Simplifying My Brand was So Easy – for Someone Else

It took a perfect stranger to simplify my brand.  I mean that’s what I do for a living:  help individuals and companies with their brands – the words they use in telling their stories.

I was at a networking event last evening, and took the opportunity to do a little tweaking of my message as I circulated among the guests when I first walked in.  I tried a few versions.  Here is one of my openings:  “Hi, I’m Jeannette Paladino.  I’m a business writer.  I help individuals and companies to sharpen their brands and shape the key messages they communicate to their target audiences.”  Then I proceeded to tell the little group gathered around the bar that my focus was on writing web copy and blogs, branding and employee communications.

I'm a "word mechanic"

Oh, said one knowingly, “You’re a word mechanic.”  Bong.  Not wordsmith.  Word mechanic.  I love it.  I’m the mechanic who fixes the words people use so they roar into action like the motor of a fancy new car.  My tool box is filled with high-powered words.  I don’t need to use them all, just the ones that create clear, compelling copy.

My new friend had turned my brand into an image that clarified for him the perceived benefit I offered.  Once he understood, in his mind, what I do then he warmed up to the conversation.  “So, you write blogs,” he said.  He confessed that he was doing that for his own growing company and it just wasn’t a good use of his time.  Maybe I could help him out?   So, we exchanged business cards and he became a good prospect for my business.

It was a reminder for myself, and what I tell my clients – don’t over-complicate.  Keep it simple.

Let your clients and prospects imagine the possibilities of working together.