One of the key points that I always make about branding is that it’s really another word for “differentiation.” Whenever we strive to differentiate our businesses against all the other stuff out there, our brands become more powerful and memorable for existing and potential customers. You want to know one of the key branding differentiators you can use for your business? Look in the mirror!

That’s right, there’s only one “you” out there, and your business can capitalize on your unique personality, values, and ambition. Your customers want to know whom they’re doing business with. They want to know that you care about them and that you care about the products you sell them. You are your own secret weapon at defeating your own competition, because they can’t replicate you.

Some of you may be thinking, “I don’t want to put my ugly mug on my website. That’s why I hire you, Eric—to make my site NOT look ugly!” Or maybe, “I can’t write or express myself very well, and I don’t want that to impact anybody.”

I understand, but have you ever seen GoDaddy’s Bob Parsons? That guy hasn’t won any beauty contests lately, and he slurs his words pretty badly. However, his website video and article series are immensely popular. Why? People like that he’s genuine, and that he seems to really want to help them out.

The internet and social media has catapulted us into an age of transparency that now encompasses all media. Turn on the television and you’ll see the Sprint CEO walking down the street hawking their new 4G phone. Papa John’s Pizza has Papa John himself pimping pizzas like nobody’s business. Apple’s runaway success is due in no small part to Steve Jobs. When they had to launch the iPad 2, Jobs got out of his sick bed and put on his trademarked black turtleneck and jeans (talk about a personal brand!). Apple wasn’t going to risk a high-profile launch without their celebrated pitch-man.

Want to see some e-commerce store owners that get this concept?

Check out Tom Nardone in his video for OvertheHill.com. How genuine and charming is this? http://www.overthehill.com/info.html

Joe Tantillo’s Greek Gear “About Us” page not only puts a video of himself on the Big Idea with Donny Deutsch, he listed out all his employees, a business profile, links to his dozen other stores, and more! http://www.greekgear.com/abgreek.html

Steve Berg puts pictures not only of himself but of the inside of his retail store on his Patriot Surplus “About Us” page:
http://www.patriotsurplus.com/info.html

Steve even put himself as the “Live Chat” model! I guess he didn’t want to use the same-old stock photography lady that everyone else uses (she’s still there on the live-chat pop-up if you missed her terribly). He’s also placing himself throughout the site with handy recommendation graphics labeled “Steve’s Choice.”

Juliette Samuel profiles herself and her family on their Nyraju Skincare “About Us” page, and also advertises a personalized “Juliette’s Tips” from the homepage for her customers. http://www.nyrajuskincare.com/our-story.html

Although we’re designing a new “About Us” page for Marc Bowker’s Alter Ego Comics http://www.alteregocomics.com, Marc is already taking his personal branding beyond his main site with newsletters and more.

Check out his “Marc’s Remarks” section at the top of every newsletter, and then the guarantee card that Marc puts in every product box that is shipped (it even has his family’s pic on there!).



There are so many opportunities to brand yourself into your company in ways that legitimately help inspire and motivate your customers. I would challenge you to at least give it a try, as some of these store owners have. I can tell you that I plan to do even MORE of this on our own EYStudios site with our next new re-design.

If you’d like some feedback on how to make your site more personable and accessible, give us a call at 888.429.4803 or shoot us an e-mail. One of our friendly staff-members would be happy to help you out (and you can see their pics on our site!)

See ya next week!