Once upon a time, websites were built as brochureware. Businesses would put everything but the kitchen sink on a site, and with all of that information, it actually made the site useless for audiences. Yes, unfortunate for the end user and tragic for the business owner.
Today, your site should not only allow you to stand out as an owner, but it should also capture your unique message and essence. It should clearly explain how you can help your audience. Your audience should readily feel that your services are the only ones for resolving their problem. Your site should also guide them to where they can begin to alleviate their issue, with you helping them as their guide.
As for your brand story, your narrative also plays a role in this marketing funnel by showing up on key pages of your website. As your potential clients move through your site, your signature story will bubble up in your content, attracting your audience further to you and creating connections with you as the go-to expert. The relationship between your signature story and your website is explained further in this video.
Still scratching your head, in need of a solid brand story that connects with your potential customers/clients? Now is the time to work with me.
I’ve got good and bad news! The good news: Branding is not just about throwing up a website and creating a pretty logo. Bad news (which is actually, still good news): Branding is more than just websites and logos. It’s more about what comes to mind when you think of a brand … Hold that thought!
When you think about Oprah, what comes to mind? I want you to fill in the blanks and jot that down.
You see. What comes up—for good or bad—defines your brand.
Now imagine you took control of the wheel and started to paint the picture for what it’s like to hire or purchase from you? This is what strategic branding is all about, which is particularly essential for solopreneurs, since owners are the end-and-be-all of the business relationship. This makes it mission critical for owners to take control of their image. As I always say, “If you’re not branding yourself, others will brand you for you.”
The Lenovo Yoga and HP Spectre are two of the leading two-in-one laptops out there that are ideal for small business owners, particularly creatives. One minute you could be hammering out the details of a project on your computer, and the next minute, you could flip those nifty computers into a tablet and design something amazing as if you’re working with a paintbrush and paper. I put these two laptops to the test in my recent product review.
What Had Happened Was …
When it comes down to choosing among bigger brands, it often becomes a battle between the brand name, reputation/reviews from others, and then the product itself. Well, I found myself in this interesting position when my trusty laptop suddenly kicked the can, and I was forced to replace it. Of course, the timing was the worst, as is the time in which these things tend to happen. So, off to Best Buy I went … completely reluctant to dish out the cash that I also didn’t have available. 💸
What I Found Was …
You really need to go into the computer buying process with a completely clear vision of how you plan on using the computer, how it will fit into your lifestyle, and your budget. The thing is, after the shiny penny syndrome runs off, you’ll be left with something that really needs to meet your needs. It becomes much more than the brand itself. Interestingly, I gravitated to the bigger brands because I felt as if they were trustworthy based on their reputation. The defining factor became a combination of form, function, and affordability. 🎯
Lesson Learned …
The takeaway for all brands is to remember that besides all of the sparkling marketing that we put out there, it is essential to deliver on our brand promise (what we essentially promise consumers at the end of the day). That being said, there is still some hidden magic in wrapping our services and products in pretty little packages. Yes, the psychology is real! 🎁
Check out the video above for more details on all this and chime in below!
There are two essential pages that you need to have on any personal branding website—an about page and a story page.
Riddle me this! Your target audience member stumbles upon your website and sees a snazzy picture of you. There you are offering some service, freebie, and/or magical potion. Now, the said target audience member is actually intrigued. He/she actually want to learn more about you! Where does that person go? … Yes, to your about page!
Your about page should provide a quick overview of who you are and why people should keep you in mind. This page should tell folks all about what makes you so special. That being said, you’ll also need a story page. This page is like the ultimate sidekick to your about page. This is where you’ll begin to breakdown your brand’s backstory. This is your moment to connect with your target audience on a deeper level.
In case you haven’t noticed, today’s marketing efforts are centered on creating solid content. Yes, oh, yes, content is king! Your content should not only be of value to the end user, but it should also be shareable. Nothing is worst that having people stumble upon your blog, actually like the information that you’ve created, and then … run off into cyberspace. Save yourself some of the time spent marketing by having your target audience help you. Readers who vibe with what you have to say are more prone to share your information with others. Your job is to not only have this rich content available but to also have it ready for distribution. You need shareable blog content to ensure that your audience will pass along your good news. Don’t complicate this process. Remember, site visitors have short attention spans and little time. Catch them while you can!
How can you go about doing this? Make sure that your website has share links accompanying each blog post. This will make things quick and easy for readers to email, tweet, like, and pin your tidbits. This doesn’t just apply to your written works. If you have eye-catching visuals, you’re golden. This will amp up your chances of having your images circulated on Pinterest, Tumblr, and similar photo driven social networks, where traffic may be driven back to your website.
WordPress has several plugins which easily integrates into blogs. I’ve been using the Simple Share Buttons plugin, which includes the most popular social networks, including Facebook, Twitter, StumbleUpon, Digg, and Reddit. However, there are other plugins with a lengthier list of options. Despite your plugin of choice, the end goal is to make it easy to share your content. Watch thte video above for a quick overview.
If you find this information useful … don’t forget to share it! I also encourage you to leave comments or questions below.
Today, there are endless platforms that you can use to showcase your brand. While you should maintain a presence on the social spaces where your audience frequents, don’t forget your hub—your website. People still use websites as a source for reviews about brands (via blogs or review sites). This is also the main platform that people use to obtain detailed information about various brands, especially if the tidbits shared on social media don’t paint the full picture.
You want to make sure that once that search is made, your digital space easily presents itself. Your website should not only shine, but it should also be used as the source of all the nitty gritty details about your brand. You can then direct your audience from social networks to this central space to learn more about you and embark on the call of action that you’d like for them to perform.
I encourage you to take a seat in my classroom. Come on in! No boring lectures here! I break down all the details for you in this video.
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