How to Build Your Personal Brand and Sell More!
What is a brand?A distinguishing symbol, mark, logo, name, word, sentence, or a combination of these items that companies use to distinguish their product from others in the market. (
Dictionary.com)
How do you build your "brand"?
Internet - Website, online reviews, rankings on search engines, SEO, links, social networks such as Twitter & Facebook, and advertising.
Reputation - Being known for something whether it be particular product, quality, customer service, experience.
Word of mouth - Customers telling others about your brand/product/service.
Guerilla marketing - Unconventional marketing intended to get maximum results from minimal resources.
Advertising - Online, print, mailers, coupons, etc.
Quality - Making sure that what you sell is quality, whether it be product, education, customer service, or experience.
Google and other search engine searches - Rankings, reviews, advertising and websites.
Viral marketing - Viral marketing describes any strategy that encourages individuals to pass on a marketing message to others, creating the potential for exponential growth in the message's exposure and influence. Like viruses, such strategies take advantage of rapid multiplication to explode the message to thousands, to millions.
How many times do you need to see something before you recognize a brand?
I have no idea!! But I do know that the more your "brand" is recognized- the more success you will have reaching your potential customers as well. When doing direct mail or email campaigns, you get an increased open rate when they have a positive reaction to your name (hey- it's an email fromTammi at
simpleFLOORS!)
Current open rate for direct mail advertising - 2.61% (varies based on industry)
Current open rate for email advertising 14 - 17% (for Retail)
Brands that may not be "the best in their category" but because of their brand awareness are recognizable to a huge population.Bruce hardwood
Pergo
Band-aid
Kleenex
Coke
Nike
Google
Campbell's soup
Marlboro
Chesterfield - if you don't know what the heck this is, please contact Dave
How do you build your personal "brand"?
Do you what you say you will do
Educate - your customers know what they want even if they don't know they do
Under-promise, over-deliver
Ask for referrals
Be honest
Quality
Get recommendations or reviews posted about you and the product you have sold
Have integrity
Why invest in creating your own personal brand?Look at this equation...
You get 1 person to recognize your "brand" with quality (product, follow through, personality, customer service, you name it) - and so they buy from you (you personally or your company- depending whose brand they believe in) instead of the competitor.
This one customer tells a couple of friends (you remember the commercial if you are old enough) and 2 of them decide to try you out based on getting that same branding experience (customer service, honest answers and information, fabulous product and price, etc.). This continues to build as your name gets passed on because you have a brand that people trust. This has unlimited potential.
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