Chandelier Swinging & 10 Other Top Personal Branding Tips
While it’s a bit extreme, I’m sure there’ve been plenty of people who’ve swung from a chandelier (or similar) to get noticed. It sounds like a lot of fun – if you’ve got the nerve. 🙂
Think about all the weird, wacky and very visible things Richard Branson did in his early years as an entrepreneur to get noticed as ‘Richard Branson’ which of course was inextricably linked to brand ‘Virgin’. Even now, Sir Richard can still be seen doing things that are ‘out there’ to get his message across.
Clearly his antics haven’t done him or the Virgin brand any harm – in fact, they’ve endeared him to many. And Sir Richard is considered to be the best known entrepreneur in the world as a result.
You see, Richard Branson has always understood the importance of personal branding and standing out from the crowd to get noticed; to interrupt the marketing ‘norm’… and to get loads of free advertising along the way. Very clever!
While we don’t all have to be like Sir Richard to get our personal brand out there, we must do things differently to all the others who compete with us in our market niche. What’s your chandelier swinging equivalent to getting noticed as an expert in your industry or market niche?
While company branding is important, people buy from people, so as business owners and entrepreneurs we must have a strong personal brand. And delightfully, technology has made standing out as a personal brand a lot easier for everyone.
Here are my 10 top personal branding tips to get you noticed in 2016.
1. Be clear (and passionate) about why you do what you do!
I know that sounds quaint, but if you’re not passionate about why you do what you do, then no-one will care who you are or what you offer. So be really clear about your ‘why’! Why are you in business? What difference do you want to make in the lives of your customers? Once you’ve got that ‘why’, let your customers and prospects know. They’ll feel your passion and they’ll like you for it.
2. What is your market niche?
Who is your perfect customer? If you don’t know then the marketing you do will be lost – it’ll fall through the cracks. These days, we MUST specifically niche our market… and then go after it with all our messaging.
3. How are you different?
What’s unique about you – the leader of your business – and the products and services you offer? Get that message nailed, and quickly. Otherwise you and your business will be just like the rest of your competitors – offering more of the same. How can you (the person) and your business stand out in your niche, just like Richard Branson and Virgin do?
4. Get personal
Let everyone see the real you and your personal style… not the ‘air brushed’ version of you. People buy from people. We like failure and success – we like ‘warts and all’ people… not gods and goddesses who can do no wrong. Show the authentic (chandelier swinging equivalent) version of you to everyone. Not everyone will like you, but those who do will be loyal to you and your style.
5. Get seen – pick your marketing platforms
There are so many ways to get ‘seen’ in business that it can be exciting and overwhelming. Work out what suits you best and go for it. Remember, you must be seen online and offline regardless of what your business is. Work out your marketing platforms, and exploit them with a carefully crafted strategy and actions plan – one for you and your personal brand and another for your company’s brand.
6. Grab your keywords
Google rules the world – or at least the SEO world – so we all need to know what keywords we want to be found for…. it’s an art and science; get help to nail this part of your personal and company brand marketing strategies so that you’ll be found for YOUR keywords when they’re ‘Googled’.
7. Capture your leads
What’s your system for capturing leads as they come to you? It’s called an email list (or community or tribe). Get that sorted and you’ll start growing your prospect list… so long as you nurture them and demonstrate your expertise and authority in your niche.
8. Nurture your prospects
Seldom will people become customers on day one. Create a personal and business branding communications strategy that takes your prospects on a journey with you. How can you communicate with them to consistently demonstrate that you are an expert or authority in your field?
9. What’s your business model?
It’s no good having people on your list and not doing anything with them. Work out how you’ll take your prospects from followers to customers. How can you package up your knowledge, products and services to add value to your prospects so they continue to get to know, trust and respect you as the industry expert? Then how do you take them to paying customers? Your business model is the key to your success.
10. Do the work – persistently and consistently
Building a brand – a personal or company brand – takes time, so we have to keep at it. Keep going, even when the going gets tough, and all of a sudden that hard work will pay off. I promise.
Well, that’s it. 10 personal branding tips to get you started in 2016. Personal branding is for everyone … not just celebs, so embrace it – see yourself as branded and stand out in your market niche.
ACTION: What are you going to do in 2016 to build your personal brand so that it supports your business? I’d love to hear your thoughts. How about sharing them in the comments below?
Could some guidance from me be helpful to you? If so, please arrange a free 30 mins Skype strategy meeting with me. Here’s my calendar to book a meeting. I’d love to support you in some way to gain ‘seductive clarity’ in any aspect of your business or life.
