This Week’s “Style” Guide with A Few Thoughts on “Brand Building”

Ok, so this isn’t exactly a blog about today’s hottest fashion trends, or commentary on Rihanna’s Grammy outfit, but this week’s entry will address “style” in terms of “manner” and “expression,” which is still pretty darn important too. I’ve come across this topic a lot in my life, and given the demographics of our supporters, I think many of you reading this entry will find it helpful learning how to develop an individual brand that can be used both professionally and personally.

Developing a brand begins with adopting a custom style, and many writers—including myself, especially—business owners, and artists have difficulty establishing one. It’s important to adopt a signature style early because it allows your audience to easily associate you with your work. Using art as an example, I can pitch you the line: “Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day? / Thou art more lovely and more temperate.” You may not be able to peg the title of this work (pat yourself on the back if you said “Sonnet 18;” you’re a poetry nerd and proud!) But based on the structure of the lines, and choice in words, you have enough information to guess that the author is Shakespeare. To develop a signature form, one must commit to a repetition in style so that your work becomes recognizable to your audience. This is synonymous with brand building and we practice it everyday at The Fashion Foundation (Ah-ha! This entry is relevant after all).

Regardless if you are a professional, student, or curious reader, I want to provide you with a comprehensive list of 5 ways you can develop your own brand by using examples from The Fashion Foundation. Here’s what I have:

• Establish your own Identity.

This answers the question of who you are. You establish your identity by committing to a specific topic or ideal—this could be a problem you wish to solve in the world, or a personal goal you wish to achieve. The Foundation commits to helping students in need by providing them with school supplies, and it is this goal that drives our philanthropic ideals when we execute business plans, and host clothing drives and school supply drops. Your identity is the main component of your brand.

• Develop a mission statement for yourself and/or business.

"We are a certified 501 (c)(3) non-profit organization with the mission to provide school supplies to students in need.”

You will see this statement posted everywhere on The Fashion Foundation’s website, and it influences mostly everything we do. Whether you are starting a business or just starting to consider yourself as a professional, it is important to develop a statement that summarizes your goals and lets people know the purpose of you and/or your company’s existence. It’s always beneficial to establish a moral code for reference as you grow and become influenced by new knowledge and experiences.

• Build a platform to present yourself.

The Fashion Foundation's Facebook page @
www.facebook.com/TheFashionFoundation

You can choose (but are not limited to) a website, blog, Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram page (The Foundation has every one). There is nothing wrong with keeping your ideas in a personal place like a journal or diary, but if you really want your ideas and brand to flourish, you need to find a place to post them. Let’s face it; a flower can’t grow in the dark, right? Your social platform is your sunlight, and it will allow people to develop a positive association between you and your brand. Almost everyone these days has a Facebook and Twitter account; so don’t be afraid to post your opinions and thoughts about certain topics. Be mindful though, never post commentary that is hurtful to others. If you’d like to start a blog, try a site like Tumblr or BlogSpot. Want to build a website? Try a domain builder like Godaddy.com or Google the term “website builders.” There are tons of useful resources out there.

• We have the “why?” and you have answered the “who, what, and where?” Now we have to address the “how?”

Ok, so you have your identity, your mission statement, and a fancy website and social network page to get the word out, now how can you reach out even further to let the public know about your brand? You have to get out there! The Fashion Foundation spends a lot of time planning social events like pop-up shops and event gatherings that allow us to spread our mission statement and brand to current and potential supporters. We also hold fundraiser events that give people the opportunity to donate clothing and accessories as well as monetary items. If you are not a business—no worries—try networking yourself by creating a LinkedIn profile, which can help you reach out to people with similar interests. You can also join a local chapter in your community that allows you to meet people who can help to spread your brand identity.

 

(Photo on the left is of a promotional flyer for our pop-up shop hosted on 1/5/15. Photo on the right shows The Fashion Foundation on display during one of our many promotional events.)

• Incorporate your brand and style in everything you do.

One of our young and proud supporters
with her Fashion Foundation T-shirt!

You ever hear your parents, sports coach, or music teacher say to you, “Practice makes perfect!” well, they were right. In order to truly live by the brand you created for yourself, you must exercise it in your daily routine as much as possible. For example, you’ll see celebrities like Michael Jordan wearing his Jordan shoes—the brand that he created himself—during non-promotional events. You’ll notice a paparazzi photograph of Cover Girl Katy Perry wearing Cover Girl makeup products on a daily basis when she is not expected to promote the brand. These are examples of living life with the brands you promote. However, incorporating your brand into your lifestyle does not have to be product driven; volunteers for The Fashion Foundation do a great job of promoting what we do when asked, but they also reach out and donate to our cause whenever they can. If you can act in a way that supports your mission statement and goal when people aren’t watching, then you are doing it right. It not only makes it easier when you have to promote yourself to the public, but it makes you a better person in general.

Our brand tells our supporters who we are, what we offer, and how we can provide a service that is advantageous to everyone. Quite simply, our brand is our professional identity. To recap, in order to adopt a signature style and brand, you want to first establish an identity, and then develop your mission statement. Once you have done this, you can build a platform to present that mission statement, and then expand outside your platform to reach a broader audience. Finally, you must be sure to implement that brand into your personal life and in everything you do. The Fashion Foundation—or any company for that matter—is only as strong as the morals it practices and believes in whole-heartedly. If you have something you are passionate about, something you believe in, and something you can fall in love with doing each day, then congratulations! You are already halfway there.

Joseph A. Jungermann is a freelance copy editor and blogger for The Fashion Foundation. He also authors his own personal blog, titled: “A Tuesday Afternoon” (www.tuesafternoon.tumblr.com). He is the founder of the copy editing company: Elemental Edit (www.elementaledit.org), which provides content editing services for students, professionals, and small businesses. Joe obtained his Bachelors of Arts in English at Stony Brook University through their honor’s college in December of 2013. As a passionate reader, writer, and aspiring entrepreneur, he also enjoys playing guitar, reading poetry, and spending time with family and friends.