licenses and ensuring I am working within legal parameters are foundational to project planning.

Financial Considerations: The two most prominent financial considerations for my brand have to do with operations and receiving payment. Operation financial considerations include costs related to laying the foundations for my personal brand before any form of marketing or client acquisition commences. This includes establishing an LLC, creating a workspace, acquiring tools and resources needed to operate remotely, and initial marketing materials. Financial considerations for maintaining operations include long-term marketing budgets, continued use of resources such as Ethernet and any software program subscription costs. Renewals for any relevant licenses or leases are also important to consider. The second part of financial planning for my brand relates to payments made by clients for services. Establishing a business bank account for my brand is an essential financial consideration to be made for this purpose. Local and federal taxation laws may apply to the transactions that take place between my brand and my clients. Ensuring that my clients receive receipts for their payment is also a critical part of financial planning.

Action Items

Brand Objective: The objective of Konnections LLC. is to create communication plans for independent clientele, promote organic brand growth for clients by supporting the artistic community as a whole, advise clients on ways that they can improve their existing brand and/or business, maintain the highest degree of inclusivity, diversity, integrity, and ethics within our practice, and to create authentic, respectful relationships between our brand and the client

Thirty-Day Action Items

• Create a thorough project proposal: An in-depth project proposal is needed to fully account for each aspect of the brand before attempting to establish and launch.

• Target audience segmentation: Creating target audience segments based on data is imperative to successfully communicate to those audiences.

• Author brand policies: Finalizing drafted brand policies and solidifying them as professional documents is important to ensure that the brand is working within legal parameters, to uphold brand values, and as an act of transparency for clients.

• Acquire legal documentation: Gathering, filling out, and submitting all legal documentation related to launching and maintaining my brand is essential to ensure I am working within legal parameters. This includes establishing an LLC.

• Acquire essential tools for operation: Hardware, software, and materials related to remote operations need to be gathered before the brand can launch and services can be offered.

• Acquire funding to fulfill each prior action item, and create a budget for sixty-day action items: Brand operations cannot commence without the appropriate funds acquired and budget planning.

Sixty-Day Action Items

• Acquire visual design materials: To launch the brand successfully, visual design materials need to be secured.

• Create brand website: The website for my brand will act as a base of operations for receiving client service requests.

• Create brand social media accounts and initial strategy plans for each: Successful marketing and communication via social media for the brand can only be done with a solid strategy plan and presence.

• Establish a professional email account: Creating the brand email account will serve as a way for new clients to communicate with me directly.

• Finalize and publish client inquiry form on website: Creating a full list of each service my brand offers for new clients to choose from as a part of the inquiry form is essential to establishing services offered.

Ninety-Day Action Items

• Implement social media marketing strategy: Launching the first round of social media marketing strategies will help acquire new clients.

• Create and implement affiliate marketing strategies: Locate, approach, and finalize plans for affiliate marketing opportunities to further grow client base.

• Create and implement referral marketing strategy: Establishing the new client referral program for my brand will further grow the client base.

• Post updates pertaining to brand operations on website and social media: Keeping new and incoming clients up to date on any changes or major updates to my brand is essential to build rapport as a new brand.

• Monitor marketing strategies for success: Using metric data and KPIs will help me understand which aspects of my initial marketing strategies are working and which are not.

• Continue to communicate with clients and target audience: Utilizing previously established communication channels to keep constant conversations going between myself and my clients and audience members will help bolster brand recognition and transparency.

References

Clampitt, P. (2017). Social Media Strategy: Tools for Professionals and Organizations. SAGE
Publications, Incorporated.

Global Alliance. (n.d.). Code of Ethics. https://www.globalalliancepr.org/code-of-ethics

Hughes, K. (2019). Graphic Design : Learn It, Do It. Taylor & Francis Group. https://
ebookcentral-proquest-com.ezproxy.snhu.edu/lib/snhu-ebooks/detail.action?
docID=5785742

International Association of Business Communicators. (n.d.). IABC Code of Ethics for
Professional Communicators. https://www.iabc.com/About/Purpose/Code-of-Ethics

O’Dwyer, D. (n.d.). Customer acquisition strategy: How to acquire more customers in 2023.
Intercom. https://www.intercom.com/blog/customer-acquisition/

Rampersad, H. (2015). Authentic Personal Brand Coaching: Entrepreneurial Leadership Brand
Coaching for Sustainable High Performance. Information Age Publishing, Incorporated.

Belew, S. (2019). The Difference Between Consulting and Freelancing. Dotdash Meredith.
https://www.thebalancemoney.com/what-is-the-difference-between-consulting-and-
freelancing-845836

Vlahos, J. (2023). Guide to Typography: What your Font Says About Your Brand. Printivity
Insights. https://www.printivity.com/insights/2020/07/17/beginners-guide-to-typography/