Don't Be Shy - Persona Branding for Your Online Business

Many, if not most, holistic and esoteric professionals, are shy and sensitive. This sensitivity makes you tops in your field, but can inhibit you when it comes to branding and promoting yourself.


Persona Branding


Persona branding, using a single person as the identity of a business, is usually the best approach to branding a business of an author, medium, psychic, astrologer, or basically any business providing a personal service where you are the sole provider of that service. It is better for sole owners of holistic service businesses because:

1. People like a real person to be associated with personal healing or reading.
They are going to let you invade their space, or at least their aura, and they would like to have an understanding of who is doing it, rather than some cold name like "Wellness Express". There is comfort provided by an individual that is absent in a corporate-style company name.

2. A person's name is more relatable than a company name.
It is much easier for people to understand, remember and want the homemaker services of "Martha Stewart" over "Federated Publishing and Media Conglomerate".

3. A person is a convenient umbrella for a variety of modalities and services.
We can understand that a person has more than one talent, but the same offer can be more confusing from a company.

4. It is easier to brand with a person than with a concept.
Companies pay thousands of dollars and go through mental gymnastics trying to create an identity concept that works. Your persona already works. Your name, your picture, you're done (almost).


But sometimes mediums and healers are reluctant to come out and declare that they are in alternative professions because of public stigma and general shyness. Here are some thoughts that may help:

1. You are not the same as your persona.
Keep in mind that, although you are using your name and likeness, your persona is not the same as you, the person. Your persona is a kind of avatar that just happens to resemble you. Keep them separate in your mind and you will not feel as vulnerable.

2. You are in service.
Keep your eye on your purpose and not on what people think of you. Since you are trying to serve people, it does matter in an abstract way what they think of your persona, but not you. Be detached from the public impression of you.

3. Be ready for positive and negative reactions.
All reactions help you focus your product and services. Take praise and criticism from a high perspective and just take the lesson from it - this seems to work, this seems not to work.

So use your persona as your brand - It's a good thing!