Is it Branding or Bragging?

I recently did a workshop for the great folks at Freebyrd to give their customers my top tips for creating great personal brands that will drive business online. One of the topics we covered was how to write copy that delivers specifics without bragging. Here are some of the reasons why YOU must differentiate between Branding and Bragging.

Sometimes the difference between branding and bragging is tough to describe, but you know it when you see it! Yet, it’s critical to differentiate the two in order to cultivate trust, earn respect, convert prospects into clients, or even get promoted.

So, let’s review:

• Bragging is when it’s always about YOU! This behavior occurs when you boast about your accomplishments, take credit for them, and offer up no supporting documentation.
• Branding is when you flip the equation around, talk about the benefit to your client or organization, and provide statistics to prove the result.
• Bragging is when you say you’re really funny.
• Branding is when you make them laugh!
• Bragging starts every sentence with “I” as in “I grew sales by 92%.”
• Branding defers the credit using “we” or “the team.”
• Bragging is when you boast of your accomplishments on-line as in “so excited to be the keynoter at this event.”
• Branding is when you post the 3 key lessons you shared.

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