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This exercise is for anyone who is starting or running a small business, and looking for a way to clarify the message and the brand to sell more and serve clients better. Duration ~10 minutes.
Is is difficult to market your business and get new clients? It’s because your message is diluted.
Your brand’s message has to be a dart that flies directly in the eye of your ideal client.
When it comes to your website, your ads, and the content you create to sell, they need to be instantly understandable, clear and concise.
Follow this exercise to clarify your message, simplify your content, and sell more as a result.
Definition:
Personal Brand is your Online reputation.
It answers the question What are you known for.
CLARITY, CLARITY, CLARITY.
On the relational level, personal brand makes a lot of sense. If you want to build a successful business for yourself, start making yourself known. People trust people they know. If your face is familiar and friendly, clients pick you before any faceless competition.
Designing a personal brand can be a fun and extremely valuable game, where you get to clear out the fluff and get smart.
As you are gaining more clarity, the less guessing you have to do, and you can focus on creating effective service for the clients who need it.
For a primer, who do you look up to? Why?
There are 9 steps, covering different areas of building a brand and a business that you can claim for yourself. Think of it like claiming a gold mine, because your mental framing dictates how powerful your character will be.
Let’s take a first look on the list.
Now, let’s open these 3 parts and start building your ideal personal brand.
When your marketing is done right, you are seen as a guide or a mentor, who helps to solve the problem of your client.
How can you position yourself to be a teacher? What kind of a robe would you wear?
You need to wear the hat of an expert. Otherwise people are going to look for someone else.
Your ideal clients are looking for a solution to a problem you can solve.
Write down specifically and simply who you are, in one sentence.
The problem is the foundation of your business, and has to be based on your abilities. You are uniquely talented with your specific set of skills, and you can position yourself to solve one problem.
The less words you can use to describe the problem and the solution, the better your marketing will do.
Now, based on the character you are, write down what problem do you solve for your ideal client. Why are they looking for a guide?
Write the simplified answer in one sentence.
Get a crystal clear understanding who are you serving?
There are always enough beginners to teach. PInpoint to a select, ideal client.
If your don’t know who your audience is, your message will be lost and diluted. Businesses who don’t know who their clients are simply fail.
Choose one single person who needs your help. Maybe it’s you 4 years ago?
Write down the age range, current career, education level, disposable income, and the location.
Only short simple answers. These answers help you tremendeously to fine-tune your content, services, products and pricing.
Now we have the first part of your future success ready. Next we are going to outline the business-side of your brand in more detail.
How do you deliver the solution to your clients? (Not marketing)
Is it by video meetings, email, in-person or in workshops or classes?
For example, if you are a dog trainer, you main tool could be a Facebook group, where you communicate with your clients, share videos, promote your online courses and create events for live workshops.
If you sell products online, your main tool is your eCommerce website.
If you cut hair, the main tool is your scissors.
What tool delivers the value your clients is paying you for?
You are making great progress! Now let’s convince people to do business with you.
For that you need to have a great deal, where the value exceeds the price.
Clients buy when they believe that the value of the offer is higher than the price.
Here’s a question.
If you had to buy a bottle of wine for 200 dollars, would you want to get a taste first?
You likely would, wouldn’t you?
To reduce the risk of wasting money on something new, any new client wants to get a taste first.
For that reason, it’s a great idea to create an entry-level product or service, that hooks the new client.
And afterwards, you will offer the client your catalogue or menu, when the trust is gained.
What is the free or low-cost service or product that you can use to get new clients?
Anyone who works by themselves or with a small team know really well that there’s never enough time to do everything you want.
For that reason, think what kind of an automation would make your business easier?
Imagine you could put new clients on a conveyer belt and move through your ‘factory’ to serve them without you personally holding their hand on every step.
For example, automation could be a set of email messages when a visitor downloads your ebook.
Automation could also be a virtual assistant that handles customer support.
Good automation saves you time and energy.
What sort of system would make running your business much easier?
The solution could be cheaper than you think.
Now we have two pieces set in place. One to go. The last part is your social media strategy, so let’s jump right in.
Where do you want to promote your brand and/or show your face? Where does your ideal client spend time?
For example, my choice for social media is YouTube, and I put 90% of my focus there.
What would be the best platform for you? Facebook, Instagram, TikTok or LinkedIn? Twitch, Discord or Clubhouse? Or your blog and Google?
Pick one social media and put your focus to it. When you can, share the same content on other platforms, but focus only on one.
Going back to the problem you solve, come up with three angles how you can uniquely solve the problem and create content for.
Take everything you have written here to simplify, clarify and amplify your message, and attack the problem from 3 angles, that your audience will find useful and interesting.
As long as your marketing content follows this rule, your audience will understand what you are selling.
Any success is a result of a habit.
Building a successful personal brand and business is a collection of good habits.
That should motivate you, because by following the right habits, you can only succeed!
Winning is about repetition, reiteration and reliability.
First you are accountable to yourself, and then to your clients.
Show up regularly to earn your clients’ trust.
As we are ready close, I want you to apply this Simplified Brand Plan to your business from today.
Schedule one or two days every week, when you dedicate time and effort to create content that is aligned with this plan you have now clarified to yourself.
Great plan does nothing on the shelf.
Decide on which days of the week you commit few hours to create and publish content.
Now you have a much clearer idea what your business is and who is it for.
You are enough. Your unique style, your delivery and your consistency will be the keys to make your business a success.
Every personal brand starts from a simple idea, so yours is as valuable gem as any. Protect it, build it, and watch it grow.
Share this with anyone you think would benefit from Personal Branding game. Thank you.
