Susan Friedmann [00:00:31]:
Welcome to Book Marketing Mentors, the weekly podcast where you learn proven strategies, tools, ideas, and tips from the masters. Every week, I introduce you to a marketing master who will share their expertise to help you market and sell more books. Today, my special guest is doctor Brigitte Bojkowszky, who is the company and personal brand identity strategist and owner of BridgetBrands. Her focus lies in empowering corporations and entrepreneurs worldwide to craft and refine distinctive brand identities, cultivate cultures rooted in shared values, and deliver exceptional client experiences, guiding them towards their brand's radiant future, attracting the recognition and clients they truly deserve. In her book, Significant Women, Leaders Reveal What Matters Most, an international bestseller, she reveals how she got into her sweet spot of making brands shine All the way from Vienna, Austria, Brigitte, welcome to the show and thank you for being this week's guest expert and mentor.

Brigitte Bojkowszky [00:01:54]:
Hi, Susan. Thank you so much for having me on your show today. I'm very honored.

Susan Friedmann [00:02:00]:
It's wonderful to have you, and I always love it when we have that international flair added to the show. Yesterday, I interviewed somebody from Singapore. Today, it's Vienna. I'm not sure where tomorrow will bring us, but, hey.

Brigitte Bojkowszky [00:02:16]:
We are living in a global world, and we are all connected.

Susan Friedmann [00:02:19]:
It's phenomenal. I love it. And since I love to travel as well, having people from different parts of the globe talking about publishing, talking about writing, talking about building brands, I think it's just incredible. Now, I know we're going to get started in talking about your personal brand, but I suddenly recognize the sweet spot of making brands shine. Can you just give us a little nugget of how did you get into this whole concept of making brand shine?

Brigitte Bojkowszky [00:02:59]:
Oh my god. This is a long story. I tried to cut it apart, but it's all about going from being invisible to being visible. And for me, that was always a topic. As a child, it was all about playing small and trying to be not visible, to not make a noise, and it was something that I could not really cope with. I was always questioning why should I not speak up? Why should I not show who I am? There was always this internal struggle of fitting into a certain society, fitting into a certain group of people, fitting into a work place, fitting into this, fitting into that, and fitting into certain circles. So for me, it was like, I never could be who I really am because I always try to fit in and be my best there. But then there were so many things adding up.

Brigitte Bojkowszky [00:04:01]:
So I went from a flight attendant to a student to a corporate to an academic, and then eventually to become my own boss and to start my own business. And it was like shedding an identity which I used to keep up but was going away from my true core. So it was really liberating to starting my own business and doing what I feel like is the right thing to do in being very, very intentional about it. So my whole journey from a child, from a young woman, going through all the stages of student and being an employee and then turning, you know, my limiting beliefs into something empowering and, staying true to who I really am. And that was just, in retrospect, such a beautiful and liberating journey that I would never wanna miss anything. All the hardship is swept away.

Susan Friedmann [00:05:10]:
Yeah. It sounds as if this was the beginning of exactly what you do, the idea of helping others build a brand for themselves because you manage to do it for yourself. Let's dig into this whole idea of focusing on that. Yeah.

Brigitte Bojkowszky [00:05:31]:
Yeah. Just wanna round that up because what I went through is everything comes from within, and building a brand building a brand identity comes from within from your mindset. And that's their all stars. And that's why I'm a proponent of branding starts with mindset. And now we can jump into the Yes.

Susan Friedmann [00:05:58]:
In terms of how branding does begin with the mindset. So talk more about that.

Brigitte Bojkowszky [00:06:06]:
Yeah. So everyone actually is a brand whether they are aware of it or not. It's all about what you're putting out there, how you present yourself to the world. It's how you differentiate yourself from anyone else. Establishing something very unique that is true who you are in the mind of everyone else that you are in touch with, And that's about branding in general. And a brand can be anything. Anything can be branded. It can be corporations.

Brigitte Bojkowszky [00:06:38]:
Think about the big corporations like Google, Apple, you name it. Smaller, small, medium sized companies, micro companies. You as a publishing house, you are a brand of WeWire. And then we have products, services, experiences are a brand. Like, Disney World, this is where people go and have an experience there. Right? All the services that we are offering, a coaching is an experience. And then we also have people. So personal brand, everyone is a personal brand.

Brigitte Bojkowszky [00:07:15]:
You are in a personal brand. I am a personal brand. It's just the way of how we present ourselves. What kind of perception are we shaping in the market? That's what we are putting out there. So for everyone, just think about that. When you are listening to this podcast, think about how are the people perceiving me? What am I doing intentionally that people perceive me in the way that I intend to? That's about personal branding and you can shape perceptions. And if you're not doing it, then other people brand you and they might brand you in a way that you might not like it. And this is the concept about personal branding.

Brigitte Bojkowszky [00:08:03]:
So a personal branding is not just a representation of who you are now, but a dynamic reflection of your growth and evolution over time. It's also about becoming something that we want to be in the future if we are strategic about it.

Susan Friedmann [00:08:24]:
That's a very interesting conversation, is that if you haven't established this brand for yourself, that somebody else is going to brand you in a way that you may not like. Yeah. How would you go about changing that? If somebody has or more than one person, but out there in the marketplace, somehow, you're known as one thing, and yet that's not something that you feel is right for you and you want to change that image of who you are and how you want people to see you?

Brigitte Bojkowszky [00:09:05]:
Yeah. So once you already have a certain perception in the market, it always takes time to bring about a change. This is normal. Until you reshape an identity, it just takes a time of itself. But the question is, who are you and in what capacity are you putting yourself out there? Just could you give me an example that can work with and explain that to our audience?

Susan Friedmann [00:09:31]:
Let's take me. In the marketplace, many people think of me as an author.

Brigitte Bojkowszky [00:09:39]:
Mhmm.

Susan Friedmann [00:09:39]:
And yet, I don't necessarily want people to only think of me as an author. I want them to think of me as a podcast host, as somebody who's knowledgeable in publishing, in niche marketing, in book marketing. I know that often people say to me, oh, you're an author. And that is not something that I would put, 1st and foremost, even though I've written 18 books, but yet somehow I don't put that label necessarily front and center of me being an author. Does that help?

Brigitte Bojkowszky [00:10:19]:
Yeah. Absolutely. That helps so much because you are facing a dilemma that a lot of nonfiction authors are facing or are having. It's the decision between leaning on a company brand or, corporate brand or business brand or professional brand identity or the personal brand? And that really depends on various factors. For example, goals and, the target audience that you wanna appeal to. Or it's also about the nature of your content that you're putting out there. So how do you differ between the 2, and what is better to lean into? There are different reasons. I would like to mention some of them.

Brigitte Bojkowszky [00:11:04]:
So why would personal branding be more in the forefront? Personal branding focuses always on the individual. It revolves around you, Susan, and everyone who is an author, around you being an individual, highlighting your personality, highlighting your expertise, showing your values and your unique story that you have. It's like with me, I have a story that backs up what I'm doing, you know, why I am doing it. And then, also, a personal brand allows you as an author to establish a deeper and more authentic connection with your audience. Because readers often resonate with the individual behind the book, especially in nonfiction. And then it also showcases your expertise and your authority as a personal brand. Your unique perspective that you bring in. For example, when readers seek knowledge and insights from a credible source, It's not only the book, but it's also the author behind who is writing that book.

Brigitte Bojkowszky [00:12:23]:
Then leading into more a personal brand provides authors also with a certain continuity and flexibility through your career because you're also changing, you're evolving, and you're adapting your content that you're putting out there. You're taking on a different topic. You're looking into different areas where you find yourself to be unique and connect with the specific audience. And there, you also have the differentiation factor. You might have a certain prestige coming along with, for example, for your authors publishing under AVEVA Publishing, but it's also about highlighting your unique voice as a person with your value set that you bring along, with your personality, attracting a certain readership that resonate exactly with your brand. And then you also, as a personal brand, you have monetization opportunities. It opens stores beyond book sales, such as speaking engagements, consulting, merchandise. So here you have then a diversification of an income stream that really is due to your personal branding, how you put yourself out there.

Brigitte Bojkowszky [00:13:50]:
That would speak for going for or leaning more into personal branding. Beginning, there needs to be a balance because also the company branding comes in here. Who is the company? Does the author also have a company brand? Or maybe there was a company already, and then you also start writing a book. You become an author. That you are an author, a personal brand within the context of your company, of your organization, or the company since you maybe published the first time, you publish with a publishing house. So that the company brand would be, in that case, the publishing house. But you also could be an author in the context of academia. You are publishing an article in the Harvard Business Review or any other Ivy League magazine or in an a ranked journal such as Harvard Business Publishing or in the New York Times.

Brigitte Bojkowszky [00:14:57]:
So something that is renowned. A paper or a magazine that is top on the list. That gives you as a personal brand with the company brand, institutional organization, whatever that is in the background, more credibility, more trust because readers are more inclined to trust books associated with established brands in the background. If you align that, your personal brand with the company brand, the publishing house could be a resource pool for you. It provides you with access to different kinds of resources and support or collaborative opportunities. Maybe with other authors, you were going to copublish a book where different publishers are writing a chapter in the book. So the the different possibilities out there, and there are more to name. But the crucial thing is here to understand what is a personal brand, what is the company brand, where is the balance, and where should they align? They should align in goals even though they're different goals, but there should be alignment.

Brigitte Bojkowszky [00:16:07]:
There should be integration between the two brands, and there needs to be flexibility in the two brands. And the key distinctions are always the audience. For an author, the audience is the reader, then the scope. Personal branding is always brought in scope. It encompasses the whole persona and the professional endeavor where the company brand focuses on the business entity only. And then the control, and I think this is another important thing. The authors usually have direct control over their personal brand, usually. While the company brand may be involved with other things like stakeholders, and you also might need to adhere to organizational guidelines and and something like that.

Brigitte Bojkowszky [00:16:53]:
But this is the main distinction.

Susan Friedmann [00:16:56]:
Excellent. Wow. Woah. My head's spinning. I'm going to pull you back a little bit and say, Okay, let's look at this from the basics and look at is there a roadmap? Are there some certain do's and don'ts that we should be in terms of starting from the beginning and establishing a brand from the beginning, whether it's changing one, that somebody else has another perspective of you, or that you haven't even got a brand. You're a nobody at this point, but you would like to be a somebody. Where do we start?

Brigitte Bojkowszky [00:17:34]:
In general, when you do branding, you start with mindset. And that means you have to have a vision, a vision for your future, where you wanna be in the future. A mission, it's a crafting kind of a mission statement that encapsulates what your purpose is, your big why, your desired impact that resonates with you and whatever you're doing with your audience as an author is the reader. And then what is really, really very crucial and that applies for everything is your values. You need to clearly define your core values that you wanna live and breathe every day, And it's anchoring your brand identity and ensuring alignment in everything that you are doing in private but also in personal life. When you are building a brand, we have this kind of dual approach. You are going on a discovery mission. We have the vision, mission, and the values.

Brigitte Bojkowszky [00:18:43]:
You have already done work with your mindset. Right? Then when you go on this discovery mission, you do a here and now analysis. You are embarking on a deep soul search mission to understand who you are in the present moment. This involves kind of an exploration of your current strengths, of your weaknesses, and also your brain style. And there is so much more to brain style. I cannot go into that because it No. It's so long, but in general. And then you also simultaneously envision what you aspire to become as an entrepreneur.

Brigitte Bojkowszky [00:19:27]:
You identify as a personal brand or as an executive within an organization. You identify your aspirations, your goals, and the brand persona so that the identity you aim to embody in the future. And this dual approach allows you to ground yourself in your current reality, which is important, while at the same time charting a course toward your desired brand identity. In that way, you are bridging the gap between your present self and your future aspirations. And this is how you work on a strong, on a compelling, on a radiating brand identity. It's all about defining your brand identity, then crafting your brain story, especially as an author. Yeah. Why is she writing this book or why is he writing this book? There needs to be a narrative behind.

Brigitte Bojkowszky [00:20:35]:
It's all about why. What drives your passion for your subject matter. It's about sharing personal anecdotes, challenges to overcome, key milestones. I gave you a quick overview, kind of in a nutshell about my journey, why I'm doing what I'm doing. So you have to craft your brand story as well. And then consistent messaging. Consistency when you're messaging as a personal brand across social media. For example, when you are on LinkedIn, have a strong social media profile with your book on it, your promotional material.

Brigitte Bojkowszky [00:21:18]:
You might have also in the background, your author's web site or professional website or something that goes in alignment with your publisher or with the institution that you are publishing with. And then you also need to engage with your audience in a timely manner. Post something that brings value to the audience, not just anything, but always high quality posts that inspires people. There is something to take away from. Because there's a lot of people that, you know, on Instagram, you see them on Facebook here and there. They post content that yeah. If it's there or if it's not there, is it really relevant? Question mark. Yeah? But there should be something that everyone can take away something from.

Brigitte Bojkowszky [00:22:16]:
And, also, very important, it is for a personal brand and to really build consistency and increase your awareness and also your reach to network and collaborate. Something that we are doing here right now, Susan, the 2 of us. Right? It's being on each other's podcast and being on the different networking events. And, also, you need to present yourself in the way that you want others to see you.

Susan Friedmann [00:22:48]:
I can see the importance of that. I can also see based on what you're saying because there's so much introspection going on here that you often have blind spots. So working with a coach like yourself to help you and guide you with thisbecause sometimes I wonder, and I know it with myself, I don't see myself the way others might see me. And so, you do need someone to guide you, which I think is a great segue for us to hear about how our listeners can find out more about you.

Brigitte Bojkowszky [00:23:27]:
Yeah. You're bringing up something really important that would be the next stage in personal branding is not only the introspection, but to get feedback or say seek feedback from others. Constructive feedback. So how are they seeing you? Because as you say, we also have blind spots, and others bring in a different perspective. And that different perspective often comes along with strengths we are not even aware of or a weakness that we are not really seeing, like, certain flaws that are cute and nice and make our personal brand very unique. But it might also help to just work on certain weaknesses that would take away a little bit of the shine. Also, having regularly feedback coming in from not only friends, but different stakeholders, friends, family, business partners, also clients or audiences to see how they see us and then take these insights. You can learn so much from that and incorporate that into your strategy going forward.

Brigitte Bojkowszky [00:24:46]:
There is so much value that comes back because there is often I'm confronted with feedback. I was like, oh my god. I have to work on that. Oh, I didn't see that is actually an additional strength that I have never thought I have. It's very eye opening to get this external perspective. And, of course, a coach and mentor knows it because they have their expertise exactly in that field. You can accomplish something in a very, very short period of time instead of learning everything yourself. I mean, it's great to learn on the go, and you always will have hurdles to overcome.

Brigitte Bojkowszky [00:25:27]:
And you are in the trenches once in a while, and this is exponential learning, of course. But a guide would kind of facilitate that whole process and makes it a little bit faster in terms of getting your book sold, in terms of having your personal brand ready, or within an organization, elevate your executive presence as a leader. There is also this leadership branding coming in. A coach, a mentor, someone who guides you, you are always the hero. Yeah. There's someone else taking your hand and guiding you through that is really, really, really important. Yeah. Not only introspection, but also the external feedback to get that in.

Susan Friedmann [00:26:18]:
Lovely. Now you're gonna tell us how our listeners can find out more about you and the brilliance that you have in this field and how you can help them shine.

Brigitte Bojkowszky [00:26:30]:
Okay. Wonderful. Thank you so much for asking. They can find me on my website, BridgetBrands.com. I'm very busy on LinkedIn under my handle, BojkowszkyB, but I think you're going to put that into the show notes.

Susan Friedmann [00:26:45]:
I will.

Brigitte Bojkowszky [00:26:45]:
Instant download the book I was coauthoring, the significant women book. And I'm also on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter X, and YouTube. I also have a podcast. It's a show dedicated to unraveling the secrets behind successful brains. And if someone wants to start her entrepreneurial journey, then I have a free checklist, an entrepreneurial branding starter checklist that you can also download for free.

Susan Friedmann [00:27:21]:
Perfect. And you'll send me the links, and we'll put that in the show notes. Wonderful, Brigitta. And as you know, we always like to end our interview with our guest expert giving words of wisdom, their golden nugget. What's yours?

Brigitte Bojkowszky [00:27:39]:
Everyone has a brain, a personal brain, in whatever walk of life you are or in in whatever context, whether it's your personal brand or company brand or, executive brand. You have to have consistency in brand identity. That is paramount for establishing trust, recognition, and loyalty among all the stakeholders, the audience, the customers that surround you. Consistency across different touchpoints across different channels. We are living in this virtual world, right, where we communicate via social media, via email. So, have consistency in how you show up across channels and also in the long term. And don't forget that a brand identity is nothing static. It's a living thing that reflects your values and aspirations, and it evolves over time as you are going to evolve and as you are becoming what you're supposed to

Susan Friedmann [00:28:47]:
be. Perfect. I love that. And I'm thrilled that you brought up consistency because along the way, I'm thinking, yes, you've gotta be consistent with this because it's just like, I mean, I do with the show. It's like this consistency every week and your show as well. People can rely on the fact that every Wednesday, we're going to have, you know, another edition, another episode. Thank you so much for sharing your wisdom. This has been amazing.

Susan Friedmann [00:29:18]:
And listeners, this is definitely another one of those incredible episodes that you are gonna need to listen to over and over again because Brigitte just shared some pearls, real pearls of wisdom in so many different ways. Wow. What a treasure trove. Thank you.

And again, you know, listeners, if your book isn't selling the way you wanted or expected to, let's you and I jump on a quick call together to brainstorm ways to ramp up those sales because you've invested a whole lot of time, money, and energy, and it's time you got the return that you were hoping for. Go to  BookMarketingBrainstorm.com
to schedule your free call. 

And in the meantime, I hope this powerful interview sparks some ideas you can use to sell more books. Until next week, here's wishing you much book and author marketing success.