It is not that deep really.
So you have thought of branding and marketing yourself? The concept is pretty straight forward and
you can read tons of articles and books and attend online and offline seminars
and you will find the outlay is pretty much the same.
The pertinent piece to the puzzle is putting in the work! You have to put in the work and the time to
get the results for which you are looking.
And the money that is needed is
another factor. If you don’t have the money
then you REALLY need to be creative
and put in even more of the latter! You
have to map it out and you have to write things down. You
know the saying. If you fail to plan, then plan to fail. So in essence it is about putting pen to
paper and foreseeing the vision. You
have to visualize your brand before you and then the marketing will come
thereafter. Brainstorm! Just start writing! And here is how!!
- Take out a blank piece of paper and make two columns or fold the paper in half the long way.
- The first column should say Brand and the second half should say Marketing.
You have to begin with branding before you can do any marketing. Marketing is the process of advertising and relaying your brand to the masses. So ask yourself the basic branding questions below and jot down the words, or phrases that immediately come to your mind when thinking of your business. This need not be anything formal as this is only for your eyes at this point. So you are writing…here are some questions to help get you started.
1) What is my mission?
2) What is my vision?
3) What makes me happy and excited about this
business?
4) What is my passion in general?
5) What kind of person am I?
6) What is my personality?
7) What do I want customers to know about me?
8) What difference do I want to make?
9) What is your story?
10) What do I have to offer?
Once you have finished this section now you can start
looking at the marketing side. What can
you do you to show people who you are based on what you wrote in your
brand? Notice I didn’t say so much about
the product or service you are selling yet.
It is important to know who you are before you can sell anything and to
that how do you want to relay this information.
I want you to think of what type of marketing would bring out the best
of who you are! Are you the serious type, concise and to the
point? Are you funny, whimsical and
like to laugh about life? Are you the
studious owns, that likes to get people thinking, or engage them in
learning? What is your style? Are you a story teller or a get to the point
type of person? These are all questions
that just speak to how you will market yourself. It is the foundation of your marketing plan
and strategy.
Why do I refer to your style first before you sell your product or service why? Because people are buying an experience. They want to feel the way you do about your business, they want feel your personality as that relates to them. Why do you think you see commercials that at the onset have little to do with the item they are selling? They are selling an experience. They want you to feel first. They want you be happy, or be encouraged or be educated. They want you to know they feel the same way you do and that is why they believe in their product or service and want you to as well.
Marketing can be anything from doing mailers, emails, posting instructional videos, showcasing testimonies, showcasing customers, posting media that speaks to your character, fun and whimsical commercials or characters to serious and profound statements that get someone’s attention. It can be providing giveaways to marketing or partnering with someone on an event that speaks to your brand. The sky is really the limit. Brainstorm all day if you have to!
Below is my sample sheet of what this may look like and I
hope you do take the time to do the same.
I know there are so many spins on this that you can come up with. Have fun with it and take the time to explore yourself.
NOW after you have gone through this exercise you can then integrate your product or service. And watch how easily it will come. You will feel more like yourself and you will feel more like your business and that is what you want for your customer…relatability. It makes for a dedicated and repeat customer!
Major companies rely on this type of thought out marketing
to build their brand as well.
Red Bull uses its sponsoring of extreme sport events to reach and target its market. The company identifies their customer with things they would like to do themselves and this is for the participants and the spectators!
Airbnb created a community marketplace for people to list and book accommodations around the world through a social media campaign centered on the hashtag #OneLessStranger. They simply asked the community to perform random acts of hospitality for strangers, and then take a video or photo with the person and share it using the hashtag. Here they appeal the spirit of their customers in identifying them as the giving nature…much like themselves!
Coca-Cola is a great example of a brand using international marketing efforts. Though a large corporation, Coca-Cola focuses on small community programs and invests a lot of time and money in small-scale charity efforts.
It makes perfect sense doesn’t it? I think so. In a world where people are just searching for belonging it is so important to find what makes that person your customer. Yes it comes back to just knowing yourself and then knowing your customer. The key is to find the opportunity to relate.
So you see this isn’t as hard as it seems conceptually. The first step is the hardest however. Block out time from your schedule, start with a blank slate and your imagination and write! Put PEN TO PAPER!!
