Should You Brand Your Own Name on the Internet?

I’ve been often asked, “If you are presenting internet marketing strategies, what benefit do you get by using J.D. Reilly as the name of your website?”  I’ve even received emails with suggestions of being arrogant or conceded.   The reason I use my name is very simple, no matter what niche you’re in you need to establish yourself as an authority in your market, because people trust authority figures. 

To build trust in someone is one of the greatest virtues one can obtain.  Along with that trust is a great deal of responsibility.  I have found that to be successful on the Internet you should put your name on everything you create.  Whether it’s a membership site, an eBook, or something as small as a PLR article pack for sale - you should put your name on it.  Getting your name out there is essential to your ongoing success.  And the reason for doing this is mainly two-fold:

1. 
   You want to establish yourself as an authority figure.  With authority comes a level of trust.  People that you gain on your list will trust your recommendations, they trust that your products will be of good quality, and they trust that you have integrity.  It also lends credence to the buyer that you’re a real person – not just some nameless, faceless entity trying to sell them something on a static, automated website.
   




2. 
   You want to create TOMA (Top Of Mind Awareness).  This is a marketing strategy used in all manner of business either on the Internet or not.  Ask your kids where they would like to eat and a majority of them will shout, “McDonalds!”
   

 The top of mind awareness is created by these factors:

A relationship has been earned

Good content has been provided

Credibility has been created

Name recognition has been established

Think about all of the Internet marketing gurus you’ve heard of.  Some of them you may not have heard of yet, especially if you’re new, but chances are you’ve heard of at least a few of these.  Have you heard of John Reese, Mike Filsaime, Frank Kern, Dan Kennedy, Joe Vitale, Michael Cheney, Willie Crawford?

If you’ve been in Internet marketing long at all you’ve surely heard of at least one of these people. People know and remember the names of these people because they put their names on everything they put out. 

If a person is well known chances are the buyer will think that the product must be good.  That is why I use my name on all of my products.  You should do the same thing with your name.  Always use the same name on everything you do within a particular niche. 

There are many ways of getting your name out there and you should take advantage of all of them that you can.  This will be a continual effort and not an overnight process.  However, you will reap the rewards of your efforts.  Here are a few particular ideas that you may not have thought of that I have found to be rewarding.  Host teleseminars, JV with well-known people if possible, and offer to help create content for well-known people in your niche in exchange for a Bio Box that hosts your name and link to your website.  Offer to be an interview subject for someone.  Be a “guest author” for popular websites and blogs in your niche, and create 100% original content for them.

The point is, never stop branding your name.  Even when you’re as famous as Donald Trump, the king of name branding, don’t stop. 

Donald Trump still puts his name on everything he does.  His name appears in huge, bold letters on his books.  He names buildings after himself.  Think of Trump Tower, Trump Taj Mahal, and Trump Plaza.  His name is all over everything. 

The branding of your name is not only a matter of pride but it keeps your name everywhere and at the top of people’s minds.  That is the key and if you are persistent you may become the known as the authority figure of your particular niche.