(ThyBlackMan.com) What are you selling? Before you say yourself, think of the EMOTION your brand is moving with. Even if you don’t own a business, non-profit, or other entity that pushes goods, services, or merchandise, everyone has a personal brand that’s unbelievably valuable. In fact, having a strong personal brand is priceless in today’s world, wouldn’t you agree?
In fact the primary reason that we as consumers spend our money in certain places over and over again is because we trust the brand. But I would gather to say if we look even further often times there is an emotional connection to the brand in which we are continuing to support over and over again. In this article I will give you 10 ways you can improve your personal brand and supercharger results.
1. Use free resources. Between Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and even good old fashion craigslist, they are ample ways to start pushing your brand out to the world. Just to get started you should use whatever simple and free resources that make the most sense for you and your brand.
2. Dress in your brand. Whether you actually own a clothing line or you are often seen by potential customers in a public setting dressing in a matter which reflects what your branding is is smart and beneficial.
3. Talk to someone smarter than you. Getting outside help is critical in building a brand be a personal or professional. Get yourself in a meeting or a room with someone who you know has been more successful than you. Even if you only get the chance to spend three minutes with that person make it count.
4. Read like it matters. It does! Number four can be attached to number one to a certain degree. It’s all about gaining more information and being able to disseminate that information to other people who in turn may become followers, customers, or brand ambassadors. People are always looking for a good deal and for great value. This is why many bloggers nowadays give away free things like e-books in exchange for contact information or email subscriptions. In essence the e-books are not free they cost you contact information which is valuable to the writer or blogger.
5. Listen to the loyal. Over the many years it will take you to create an awesome brand personal or professional, there will be people or maybe just one person who is always in your corner helping to give you feedback about what your brand looks like in public and what it feels like to potential consumers. This person or people are loyal whether they are personal friends or simple customers are consumers will really like your brand new absolutely must listen to them and take their feedback into consideration.
6. Focus on a finish line. I believe that the hardest part about building a successful brand is having the energy on day 1000 that you had on day one when the idea was just an idea. Having a daily, weekly, and monthly focus on the finish line or the bottom line for your brand will help keep the momentum going.
7. Don’t watch the competition. In fact it is my believe that you should not even believe that you have any competition. Yes if you are trying to get a business plan looked at by a funder they may want to know who is in the market for what you do already and how successful they have been. But from a philosophical standpoint I believe that focusing more on what are your strong points and what you bring to the market are better than worrying about what the next business, brand, or company is doing.
8. Be a first. Who remembers the first time they use three-way calling? Who remembers the first time they eat at In-N-Out Burger? Maybe you remember the first time you were on an airplane? The first time you saw your significant other? There is something To be said about being first. Sure, there is a saying that there is nothing new under the sun but if that were true we wouldn’t have things like computer, Internet, Instagram, Snapchat, Uber, Instacart, or iPhones. Do something so unique and so incredible that in 20 years people will remember your brand.
9. Be transparent. One of the things that makes great leaders likable is their ability to also be relatable, down to earth. Having a great story to go with your brand that reflects you, and your vision, and where you would like to be with your brand in the future in the marketplace, and with your customer base is essential to building out a quality, long-standing brand.
10. Set yourself on fire. I know this sounds absolutely crazy but think about this for just one minute. If you were driving in the stark hours of the night down a empty street and you were city and you saw someone running down the street next to your car who was on fire, would you ever forget that incident? Of course not! In terms of building this brand, I want you to think about what it Would mean to create a brand that is completely unforgettable similar to that of seen someone running down the street. What are some things that are true to your brand, that reflect your customers and your future Fanbase, that would completely set you apart from anyone who is ever done what you are doing or attempting to do?
The above are just 10 steps, ideas, tools that you can use to start uplifting the brand that you are creating whether it be personal or business branding. In a competitive climate of business and entrepreneurship, setting yourself apart with transparency upgraded marketing, ingenuity, loyalty to your Fanbase, and unbelievable value for your consumer base will not only set you apart in the current marketplace it will set you up for success all the way up to the finish line and beyond. There’s a great saying in business and it goes, “ If you’re not growing, you’re dying.” So keep on pushing that brand to the top. I’ll see you there.
Staff Writer; Charles Foster Jolivette
This talented young man can also be found over at; The California Creole and also Charles Patreon Page.