There is no secret that a domain name plays a critical role
in a company's overall brand strategy. But what role does
a domain name play when building the most important brand
you have control over, your own personal brand? This valuable,
but less implemented, brand strategy is arguably one of the
best investments that many individuals have yet to take full
advantage of in today's wired world.
One of the most effective ways to build personal brand is
through a domain name. To show what I mean, let's look at
Michael Simmons of SuccessManifesto.com, a successful entrepreneur
who is using a domain name to build his personal brand while
also helping bring attention to his new book The Student
Success Manifesto, The Guide to Creating a life of Passion,
Purpose and Prosperity.
At the age of 21, Michael is a student at the Stern School
of Business at New York University, an author, and an award-winning
entrepreneur. Michael has written popular articles on entrepreneurship
that have been published by Entrepreneur.com, College Bound
Magazine, and Whizteens in Business. He has a unique perspective
on the importance of personal brand and how it plays a role
in helping people achieve their goals.
According to Michael's book, knowing how to brand yourself
is critical. In the same way that companies have a brand,
individuals have one. By becoming aware that you are a brand,
you too can leverage it to achieve your goals. In The Student
Success Manifesto, personal brand is composed of three parts.
I have listed the three parts below, but for the purpose
of this article I have changed the meanings to better relate
them to domain names:
1: Communication - The overall message a domain name says
about you
2: Credentials - The phrasing in the domain name that communicates
experience
3: Reputation -The phrasing in the domain name that communicates
trust
In order to have a positive image associated with a personal
brand it is important to have a domain name that is able
to bring all three of these parts together to deliver one
meaningful message. Just think of the benefits of having
your own personal brand associated with a well known and
successful domain name! An individual's association with
a highly credible, trusted and meaningful domain name can
be leveraged to get jobs, network with people, acquire customers
and clients or fulfill any other desirable goal. By having
a domain name associated with these three intangible assets,
personal brand can be leveraged to achieve any purpose.
Michael knows how to leverage a domain name to improve personal
brand recognition. Michael is not only the successful brand
strategist behind SuccessManifesto.com but he also co-founded
PrincetonWebSolutions.com when he was only sixteen years
old. The company later went on to become the #1 youth-run
web development company in the nation in the year 2000. Michael
credits much of his personal brand building success to his
carefully planned domain name strategy.
Michael's latest domain name strategy involves the launch
of SuccessManifesto.com, a domain name and web site that
prominently displays his personal brand as the main theme.
The site features his own image, personal achievements, and
an online journal that helps bridge the gap between him and
his inspired readers. The domain name and web site also serves
the purpose of helping him gain credibility with young people
and giving them access to his new book The Student Success
Manifesto.
Another interesting brand strategy Michael has implemented
with his domain name and web site is his ability to blend
his company brand with his own personal brand. After visiting
SuccessManifesto.com, visitors come away with the perception
that Michael Simmons, the person, displays the same characteristics
and values that the Extreme Entrepreneurship Education Corporation,
his company, holds.
Whether he is starting a new business or promoting a book,
Michael has always demonstrated an ability to use a highly
brand-able, trusted and persuasive domain name as part of
his strategy. This method has been used to build credibility
with his target market. His innovative approach of using
a domain name for his personal brand building through SuccessManifesto.com
gives Michael a clear and competitive advantage over other
individuals who do not have a domain name or are only using
conventional means to build their personal brand. To date,
using a domain name as the foundation to build one's own
brand can still be considered an unconventional route. The
good news is that only success and growth have come to individuals
who have chosen this less traveled path towards personal
brand building.
Shaun Cronrath is the President & CEO of DomainPurpose.com,
a
domain
name registration company offering all the major domain
extensions --.com, .net, .org, .info, .biz, .name, .ca, .us,
.cn, .eu, .de, .pro and more.
