Personal Branding's 10 Unbreakable Rules
Branding is what makes you stand out and be remembered.
It is what distinguishes you from the crowd.
And, unlike the great majority of online marketers, you must take ownership of your own branding rather than expecting it to miraculously transform on its own.
Here's how it works:
Rule #1: Make Yourself Memorable.
People must remember your identity.
There are around 8 billion people on the planet, and approximately 99.99 percent of them are entirely forgettable. How are you going to make yourself stand out?
Only around 200 persons in their social circle may be remembered by each individual. To stand out in their minds and be included in that group of 200, you must find a way to stand out and stand apart from the herd.
You must be MEMORABLE because being memorable means being chosen. You are forgettable if you are not memorable. You aren't even being considered because no one remembers who you are, what you do, or even that you exist. Even if there is some negative in how others remember you, at least you are being thought about.
"To become'memorable,' do something out of the ordinary. Dress or speak in ways that attract attention. And, most importantly, don't strictly adhere to any of the "rules of behavior." – Jeffrey Pfeffer
The majority of people are conformists, adhering to the rules of behavior that others demand. But if you want to be remembered, you must be unique. Wear the eye-catching ties or quirky caps. Rather than trying to hide your natural accent, use it. Decorate your workspace with photos of your favorite animals. Develop your own enthusiasm and exuberance. Focus on making everyone around you feel great.
Do more of whatever it is that distinguishes you and makes you remarkable, as long as it is real to you.
Most businesses are concerned with brand perception — how do customers perceive their brand? People will not think of you if you do not have brand recognition. As a result, brand awareness is far more essential than brand perception.
It is more important that people are aware of you, your company, or your product than what they think of you, your company, or your product. You must develop ways to distinguish yourself and be recognized. Otherwise, you'll just blend in with everyone else on Facebook, YouTube, and so on.
Rule #2: Surround yourself with powerful people and brands.
You want to associate with people in your field who wield a lot of authority, have a significant following, or have a lot of reach. Who are the movers and shakers in your area of expertise? Or more importantly, who is your target audience already following?
You may go to SparkToro and instantly see what your target audience reads, watches, listens to, and follows for free. Determine the influencers, podcasters, YouTubers, authors, publications, businesses, and associations who already have a following among your target audience.
Then, attach your personal brand to the businesses that your target audience already follows.
You're forming a connection in the minds of your prospects so that when they think of XYZ brand, they also think of your brand.
Isn't that sneaky? However, it is undeniably effective.
Aligning yourself with other prominent businesses, influencers, and media in your field is one of the quickest methods to create your own brand.
Rule #3: Have a strong opinion.
No one will ever remember you if you try to please everyone all of the time.
However, if you take a firm stance that divides people into two camps, you will gain a devoted following that will watch everything you do.
You will also make some enemies. Prepare for conflict because some individuals who disagree with you will try to knock you down in order to build themselves up.
When dealing with this conflict, the best course of action is to never say anything negative about those who disagree with you. Yes, you can clearly clarify why they are incorrect, but under no circumstances should you call them names or disparage them or their opinions in any manner.
When you have strong convictions, folks that share your thoughts or beliefs will draw toward you, consume all of your content, share you with others on social media, and strongly defend you. You're forming a tribe, which in marketing words implies that your devoted followers will be delighted to pay you their cash at any opportunity.
One thing: I wouldn't advise taking a stand on anything about which you don't have strong feelings. Choose your positions deliberately, and keep in mind that you may be talking about them a lot for a long time. Be true to yourself and your convictions.
You will quickly burn out if you chose a topic about which you are not passionate. However, if you believe in what you're saying, you can go the distance and perhaps become a celebrity in your field.
Rule #4: Get on podcasts as a guest.
You can acquire guest appearances on podcasts if you have something unique to contribute that people are interested in. And some of these podcasts have massive audiences who listen religiously week after week.
Assume you appear on at least one podcast per week, with an audience of 10,000 or more.
In a year, you can amass a sizable following. Make something unique available to everyone who is listening to the program. Give it to them for free in exchange for their email address or, for SMS messaging, their phone number.
You're connecting yourself with these well-known podcast broadcasters in order to 'steal' their reputation with their listeners. Some podcast listeners are so devoted to the podcaster that they will buy everything the podcaster suggests, which in this case will be you and your products or services.
Rule #5: Energy and enthusiasm are essential.
People like people who have a lot of energy, are enthusiastic, and have a lot of power.
Consider listening to two people. One looked exhausted and speaks in a monotone. The other exudes vitality and passion.
Who do you recall the most vividly?
When you're being your true self while doing something you enjoy, your energy and passion will naturally shine through.
Rule #6: Status is more important than where it comes from.
When it comes to personal branding, the title is more essential than the source.
For example, the president of a small business is held in higher regard than the marketing manager of a large corporation.
It's not so much where you worked or where you went to school as it is the label or credential you may bestow upon oneself.
That's fascinating... You might form a one-person company, designate yourself president and/or CEO, and sound more important than one of a huge corporation's numerous vice presidents.
You might even bestow upon oneself a title that appears to be somewhat legitimate but is entirely fictitious. For example, The Godfather of Soul or The Queen of Marketing.
If you do choose a name for yourself, make sure you can live with it for a long time.
Rule #7: Self-promotion is essential.
Inform others about your accomplishments.
This is not the time to hide your light and hope that someone else notices what you did. Don't gloat, but do share your accomplishments so that others can benefit from your experience.
Remember that self-promotion aids in the development of your brand. Celebrate your accomplishments and victories, and use them to teach others how to do the same.
Rule #8: Fashion matters.
What you wear is important when it comes to developing your personal brand. Decide on a look ahead of time and stick with it throughout all of your videos and social media posts.
Distinctive apparel, hairstyles, or facial hair can aid in the development of your brand. Generic t-shirts and suits, for example, do not.
For his branding, Elton John donned ridiculously large sunglasses. Sally Jesse Rafael sported a pair of huge red glasses. Michael Jackson was only wearing one glove. You get the picture.
There was a guy in the 1970s or 1980s who did infomercials for his information items while wearing a suit covered with question marks. While I can't recall his name, I remember him and the ridiculous costumes he wore.
And if he appeared on my screen today, I'm sure I'd watch him again just because of those weird costumes.
Rule #9: Being well-known is more valuable than being the best.
This may come as a surprise, but one way to look at branding is that it doesn't matter whether what you're selling is superior to what your competition is selling. Or, at the very least, it isn't as significant as whether your prospect has heard of you or your competition.
People want to buy what they are familiar with. If your name has been in front of your prospect 20 times in the last month (emails, podcasts, SMS messages, etc.) and your competitor has been out of sight and out of mind, it doesn't matter if your competitor sells a better product or service at a lower price because 80 percent of consumers will go with what they know rather than doing research.
People make decisions depending on what they can consider and what they are familiar with. They will follow you if they have heard of you and recognize you.
This implies that you are not required to be the greatest at what you do. Your products also do not have to be the greatest. What you do need to grasp, though, is branding. The stronger your personal branding, the more people will identify it, trust it, and buy from you.
Prospects will therefore regard you as a trustworthy expert and consultant, and they will turn to you for the solutions they require rather than searching about.
Rule #10: Video is the quickest way to increase brand exposure.
You may sit back and wait for people to find you.
To expedite the process, you may appear on podcasts.
But I'd be negligent if I didn't tell you about the quickest approach to establish your personal brand: video ads.
If you start running video advertising on YouTube or other places relevant to your niche, your brand exposure will skyrocket.
You may believe that video advertising are prohibitively expensive, but if you target effectively and are not in a saturated market, they may be highly cost effective.
In just a few hours, a single video ad can generate thousands of impressions. You can optimize for clicks or any other goal you have in mind. You can even enroll your new subscribers in a sales funnel that pays for the advertisements as well.
Still not sure that you should devote time to your personal brand? According to Forbes Magazine, the following are the nine advantages of personal branding:
1: You become well-known among those who need to know you.
2: You have less imposter syndrome since you are truly your greatest self.
3: You attract the opportunities and people you require to achieve your objectives.
4: You have more vitality because you are truly yourself.
5: You increase your joy factor because you are in sync with who you are.
6: You increase your wealth because not only do you have more options, but you can also charge more for your brand, just as Starbucks costs twice as much as the café down the street.
7: You take charge of your job or business since you have leverage and can select the chances you seek.
8: You achieve your objectives by leveraging the power of your brand.
9: Your self-assurance and confidence grow.
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