Over the weekend – (aren’t you glad it’s Monday?!) I’ve had eight conversations about personal and business brand marketing. Many young professionals like myself are slowly but surely redefining themselves, discovering the hidden talents and passions we now refuse to tuck away from the world.
“Find a good job that makes good money and stick to it!”… Thanks for the advice, Mom – but Why?
We no longer live in a time where you must choose one career path with the sole motivation of monetary gains. With the world more interconnected than ever, professionals are rediscovering their paths, and rebranding their identities to do what gives them an element money can’t entirely provide: A sense of Purpose.
Now, I won’t go on a tangent about money-motivation or the psychology behind the state of “Purpose” (unless you’ve got an extra 30 minutes to spare). However, I do want to touch on 3 key ways to define or redefine your personal or business brand. Whether you’re an existing business owner, nonprofit founder, or an aspiring entrepreneur, take a journey with me on how 3 steps to strategically position and market your brand.
To commence the redefining stages, you must have an understanding of Marketing 101 (or at least Marketing 99C).
Ask what marketing is and most people will say it advertises a business or service: It sells things.
Marketing sells things. That is true. Advertisers can spend millions of dollars trying to overcome the fatigue with evermore flashy campaigns, but it’s futile if it feels inauthentic.
To overcome this, we need to rethink marketing. What is marketing, beyond traditional advertisements?
Marketing is the art of persuasion, the spark of inspiration, and the connection between a company and the world.
Marketing is the language of engagement between your brand and your targeted audience. It tells a story. This brings us to the first element.
To commence the redefining stages, you must have an understanding of Marketing 101 (or at least Marketing 99C).
Ask what marketing is and most people will say it advertises a business or service.
It sells things.
Marketing sells things. That is true. Advertisers can spend millions of dollars trying to overcome the fatigue with evermore flashy campaigns, but it’s futile if it feels inauthentic.
To overcome this, we need to rethink marketing. What is marketing, beyond traditional advertisements?
Marketing is the art of persuasion, the spark of inspiration, and the connection between a company and the world.
Marketing is the language of engagement between your brand and your targeted audience. It tells a story. This brings us to the first element.
Step 1 Discovery: Who are you reaching or trying to reach and why?
In order to market something people want, you must understand who they are and what they need. We start by carefully defining your target audience; the narrower the focus, the faster the growth.
Have you identified the problem you set out to solve? What motivated you along the way to perfecting your brand? There’s your master key. After you’ve determined your audience, you’ll be propelled to the next phase:
Step 2 Storytelling: Don’t create a pitch, tell a story
In the world of startups, pitches are essential to inviting funding opportunities from investors; but it is the power of storytelling that supercharges the pitch.
Crafting a message that translates your brand is essential to aligning with your targeted audience. The audience probably won’t remember your years of experience, your amazing accomplishments or other fun facts, but they will remember your story. They will remember the value your brand can potentially bring to them. That’s when you reel them in.
Step 3 Connection: How will you connect your content and drive action?
By humanizing your brand, people to want to learn more. Connect your customers with your “must have” products and service with a single call-to action. Embed this messaging in the resolution of your story. “Contact me for a consultation.” or “Learn more about our services” are just a few.
Discovery. Storytelling. Connection. Ready-Set-Go! Now it’s time to retain and grow. After giving your audience a reason to connect and consume, focus on creating loyal, passionate customers of your brand. Keep your CRM (customer relationship management) processes on point by keeping in contact with leads and prospects.
Emails (please not too many or your open rate might decline), events, phone calls, “thank you’s”, special offers, follow-ups, magic moments, and cards with a personal touch etc. that occur constantly and automatically at defined points in the pre-sales, sales and post-sales process. Bring back those dormant contacts and don’t stop showcasing the value you bring (or can bring) them.
Overwhelmed by the thoughts of the rebranding journey? Don’t freight! PivotPath brand development services are perfect for brands at any stage. Contact us today for a consultation on how we can help you!
