Branding for Dummies

Jen McCown (half of Midnight DBA) has declared this the first Un-SQL Friday, stating that it will be "a completely intermittant blog party about something SQL-adjacent." (and definitely not to be confused with Adam Machanic's T-SQL Tuesday).



I briefly considered the idea and decided that I have a different take than most of the people whose blogs I read, since I don't really consider that I have a brand, other than being yet *another* Andy - that is, I am not (in no particular order):

* Andrew Kelly (Blog/Twitter) - Performance Tuner Extraordinaire
* Andy Leonard (Blog/Twitter) - Mr. SSIS
* Andy Warren  (Blog/Twitter) - Hey, he's SQLAndy!

I apologize to any other SQL Server-related Andy's/Andrew's out there that I have omitted. {-:

As I have discussed in a previous blog, I didn't join Twitter until recently when I needed it for an online event (a SSWUG VConference) and when I did it was rather rushed - I didn't *consider* a brand.  I was just looking for a name that was relatively identifiable and easy to spell (and after several attempts I was surprised that @DBA_ANDY was available!)

My blogging career is even shorter, and when I created this blog I put a little more thought into something that seemed like it could be a brand - something that wasn't already taken and would make me stand out, and I arrived at NebraSQL - a play on words that could eventually become well-known (although definitely not as cool as being the SQL Rockstar or the Midnight DBA's)

I think there are two key points here, and they are both equally important:

(1) Your brand has to identify you - it has to relate to what you do/how you do it/where you do it/etc.  A great brand to illustrate this is SQLSkills (and if you don't know who Paul & Kimberly & co. are, I am surprised you're reading my little blog!)  SQLSkills is *the* training/consulting company for providing SQL Server knowledge, often training Microsoft employees on their own products.

(2) Equally importantly - your brand has to be unique (at least relatively so) - when you create a brand,you can't step on someone else's!  Especially if you believe you will be advancing your brand into any kind of sales/products/etc., you can not start print NebraSQL letterhead only to find out that Joe Nebra in Portland, OR, already owns NebraSQL.com for his consulting business.

For me and myself, I don't ever foresee myself becoming the next SQLSkills - but you never know!