If you want to effectively market your business, create a unique personal brand.
The truth is, every effective marketing strategy begins with a unique personal brand. The reason is, you must control the perception others have of you. And that means you must differentiate yourself to build trust and stand out.
Do I need a personal brand to create an effective marketing strategy?
A question I often hear from both service and product-based business owners is, do I need a personal brand to market my business? If you’ve asked this question, you can be assured that the answer is a resounding yes.
What is your personal brand?
Your personal brand is what other people think, say, and feel about you. It’s the perception they have of you when you walk in a room, when they see you online, or when they consume your content.
Branding encompasses your personal brand and how you communicate what differentiates you from all others in your area of expertise (niche). Your brand identity; color palette, typography, and visual presence, help you become recognizable and memorable. But your personal brand is what makes you recognizable, memorable, and shareable.
The answer to the question, “Do I need a personal brand” is, therefore, not related to creating brand assets. Brand assets will not solely differentiate you from all others in your niche. They may help you stand out when your soulmate clients are scrolling. However, they will not build the emotional connection that differentiating yourself as a personal brand will. Throw your personality into it!
Additional resources for creating your unique personal brand
Since every effective marketing strategy begins with a unique personal brand, it’s important to know as much as possible about creating your unique personal brand. Go back to episode 248 of The Robyn Graham Show for more on content creation to differentiate yourself. In addition, episode 205 for more details on creating a unique personal brand.
Now you’re ready to create an effective marketing strategy
Once you establish your personal brand, you’re ready to begin marketing your business. Marketing is communicating what differentiates you from all others in your area of expertise. When you create your personal brand, you are identifying all of the things that differentiate you. If you doubt you are unique, make a list of all of your experiences, good and not-so-good, and how they’ve led you right to where you are today. Doing so will help you market yourself as an expert.
Every effective marketing strategy begins with your who, what, when, where, and how
To create an effective marketing strategy map out your who, what, when, where, and how. Let’s break them down.
Who is your soulmate client? In addition, who are you? Both are significant when creating an effective marketing strategy. If you don’t know what differentiates you you can’t effectively communicate with your soulmate clients to tell them about why they should hire you. Likewise, if you don’t know your soulmate client, you won’t be speaking to those people who need your expertise and will want to hire you.
What are your soulmate clients’ major pain points that you can help resolve? Can you define what keeps them up at night? What are they thinking about when doing the dishes or getting dressed that they cannot solve themselves? But you can and in a unique way. In addition, what platforms are they using to search for the information they need to get the results they want? What platforms are you creating content for? Is there an overlap? What changes do you need to make to reach your soulmate clients? Lastly, what is your price point for your offer or program?
When are you available to serve your clients? Elaborate on when they need you most and when you learned how to provide the solution they need. Likewise, when have you experienced their pain points yourself? Even more importantly, when and how did you overcome them?
Where in your journey have you experienced what your soulmate clients are experiencing now – the beginning of your journey or more recently? Where do you serve your clients, in person, online, locally, or internationally? In addition, where will you market to your soulmate clients? Where are they researching to find the solution to their problem(s)? For example, if you are an entrepreneur who doesn’t want to be on social media, where will you share information, on your blog, via email marketing? This is where SEO will become a key component of your effective marketing strategy.
How do you help your soulmate clients get the results they crave? Do you have a proven method or system? Likewise, how do you do what you do? Elaborate on your background, skill sets, education, certifications, awards, life experiences, and mistakes you’ve learned from, etc. that help you help others. In addition, testimonials help elaborate on how you’ve helped others get their desired results.
Yes, you need a personal brand and an effective marketing strategy.
So, if you are still asking if you need a personal brand, the answer is yes. And even if you are a product-based business, you need a personal brand that will be the foundation of an effective marketing strategy, including your who, what, when, where, why, and how.
Are you a faith-based entrepreneur who wants to grow your business without social media? Do you feel frustrated because your business isn’t growing as fast as you’d like?
As a business coach for faith-based entrepreneurs, I am on a mission to help you grow your business without social media so that you can achieve success while having an impact. Take a look behind-the-scenes and learn what it’s like to work with me.
Robyn is a business coach for faith-based entrepreneurs who want to grow their businesses and achieve success without social media. Susan Gabriel shares her experience working with Robyn to grow her business for long-term success.
PR is a great tool for growing your business without social media
Susan found Robyn when she listened to a podcast Robyn was a guest on. It’s a perfect example of how PR can help you grow your business by attracting clients without having to be on social media.
5 ways Robyn, a business coach for faith-based entrepreneurs, helped Susan grow her business
Robyn helped Susan recognize the need to create a unique personal brand so that she could stand out from other book publishers and build trust. She also helped her identify her brand identity, color palette, and typography so that Soul Sonshine would become recognizable and memorable. In addition, Robyn taught Susan that she needed to be the face of her brand and project trust.
A personal brand is a perception others have of you
Marketing is communicating your uniqueness and differentiating yourself from others in your niche
Connect with your soulmate client and build trust with them – trust determines buying practices
Robyn helped Susan build a solid foundation for long-term success
Standard operating procedures
Systems and process mapping
Define roles and responsibilities – if someone can do what you do 70% as effectively as you do it, then you should hand off that responsibility
Be a visionary and be client facing
Client satisfaction, retention, and referrals – because the process was simplified
Robyn helped Susan break tasks down into manageable steps
Susan reported that Robyn reviewed all of her content, website copy, business strategies, etc., Robyn was hands-on in Susan’s business and helped her implement an SEO strategy as well.
Mindset blocks/barriers. Robyn helped Susan navigate the mindset challenges and fears she had been experiencing with being front and center in her business. In addition, Robyn gave Susan mindset exercises to help her with making decisions and managing her time better.
Sometimes it’s the littlest shift that makes the biggest difference.
If you want to start a business or non-profit organization you need passion and strategy to create success.
If you want to start a business you need passion and strategy to create success. Likewise, if you want to create a successful non-profit organization you need a combination of passion and strategy.
Using a state staple to create a successful non-profit organization
Bourbanism is a culture. Kentucky is also an influential and thriving art culture.
“Ninety percent of the world’s bourbon is made in Kentucky. One hundred percent of the world’s good bourbon is made in Kentucky.” – Morgan Hancock
The gift of creativity
Robyn emphasized that everyone has innate creativity but the reality and chaos of life often suppress creativity. When we tap into creativity, our brain releases positive endorphins. It’s very therapeutic. Creativity allows us to be more creative in our work as well as more pleasant in relationships.
Maslow’s hierarchy of needs – five needs we innately have as human beings:
Physiological (food, water, shelter)
Security (safe from harm)
Sense of Belonging (community, friendship)
Self-esteem (respect, recognition)
Self-actualization (realization of unique ability/talents)
Creativity and art help to satisfy three of these needs: self-actualization, self-esteem, and a sense of belonging.
Bourbon with Heart supports artists and these three needs while creating opportunities to give to and support organizations that help provide the physiological and security needs of various populations throughout Kentucky.
Why you need passion and strategy to create success
Morgan shared a quote that her boss when she was in high school shared with her, “you owe it to your philosophy to learn how to win.” – unknown
This quote has been a guiding source for Morgan to follow her passion, become a leader, and create a successful non-profit.
Passion is important, and is a driving force for creating. However, you must also know how to win, which means employing business strategies to succeed. It takes business acumen and strategy in addition to passion for overall success.
You need passion and strategy to create a successful non-profit organization
The first step in creating a successful non-profit is to have passion for your cause and mission.
Second, you must know how to ask other people for money. Create a strategy for how you’ll ask for money. Will this be in person, through events, by having a specific call to action, through email marketing, etc? Your strategy should include follow-up.
Third, you have to be the CEO. You are the expert but also need a team for marketing, hiring, accounting, and every aspect of the non-profit. As the CEO, you are running the non-profit as a business. Your hiring practices will allow you to hire people who are experts in the areas you aren’t an expert in and to support you and the organization.
Fourth, you can’t be afraid of self-promotion. You must become the face of your non-profit. People donate and support the face, or personality, of the organization. The more you put yourself out there, the more you will connect with donors.
Fifth, don’t be naive and think that there are no competitors. Non-profits can support each other, but you do need to know who your non-profit competitors are because if you aren’t competing, you aren’t innovating. If you don’t try to get better than other organizations, you are doing a disservice to the people you want to serve. You have to stand out as the best and the one who deserves the dollars in the form of donations.
If you aren’t constantly growing and innovating, you won’t stand out as the best and the one to donate. You won’t be front of mind. Competition doesn’t only make you better, it makes other organizations better. It makes every organization and therefore the community better.
Lastly, don’t be afraid to protect what you’ve worked so hard to build.
As the leader of a non-profit, you are the personal brand to create a successful non-profit organization
It is critical to differentiate yourself from all others. As a unique personal brand, you will build an emotional connection with others and inspire them to support your organization. In addition, as a personal brand, you will build relationships and trust. People will support the organization because they believe you will take their money and use it for good.
Creating a personal brand and being the face of the organization will give you a leading edge as a non-profit.
Creating opportunities for veterans
Often times there is a stereotype of what the artsy type is. Morgan is working with an organization of veteran woodworkers who are using woodworking to help with their PTSD. The veterans didn’t see themselves as artists, but they are using the staves from the bourbon barrels to create and carve wooden bow ties. The bow ties will then be painted by local artists and on display at The Galt House for the Kentucky Derby.
If you need passion and strategy to create success, collaborating and bringing in other organizations will be key. You can expand your community, offer support to others, and bring more attention to your organization.
About Morgan Hancock
Morgan Hancock is a commercial real estate agent, entrepreneur, US ARMY veteran, mother-of-two, bourbonista, and passionate advocate of the arts. She is a charismatic force who can completely capture a room, radiating positivity with a disarming demeanor and sharp sense of humor.
Are you ready to thrive and help create the domino effect of good in the world?
A known fact is that women thrive in community. When they have the support and love they need, when they feel empowered, they create change and empower others.
Being a speaker is possible. It may take overcoming fear, and nervousness may prevail, but it is possible to get on the stage and share your story. In addition, speaking on topics you are passionate about helps ease anxiety, fear, and stress around speaking.
Raimonda emphasized how challenging it is to become an entrepreneur on your own. A key to success is building a community around you. A community of like-minded individuals.
Creating a safe space because women thrive in community
Raimonda saw a need that women had. They needed a safe place to share and ask questions. In addition, they needed resources. Building her community to inspire and help others began with a free event. From there, she created a membership.
Women empowering women
In her 20s Raimonda went through a traumatic experience and as a result, lost her voice. But gathering women in a community helped her realize that she wasn’t alone. Many women go through myriad challenges and when they come together they can not only support each other but overcome.
Having a safe space to share your story builds confidence and strength while inspiring others to do the same.
Stories are connectors
When we share our stories, it enables us to connect more freely. Robyn emphasized that any time we share our stories, we provide an opportunity to empower other people. People often don’t see their journey as a story that can influence others. When we share our stories, we create a domino effect of good by helping others see the impact that telling their stories can have.
Raimonda shared that stories are at the cornerstone of everything she does because sharing stories allows others to know they aren’t alone. Shame and fear hold people back from sharing their stories or journeys. As a result, they stay stuck. But once a story is told and someone resonates with it, a new opportunity for inspiration, encouragement, and empowerment is brought to the surface.
“It’s so much more than sharing a story. Sharing a story can change lives.” ~ Raimonda
The power of story
Everything you go through has a purpose and when you begin to share your story, the purpose becomes visible. As a result of sharing your story, you begin to change lives.
Listen to episode 206 in which Moira Ni Ghallachoir shares how to share your story and leverage public speaking for financial freedom.
Building a unique personal brand helps other women thrive in community
Your personal brand is what other people think, say, and feel about you. Robyn complimented Raimonda on building a strong personal brand that truly shows she is a woman who is impact-driven and wants to make a difference in the lives of other women and empower them.
Practical tips for building a personal brand to help women thrive in your community
Visual presence
Have professional branding photography. Your image is important for how people will connect with you, see you, recognize you, and begin to trust you. As you create photography for your online presence, visualize yourself as the next level of yourself. It will help you feel more confident.
Step into who you want to become
Believe it inside of yourself, but also demonstrate it through your visual content. This helps you further your voice.
Speak of your purpose and passion
Become the voice behind your business and share your passions and mission. If you hire a social media manager, ensure that they are using your voice, not their own. Share your purpose and why you are doing what you are doing.
Indecision is a decision. You get to decide how you build your personal brand. Robyn shared how one of her coaches told her to make decisions that the next level Robyn would make. No matter what amount of money you are making today, start thinking of yourself as the next level, the level you want to go to next. Make decisions from this place. Your confidence will begin to build because you will already see yourself as achieving.
Raimonda emphasized that brand is a long-term strategy. Be willing to go on the journey to create it.
In addition, your journey and the experiences you’ve had become an integral part of your personal branding efforts. Differentiating yourself is how you build relationships and become memorable, recognizable, and sharable, and build trust, which determines buying practices.
You don’t want to appeal to everyone. It’s important for people to self-select. You want to resonate with your soulmate clients, not everyone.
The importance of community in marketing your business
The costs of marketing are on the rise because attention spans are getting shorter and shorter. The solution is loyalty. How do you build loyalty? By creating a brand that has a purpose, mission, and a sense of community for people to be part of.
Get ready for transformation – attend the Women Thrive Summit
Raimonda helps women become confident and empowered to stand in their truth and share their stories confidently with the world so they can make a positive impact in the lives of others and stop hiding in their truth. I believe that everyone has a story, and that story has the power to change people’s lives if only we have the courage to share it. So my focus is to help women become confident speakers, experts, and authors.
Curious about how to connect with your soulmate clients? Create a brand story using the TIME method.
When you create a brand story that resonates with your audience you can experience a steady stream of clients.
Authors, artists, and creatives often have a difficult time creating personal brands. Art is subjective and as a result, it is an exercise in vulnerability to share your work and put promote yourself through personal branding.
Vulnerability is a common denominator for all of us entrepreneurs.
Others often see us differently than how we see ourselves. Therefore, it is helpful to hire a coach for a new perspective, an eagle’s eye view, of your business so that you can create your brand story effectively. You don’t know what you don’t know and help may be necessary.
Using “TIME” to create a brand story
Sarah created the “TIME” method to help entrepreneurs create a brand story that attracts their ideal clients.
Branding takes time. Like any great thing, creating a personal brand takes time. Success doesn’t happen overnight.
Let’s break down “TIME” so that you can create a brand story that works to attract your soulmate clients
T = theme
Entrepreneurs often have messaging that is all over the place. Many times, it’s because they are afraid to be focused and lose opportunities, if they stick to one topic, they fear that they will lose people or they will get bored. However, it takes hearing something 7 to 21 times before it resonates or you take action to achieve transformation.
When you have a theme, you become an expert in the area you are talking about throughout your messaging. Sarah used the example of an umbrella. The umbrella is your brand story and the spokes are different topics that fall under the overall theme when you create a brand story.
I = intention
Spaghetti at the wall doesn’t work. Have intention in how you create a brand story and where you are present. Ask yourself why you are doing what you are doing or where you are present.
Likewise, be intentional with who you connect with, who you follow, who you build relationships with, and who you collaborate with. Surround yourself with others with similar values.
In addition, be intentional with your time and energy and what platforms your use as you grow your business.
M = momentum
Momentum refers to consistency and not frequency. Your intention will help you keep from following trends and allow you to show up without getting burnt out. Choose one platform and post consistently as frequently as your time allows. Even if only two to three times a week.
Robyn suggests that when you are starting your business, you should avoid social media to avoid distractions, doubt, and comparison. Build the foundation first, and then use social media to build relationships and grow your community.
E = empathy
Marketing is not about telling people about your product. People don’t buy products, they buy based on feelings, experiences, emotions, personal connection, and transformation. The best thing you can do when you create your brand story is to dig deep into empathy.
What do your soulmate clients need from you? Ask them. Don’t say no for other people. You don’t know what they want until you ask them. Sarah says marketing is spelled empathy.
Understand your audience’s pain points so that you can demonstrate that you understand what they are experiencing.
About Sarah Sambles
Sarah is a helpful, empathetic, and encouraging individual who embodies the belief that words are powerful. She helps coaches and writers get crystal clear on their brand story so their audience pays attention.
Have you avoided writing for your business because you believe you aren’t a good writer? Whether you believe yourself to be a good writer or not, following this method you can create compelling copy that converts.
To create compelling copy that converts, think about telling the story of your personal brand. Your audience becomes their own here while you are their guide to get to a specific solution.
You have a story to tell
Every experience you’ve had has led you to where you are today. You have the expertise and God has placed a calling on your heart to serve others who need the gifts and talents you have garnered on your journey. There are people waiting for you to tell your story so that they can connect with you and build a relationship with you and ultimately hire you to provide the solution they need.
Beautiful design for your website means very little unless it’s paired with meaningful copy. With meaningful copy, your website can become your biggest marketing tool.
Storytelling is an essential part of being your own brand.
Copy and SEO
Robyn emphasized that you can’t have good search engine optimization without good copy. Your copy should have good readability and include the use of keywords and key phrases throughout. In addition, it should be separated by headers and subheaders for readability.
The written word connected with beautiful imagery helps you build an emotional connection with your soulmate clients. Include professional images of yourself on your website that helps to tell the story you are sharing through your copy. Images are also a good opportunity for SEO.
How to create compelling copy that converts in five minutes
Kris explained that when we’ve been in our niche for a period of time, we forget that other people don’t know what we know. She calls this the curse of knowledge. We may talk over our client’s heads or simplify it down to something that doesn’t engage them.
Kris’s method for storytelling can be broken down into three parts.
Hero. Every story has a hero with a problem that they don’t know how to solve.
Guide. Hero’s meet a guide that can solve their problem and help them be the hero of their story. You are the guide.
Success. The guide provides the hero with a plan that guides them to success.
This process is more about inviting your audience into the narrative with you than telling a story. This way they see themselves in the story together with you. This is a helpful process to use to create compelling copy that converts. If your copy makes you the hero, your audience will be less likely to get pulled into the story because they want to be the hero.
Example
Always start your story with the problem that your customers have. For example, if you are a parenting coach, you may write “many toddler moms feel exhausted and overwhelmed because there aren’t enough hours in the day”. First, identify who you are working with, i.e. many toddler moms. Then, share how you, the guide, will help them. For example, I help them change their relationship with time. Next, is showing them what success looks like. For example, I help them change their relationship with time so they can parent with more joy, peace, and connection.
The complete story is “Many toddler moms feel exhausted and overwhelmed because there aren’t enough hours in the day. I help them change their relationship with time so they can parent with more joy, peace, and connection.
You can add details and go deeper to expand the story, but you get to choose how long or short your story is.
Where do you put this story once it is created?
You want to share this story on your homepage, on your social media bios, on the reverse side of a business card, and on your LinkedIn banner. Share this story as often as possible. You can also share a smaller version of it on the banner of your website.
Make it easy for people to understand that you are going to provide a solution for them.
One formula for multiple places
You can create mini-stories for each offer you have. So this can be included on your services page and the about page. Regenerate this copy for each offer you have. On your website, you don’t have to talk about yourself a lot. You want to show up with empathy and authority so that people can see you care and have the solution they need.
Help your audience know that you understand the struggle they are going through and that you can help them through it.
Kris said that the about page is a more detailed process than the three-step method she referred to above. You don’t have to tell your entire life journey on your about page, but you need to help your audience understand how you know what they are feeling and struggling with. Even the copy about you is fundamentally about your hero.
Frame your story around the problem that your audience is experiencing. You can get into the aspirational identity of what your customers want to be and why that’s hard and how your solution can help them.
The main thing you want to communicate is that you understand, you have compassion, you know how hard it is, and how you have expertise in this area.
If you start trying to impress, you become the hero. Remind yourself that nobody cares that much about you, they only want to know that you can solve a problem for them, that you are qualified, and that they feel a connection with you. The way to create that connection is through story and articulating the problem.
About Kris Jones
Kris Jones is a StoryBrand guide and founder of Red Door Designs. She was mentored by StoryBrand founder Donald Miller and has over 20 years of experience and clients like Nike under her belt. Kris is extremely passionate about helping self-employed women get website copy that sells so they can multiply their revenue and focus on what they do best.
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