My Brand Is …
I’ve been thinking lately about my brand. I’ve always hated this marketing term, but the word “brand” does help answer a question. When you think of me, what comes to your mind?
I’ve written about a lot of different topics on this blog, everything from findability to podcasting, blogging, technical writing, flare, wikis, screencasts, project managers, content organization, and more.
My content is diverse enough that when people ask me to speak at conferences or chapter events, they sometimes aren’t sure what topic I should cover. Maybe this broad focus dilutes my brand. At the Dallas Summit, for example, one organizer told me that when I submitted to speak about my topic, the committee didn’t feel I had a well-known expertise in it, but they trusted me anyway. And I came through.
Some people have established their brand in a strong way. Here are a few that come to mind: Anne Gentle is an expert in wikis. Sarah O’Keefe is an expert in XML. Ellis Pratt is an expert in marketing. Scott Abel is an expert in content management. Rahel Bailie is an expert in content strategy. Alan Porter is an expert in corporate wikis. RJ Jacquez is an expert in Adobe. Jack Molisani is an expert in business strategies. Ann Rockley is an expert in enterprise content. Neil Perlin is an expert in online help. Stewart Mader is an expert on starting wikis in organizations. And so on.
Most of the people I named are consultants specializing in these niches. But what if you don’t have that background? How can you build an online identity that brands you as an expert?
Here’s one strategy. To brand yourself as an expert, write about the topic you want to show expertise in. Even if you don’t know much about it, people will soon think or feel that you do. Either way, by pushing out post after post on the topic, you’ll soon be associated with the topic by default, regardless of your expertise. It’s kind of like those marketing surveys where they ask you what brand comes to mind when you think of cars.
That said, I want to refocus my brand. What I do most of all on this blog is … blog. I like to think of this as writing, but since everyone in tech comm is by default an expert writer, this strength isn’t a selling point. Additionally, a person blogs/writes about a specific topic (except for blogs about blogs, which I think miss the point.)
I guess I find myself leaning towards “new media.” But I’m not entirely sure what new media means, and in many ways my strength is the opposite of new media — I enjoy writing, which isn’t new. Is new media the only bucket that holds blogs, wikis, screencasts, wordpress, web-based help, web 2.0, user-generated content, and more?
I’ve written a few posts on content strategy, but I come across as abrasive towards this subject. For the record, it’s content strategy for tech comm that I raised objections to, not content strategy for the web. The latter I agree with, the former any good technical writer should already do, to an extent.
I do like content, but who doesn’t, and what does that mean anyway? For me, it means I like ideas, and substance, and eye-brow raising arguments. I like an interesting opinion, or an intriguing exploration of a topic. I like articulate thoughts in a well-structured form. Not only do I like content, I am also a content creator. But what kind of person specializes in content itself?
I also enjoy innovation. Conventions and status quo never sit well with me. I like to push new forms and try new techniques. I explore different paths. A colleague once told me that I’m an innovator – I create new sites, post about new ideas, and experiment with new strategies. But again, is innovation really something one specializes in? Maybe Scott Berkun, who makes a living off of this topic, can specialize in innovation. But sooner or later that topic catches up to you.
I also like to share personal experiences in transparent ways. These experiences are often the substance of my writing. But they’re a bit navel-gazing. When I find myself focusing too inward, I think of this quote from Jorge Luis Borges:
Through the years, a man peoples a space with images of provinces, kingdoms, mountains, bays, ships, islands, fishes, rooms, tools, stars, horses and people. Shortly before his death, he discovers that the patient labyrinth of lines traces the image of his own face.
I also like story — the raw, yearning narrator essaying against a conflict or idea at all odds and costs. Just when the conflict seems insurmountable, the narrator finds a new perspective that leads to a transformation and resolution. Stories drive meaning and engagement. Stories connect people to each other. Did you know I’m telling a story right now? It’s my struggle to define my brand. Transformation is coming, just hold on.
I know WordPress well — or well enough to pass as a WordPress consultant, anyway. But tool branding is pigeonholing. I know someone who feels trapped by his branding for Flare expertise. Once you’re branded with a certain tool, it’s hard to break free of it. What I like about WordPress isn’t the tool or technology itself, but the capability it provides to publish and design content.
I’m also a contrarian, but I don’t want to go down that path again. Psychologically, it’s probably indicative of a deep inner disturbance. Those doors are best left shut.
There are a few more sides of me you rarely see. I rarely write about those topics, because I like to maintain some privacy in my life. But sometimes I do write about them, and it feels good to be free to wander off my usual paths once in a while.
I am glad I am not bound into such a narrow niche as a brand. Maybe my brand is to resist brands?
In the end, though, my brand is probably writing. I’d rather be writing. But there’s a lot of latitude in that. The space is as wide as a desert landscape, with a lot of space to move around and explore.
I choose these goblin landscape things in the background as my brand. They go on for miles and offer countless paths and maze-like channels. This is Goblin Valley in southern Utah, by the way.
>Ellis Pratt is an expert in marketing….Most of the people I named are consultants specializing in these niches
Interesting! I’d hope I’d be seen as knowing something about user documentation and its value, as our business offers technical writing services (and not marketing services).
My background IS in sales and marketing (and there’s a business studies degree in there too), so I do talk more about the value of documentation and promoting the need for technical writing experts, rather than the latest widget to be added to DITA. This probably means I’m seen as taking an outsider’s view to technical communication.
Your brand is related to your audience. So there’s a key question there: Who is your audience? Your audience might be yourself – you just write about stuff that interests you. We are currently going through a process of identifying the ideal archetypes for our services (= another word for personas). It’s a very useful process for identifying your audience – establishing what grabs their attention and checking you’re relevant to them.
Ellis, I mean that I see you as an expert in tech comm / marketing crossovers, not just marketing by itself. Maybe this view is influenced by the marketing analytics you shared during your vienna presentations. You do regularly bring a marketing angle to discussions of tech comm.
I don’t believe there’s much wrong with establishing a niche as a contrarian, but wholely professional, writer.
Constructive discourse is a wonderful thing.
Tom,
IMHO, your brand is that of a technical writer. You’re the man. I’ve often referred other instructional designers (training developers) to your site because you’re the resource. I know there are other people who write about creating training but YOU are the one I refer them to.
Is that type of a brand so bad?
Hi Scott, thanks for the note about my brand. I associate you closely with screencasting, but I’m not sure if that’s just a side hobby you have, or what. Are you in a tech comm field? And do you have a green screen room at your house?
I always wonder that when I see those in your screencasts.
Tech writers are often by nature “renaissance men” (OK, “renaissance people
). We have to know and become experts in a lot of different things to do our job well. The desire to learn and grow is part of what we do, and it means that we often don’t have one focused “brand.” It’s true that many of us have one particular area in which we particularly excel, but in the end we need a wide set of skills: writing, content management/strategy (in whatever way you want to take those terms), Web/online help design, PDF/print design, some coding, project management skills, tool-specific skills, etc., etc., etc. By being someone who writes about and knows about a lot of different topics, you become a good representative of what a technical writer is. Thanks.
Good point about the renaissance skillset. I can see how that might work against being known for a specific brand, since branding often comes about from specialization. If one’s skills and knowledge are too broad and all-encompassing, it’s hard to be known for a specific skill.
Tom, I tend to think personal brands as being like tag clouds: there can be lots of facets to the brand, but usually one or two stand out.
For me, your tag cloud has “Technical Writer” front and center. But right next to it is — I can’t get the exact phrase — something like “Inquiring Mind.” You’re the one who holds a mirror up to the profession, who asks great questions, who constantly looks for more understanding and insight. You’re like a really great investigative journalist.
I love your Goblin Valley image: “they go on for miles and offer countless paths and maze-like channels.” Just like all of the countless areas of inquiry that make up TechComm in the 2010s. I can’t think of a better person than you to guide us through that landscape.
Larry,
Couldn’t have said it better myself!
Linda
Larry, thanks for your comment. I guess it should have been more obvious to me that I brand myself as a technical writer. Kind of odd that I do that, though, given that I’m not a contractor nor do I provide freelance technical writing. Maybe I should start doing that? (The reason I don’t is because I doubt the pay is worth it.) What would it take to position me as more of a web content maven?
So, I think of your brand as one-stop shopping for tech writers. I often don’t have time to keep up with all the experts. The trends, the latest thinking, both expert and the community at large. So, I think that’s it. You’re the pulse of the tech writing community.
Thanks Anne. “The pulse of the technical writing community.” I might just use that as my new tagline!
I’d have to agree with Anne – your site is a daily check in with me. You’ve made me aware of so many things I never would have encountered in my new career of tech comm.
Tom,
Thanks for a typically excellent and thought-provoking post, and a neat photo!
You said towards the end: “…..Maybe my brand is to resist brands? In the end, though, my brand is probably writing. I’d rather be writing.”
That’s completely understandable. No matter what the subject, I enjoy reading your posts. I check in here at least a couple of times a week.
Regards,
Mel
Thanks Mel and Jeff. I’m glad that you like the posts and writing style more than the specific subjects.
Tom,
Thanks for the reply. Yes, I work with screencasting quite a bit. I’m seeing it blur over into video more and more though. It’s a good thing though, visual communications are the way to go.
My background is in corporate training. Mostly product, new hire, and systems. That’s where I really pushed screencasting and began following you.
And yes, I do have a greenscreen in my office. You know your spouse loves you when she let’s you hang it in your home office.
There’s no reason you can’t be seen as a different kind of expert to different people. Some might see you as the WordPress expert, others as an IT master, and still others as a writer. To each of them they have a clear idea of who you are and what you can do, even if their ideas are different and they have no idea about how others see you.
Your personal brand is “technical writer”. Further specialization can be a trap. If you were a truck driver, would you want to have a brand that said you drive only Ford trucks? Although I’m known for UNIX documentation, I can and do write about everything from layer 2 network internals to how to plant beach grass. My brand is “writing for the reader”.
Hi Tom,
I follow your posts regularly. I find them extremely interesting and relevant. IMO, you’re the ‘go to’ person for any kind of tech comm question. When I come across anything new in this field, for example, one of my first instincts is to check what you have to say about it. And my visits never go unrewarded. So, I’d have to say that your strength or your ‘brand’ is that you’re jack of all trades, and master of most;).
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Tom,
Your brand is definitely unique. Not every brand is easy to put into a word or two, a catch phrase. Note every brand is about quantifiable things either. Your brand definitely has something to do with the interaction you engender among us professionals. I’ve always thought your interviews and audio podcasts are an important part of your brand. Don’t stop blogging/podcasting/video casting/interaction casting. Maybe that’s the new catch phrase that summarizes your brand – interaction casting. Go for it!
Thanks Bill. I have decreased the number of podcasts and screencasts I do, mainly because I feel I should focus on my writing. Don’t ask me why. I’m not abandoning those mediums by any means, just making my primary focus writing.