No matter what job you work at, what company you work for, or where you go in your career, one thing that will always remain in tact is your personal brand.

I’m not sure if you are familiar with what exactly a style guide is, but if you aren’t I encourage you to check out official style guide standards of company’s such as MailChimp. They get so detailed with their style guide that they even include a special section on how to write commonly misspelled or mis-hyphenated words. A style guide can be as simple as a 1 page set of rules, or a massive 10,000 word document defining everything you do on and offline for your brand, be it corporate or personal.

In 2013 we wrote a guide to branding your personal name on the web. In this post we will focus more on creating a style guide, so you have a set of standards to stick by. So let’s dive right into things, let’s look at some of the things that make up a personal brand:

Your Actual Name

This one might seem a little bit obvious, but it isn’t always. Mine is simple, my name is Patrick Coombe. In order to maintain brand consistency I always identify myself as Patrick Coombe. Not Pat Coombe, or Patrick Michael Coombe. I’ve been on many forums over the years going by many aliases (that some of you might know me as) but over the past 2-3 years I’ve shed those names in favor of my actual name. I’ve done this for a few reasons, mainly because I’m known for my name on social media, I published a book under my name etc.

With other individuals, there are more complex scenarios when it comes to personal name branding. Take my good friend Glen Allsop, a very successful internet marketer otherwise known as “ViperChill.”

This name was a personal association he gave to a chocolate bar when he was 11 years old, he also likes the Dodge Viper. That, along with the fact that he is really “chill” and you get “ViperChill.” The name just stuck, and he has rolled with it ever since 2006 when he started using it.

Whatever the case may be, it is just as important to stick to your personal name brand as it is for a company to stick to theirs. There are a few exceptions of well known name brands that have come up with shortened versions of time, but this really only happens when you’ve achieved truly baller status:

• Chevrolet > Chevy
• McDonalds > MccyD’s
• CocaCola > Coke
• countless others

One piece of advice I give to our clients, staff and vendors on a consistent basis is to make sure you use your name consistently. For instance if your name is Michael Miller, don’t use:

• Mike Miller
• Michael David Miller
• Mike Miller
• Mike “madman” Miller

…on that note, if you do have a common name such as “John Smith” or “Michael David,” my advice is to use your middle name or the less commonly used variation so you can stand out a bit more.

Just the Facts

Facts about you as a person play a vital role in your personal branding and developing a style guide. Be sure that you are consistent when it comes to your facts that you use in your bios, about us sections, and other static and dynamic areas of your website. Examples of this include:

• “I started SEO in 2004” vs “in the early 2000’s”
• “I live in South Florida” vs “I live in Delray Beach, FL”
• “My first job was in a restaurant” vs “I worked for my parents at a young age.”

It may seem like it is trivial, but it could come across like you are being not up-front if you are not consistent with the facts about yourself. While it is OK to stray from the norm in longer form content, it is generally a good idea to try and keep some standards when you are doing your bio, etc.

Your Tag Line

You might have a tag line for your personal brand, you might not. I’m not going to say you have to have one, but if you do it is important to stick to it, and not stray from what you use. Again, brand consistency.

Matthew Woodward is a great example of personal branding in general, and he has a good tag line: “no nonsense SEO and affiliate marketing.” He uses this on his website and within his logo, and it does a great job of defining exactly what he does as a person.
Don’t feel pressure to come up with a tag line. In fact, I think it is better for your tagline to come about organically over time. I personally don’t have a tag line, it just isn’t something I chose to do at this point.

Colors

Colors is an area where a lot of people lose lots of “karma” from their brand. They’ll use yellow in one instance, red in another, and blue in yet another. Again, brand consistency. Define a color scheme and stick to it. One tool that I really like to use is Adobe Kuler. Adobe Kuler allows you to browse existing color themes, create new ones, and get suggestions on ideas for colors that match, contrast, or go together.

Color is important because it instills familiarity in your visitor. Every time they see that “Moz Blue” or “Coca Cola Red” your brand is further re-inforced. Many articles and even books have been written on color when it comes to branding, so I can’t even begin to go into this subject in this post but I will say to be sure to keep your colors consistent and remember that the colors you choose you have to live with, so choose wisely.

A really cool website to check out is “BrandColors.net” an entire website dedicated to identifying the exact color scheme of major brands throughout the world. They even list the exact hexadecimal code to use if you want to “borrow” it, just make sure you aren’t violating any international copyright laws before you do so. Kissmetrics also did a really cool infographic on how colors affect purchases, which can be really useful when trying to come up with a color scheme for the first time.

Font

Do not skim over this section. There is a reason why typesetting is taught throughout the world in colleges and universities. Your font is everything and everywhere. A bad font can completely destroy your user experience. Even choosing the wrong font size can ruin an experience. If you don’t know what you are doing, follow these simple rules so you don’t make a fool out of yourself.

It is my opinion that all brands should use a maximum of 3 fonts in all of their static media, most of the time you get away with 2: a heading font, and a body font. On the Elite Strategies website for instance we actually only use 1 font: Open Sans. We do use several variations of this font: Light, Bold, Italic, etc. We also use different weights, sizes and colors. There are a few exceptions of where you might find some other fonts such as icon fonts and a few plugins, but overall we keep it really simple. Take Joel Klettke an esteemed conversion focused copywriter based in the UK. On his blog it may appear that he uses a wide variety of font faces:

…but in fact he only uses one font face: Source Sans. He does make uses of color (his brand color of course) in his font, CAPS, bold, size, etc but sticks to his primary font face throughout his website. The result is a very well done website, that sticks to his style guidelines.

Often times when you spot a “hot mess” of a website, you’ll encounter one that uses 3-5 fonts on the same page. It is a huge mistake, and really can make your page look confusing.
Standardize your fonts. I’ll assume that most of the people reading this are using a CMS that defines this for them such as WordPress. CMS’s are great because you can use templates.

Logo

If you talk to many professionals about personal branding, a logo will be a hot spot for debate. Many people that I’ve encountered say a logo is totally unnecessary. Let’s take a look at some really “big name” personal brands in our industry:

• Rand Fishkin – no logo
• Jeff Bullas – no logo
• Neil Patel – no logo
• Gary Vaynerchuk – no logo

Those were just 4 off the top of my head I looked up quickly. Even in my research for this post, I couldn’t find a lot of information on logos for personal brands. I did find one gallery of logo designs for professional designers, which gave some great insight into some of the best designs out there.
There are many exceptions however. One of my favorite logos for a personal brand is by Kindra Hall, a professional speaker and story teller whom I met this year at Search Love Boston this past year. She keeps it really simple and to the point, but it comes across very professional and really drives home her name with a big “K.”
Some questions to ask yourself when considering doing a logo for your personal brnad:

• do you need a logo?
• why do you want a logo?
• is it overkill to have a logo?
• who will design your logo?

There are a few options if you don’t want to use a logo, but still want a graphic representation. You can opt for an “avatar” of yourself which is basically an artistic illustration of yourself. You can also just choose to do your logo in a specific font. It is your call, but my advice on this is similar to my advice on everything in this guide: if you are going to do it, standardize it.

Your Headshot

Mr. Dan Shure a very well respected online marketer from Massachusetts stated “your headshot is like the logo of your personal brand.” I really could not have said that better than myself. He also wrote up a great guest post about taking a headshot with an iPhone. Very well done, in fact his post does a great job of summing it all up. I do have a few
Don’t skimp on the headshot. I represent quite a few personal brands and many people will give excuses for not getting a headshot done:

• I hate the way I look
• I just changed my hair color
• I want to wait until XYZ
• I can’t afford a professional headshot

There are also many different types of “head” shots. You can go with the traditional from the shoulder up or from the waist up. You can choose a neutral background, blurred background or something specific like an “at work” background with your desk in the background. A headshot can convey many different feelings, from friendly, to professional, to confident. Examples include:
Here is my advice on headshots: if you are trying to identify yourself as a “personal brand” then you must have one. People are going to Google you. Do not let Google decide what image shows up when doing a search for your name. Always be in control of your search engine results page.
One last word on headshot: so you already have a professional headshot right? When was the last time you updated your headshot? 3 years? 5? 10? You should definitely have a new headshot taken at least every 2 years, especially if your goal is to personally brand yourself online.
This is probably some advice I need to take myself, as I haven’t gotten a new headshot in years, so yea I gotta get on that 🙂

Grammar, Voice, Tone, Yadda Yadda

Many people overlook this section, but it is really important especially if you are a blogger. It is even more important if you do video blogging, podcasting, or other types of media where you speak out loud.

Personally, I like to keep my articles casual and conversational. I like to keep things really casual, I might even intentionally use some incorrect grammar to drive home a point that I’m trying to make. I try not to make spelling mistakes although I have been known to make errors from time to time.

Now, don’t take this too far. Don’t start using so much slang and improper grammar that it comes across unprofessional. Unless of course your target audience goes for that. There are so many different options. Back in the early 90’s on BB’s and other dial-up communities and before blogging people would talk in “31337 speak” or “leet speak.” It was totally acceptable amongst that crowd of teenage hacker geniuses. If you came in there speaking proper you would be really out of place.

In short: know your audience. Blog / write / speak the way that your audience does.

Set a Social Media Standard

It is imperative that your style standards are used in your social media. When it comes to a personal brand, this is how a lot of people find you in the first place, so often times it is their first impression of you.

I’m going to use Matthew Woodward again because he’s done such a great job of his personal branding. If you look at his Twitter page, even the color of his hyperlinks etc match his main brand colors on his website:

This was very intentional on his part, and really helps you actually “feel” his brand whenever you visit one of his properties. Matthew really takes this to an extreme with his hot pink and light blue colors, so you don’t have to go crazy like he does but it is important that you standardize your look and feel across all social channels. At the very least if you don’t want to heed this advice: keep it neutral.
Using Kindra Hall again as an example from above, she takes a much more neutral, yet consistent approach. She uses her logo in all of her social media profiles, but keeps all of her colors and other details somewhat muted.

The fine details

There are many other aspects of personal branding that could be attended to if you chose to do so. For instance, URL shorteners can be branded according to your personal brand. Take my good friend and former Elite Strategies SEO professional Luiz Centenaro. Luiz uses the URL shortner http://centena.ro to shorten all of his URL’s on social media.
This fine detail adds a lot of validity to his personal brand and is really a nice touch that a lot of people can appreciate.

Another fine detail that a lot of people implement is a favicon. For me a favicon is really mandatory but how far you choose to take it is up to you. Paul Shapiro an old bloke of mine uses his headshot as his favicon.

The great thing about favicon’s is that they are visible even when the tab isn’t active. So for instance if you navigate away from your page you can still see Paul’s beautiful bearded face:
There are many details you can attend to as time goes on and your personal brand evolves. There are people that casually work on their brand and others that pay attention to every last detail, right down to the permalink / URL structure.

I will end with this piece of advice, which is something I’ve echoed several times within this post: keep it standardized and consistent. If you are going to experiment, don’t do it on a live property or website, do it on your own computer.

If it’s hard to get, it must definitely be worth something. This is what scarcity tells us. 

We attach more value to things that are few in quantity. We perceive things as more desirable when there’s a chance that we can’t acquire them anymore. We tend to want things that are harder to get.  

In short, we always want what we can’t have. This is the part where marketers sneak in scarcity into their marketing tactics.

While many are now using scarcity in their email marketing to boost sales, only a handful are able to succeed. 

Why’s that so? Simple. They’re not using the right techniques.

If you’re among these marketers we’re talking about, we gotta say, you’re lucky to be here. This article’s just what you need to become a scarcity marketing expert, or at least, close to it!

Before we dive in to these efficient sale-boosting tactics, let’s talk briefly about scarcity and its impact on the marketing industry. 

How effective is scarcity, really? Here’s an example:

Adewole, Lee, and Worchel conducted a psychological study on the effects of supply and demand on ratings of object value. 

They asked 200 women to choose between two identical jars of cookies, with both jars containing the exact same cookie. The only difference was that one jar contained 10 cookies, while the other one only had two in it. 

Should they go for the jar with 10 cookies, or will two cookies be enough to satisfy their sweet tooth?

Which jar do you think had the most votes? If you guessed the one with only two cookies, you’re totally right!

Psychologically speaking, people assume that if there’s less of something, it must be in high demand. The higher the demand is, the higher the value. 

This is how you can use scarcity in marketing. 

What is Scarcity Marketing?

Simply put, it is a marketing strategy that capitalizes on a consumer’s fear of missing out on something. It’s based on the scarcity principle that we desire anything that’s difficult to acquire. 

Marketers normally use scarcity in connection with a discount that’s only available for a limited time. They only focus on the discount, when in fact, it’s the discount’s urgency they should pay attention to. 

Although it’s true that scarcity marketing should go hand in hand with discounts and special offers, you have to understand that it’s not the discount that drives customers to buy – it’s the urgency. 

If you believe that offering discounts and awesome deals is all it takes to entice your readers, you’re going to have to rethink that. 

Ask yourself this: If your product or service is that good, then what’s the point of giving it a discount?

The reality is, there are so many ways to apply scarcity in marketing without the need to lower the price of your merchandise. 

A good example that proves you don’t need to offer discounts anymore is limited product availability. People prefer things that are limited in stock, as it gives them a sense of exclusivity and power. 

According to Robert Cialdini, aka the Godfather of Influence, the idea of potential loss affects how we make our decisions. We become motivated to buy something if we know that it won’t be there the next time around. 

Let’s take a look at Black Friday, a 24-hour shopping event where everything’s on sale. In actuality, it’s not that customers are fighting to get those unbelievable deals, but it’s the thought of missing the deals while they’re still there.

Phrases like “hurry, limited stock!” are why shoppers force themselves to wake up in the wee hours of morning and spend hours in line.

It’s the fear of missing out (FOMO) coming into play – and this is where you take advantage of scarcity marketing 

As an eCommerce company, one of the most effective marketing strategies to skyrocket your conversion is by using scarcity. Along with several scarcity advertising examples, here are six innovative scarcity marketing tactics to boost your sales:

1. Create Limited Edition Products

Remember when Coca-Cola was selling Daft Punk bottles back in 2010? What about Starbucks’ unicorn-themed frappe that generated a lot of heat on social media? 

If you’re wondering why we don’t hear about them anymore, it’s because they were made as special edition products. Did they bring in huge sales, though?

That’s a big yes.

Selling limited edition products can create a sense of urgency. Knowing that these products will run out of stock and never to return again, people will buy them as soon as possible. 

Many authors are notorious for using this scarcity marketing tactic. After releasing the first series of a novel, they don’t release it again. This triggers customers to grab that copy before it sells out. 

Board game companies are also fond of creating special editions of their most popular games. 

Monopoly has been constantly using this strategy to convince their customers to buy more of the same game, but with a twist. In 2006, they teamed up with Nintendo to make a limited edition game featuring Mario, Luigi, Zelda, and other Nintendo characters we all love.

If you have an item that’s produced in limited quantities, you can use that scarcity to sell more. There are two ways to use this tactic.

The first option is to promote your products ahead of time and encourage prospects to pre-order if they’re interested. 

Second, inform your prospects that a popular item is back in stock, but will sell out sooner than they think. Here’s Chubbies to inspire you:

To emphasize limited availability, make sure that you include the exact number of items you’re producing. That way, potential customers will be more compelled to buy.

2. Offer Freebies

We all love getting free stuff, don’t we? No matter what they may be, items that are given to us for free bring us happiness like no other. 

This brings us to our next scarcity marketing tactic: Freebies for your customers!

Give your prospects a reason to buy your products by offering them freebies, and don’t forget to incorporate a scarcity element for a sense of urgency. Here’s how Starbucks was able to do it:

Image Source: Pinterest

In this advertisement, the world’s largest coffeehouse chain is using the “buy one, take one” approach. It shows scarcity by including its limited time period. 

If you’re selling products with a high price range, like jewelry or high-end electronics, offering a freebie should be a no-no. You’ll end up undermining the quality of your product. 

People are going to wonder why you’re selling an expensive item and giving away another of the exact kind for free. This can leave them feeling suspicious about your product.

Instead of a freebie, you can offer a free service or resource related to your product.

For example, if a customer buys an Ultra HD television, repay them with a free 3-month Netflix subscription. If you’re selling gym equipment, you can provide a free training guide. 

3. Use Next-Day Shipping Countdowns

Customers are becoming more and more impatient these days, especially online shoppers. As soon as they press “purchase,” they expect their delivery to arrive pronto!

Because of this, many companies struggle to keep up with deliveries and shipping time. This is where you can count on the “next-day shipping” tactic to save you. 

Letting your prospects know how much time is left before next-day shipping expires increases their urgency to make an immediate purchase. If they want a certain product and they want it by tomorrow, they better buy it now.

Amazon uses this scarcity marketing tactic exceptionally well. 

Image Source: Sumo

Notice that they provide the option to choose one-day shipping upon checkout. Also, by adding “within 2 mins,” they’re persuading customers to take action immediately if they want to receive their items the following day. 

4. Let Shoppers Know About Low Stocks

The pain of losing something is twice as immense as the pleasure of gaining it. 

Besides having this fear of missing out on a product they might need, the thought that someone else might snatch it under their nose worries customers. 

This is why using the “low stocks” or “few items left” tactic can work wonders for your sales. 

Since scarcity makes items appear more popular that they really are, especially for online buyers, it’s not surprising that eCommerce stores are now leveraging low stock notices. 

ModCloth easily demonstrates scarcity here by indicating low stock items in red. 

Image Source: CXL

Seeing that the item they want is close to selling out gives customers all the more reason to make a purchase immediately. 

Another option to let your prospects know that a certain product is almost out of stock is by sending them an email, like what Death Wish Coffee does here:

Image Source: Sleeknote

This marketing scarcity strategy is excellent because they’re doubling the urgency here in two ways: using the keyword “now” and showing the number of items left.

For sure, such an email will put some extra pressure on your readers, eventually bagging you more sales. 

5. Use a Device-Specific Sale

Barring a particular device from getting a discount may sound like a bad idea, but trust us, it can actually help you bring in lots of cash. 

You’ve probably noticed by now that mobile shopping is rapidly growing, and it will only continue from here. 

What makes it more beneficial than desktop shopping is that it allows people to shop from anywhere as long as there’s service. No wonder49% of peopleexclusively use their phones to shop!

Researchers predict that by 2021, mobile will dominate online sales, driving 54% of all sales.  

Image Source: OptIn Monster

This should be the motivation you need to start using device-limited sales and bonuses.  

Although this scarcity marketing tactic works well in general, the impact it brings to hardcore smartphone users is far greater. With the discount only available on mobile devices, it offers exclusivity among shoppers. 

Email everyone on your list and inform them that you have a few hot deals in store for them, but on one condition: They need to buy on mobile (or through your app). 

Here’s Birchbox showing you how it’s done:

Image Source: Sleeknote

The beauty company gives shoppers the promise that they’ll get a “secret discount,” provided that they’re using the app on their phones. 

It’s also a good idea to include limited time offers or perhaps some freebies to drive more engagement and sales. 

6. Come Up with Seasonal Offers

You suddenly find yourself craving McDonald’s McRib sandwich. You drive your way to the nearest McDonald’s, greet the cashier with your charming smile, and excitedly order the sandwich. 

Just like that, the excitement turns into disappointment when they tell you that the product’s unavailable. Then, you remember, it’s not fall season yet!

This is how seasonal offers work, and we can tell you, it drives sales like crazy. The NPD can attest to that.

Season-specific products mean that they’re only there for a limited time, particularly during special holidays. Making them available all-year round will only defeat its purpose. 

Below are two scarcity advertising examples that promote seasonal offerings:

Image Source: Referral Candy

ModCloth creates special designs during the festive seasons. It wouldn’t surprise us if they’re a huge hit among Christmas and Halloween aficionados!

Image Source: Dunkin’ Donuts

Dunkin’ Donuts gives customers another reason to look forward to the holiday season.

Get Ready to Boost Your Sales Using These Innovative Scarcity Marketing Tactics!

Scarcity is one of the most important ingredients in creating a recipe for success in the marketing industry.

It helps you double, or even triple, your sales in just a short span of time – if you’re using the right strategies, that is!

Take your scarcity marketing to the next level and you’ll be at the top of your game. Your competition will wish they were you.