Mediastreet
Tag

Personal Branding

Browsing
In News

How to Effectively Use Storytelling to Attract a Larger Brand Following

No Comments

By Susan Gilbert

In order to establish a credible personal brand that people trust you need great content that speaks directly to them. Without this you will not be successful in your lead generation and conversion rates.

How can your brand better connect with your community in an authentic way? A compelling brand story will make them want to spread the word about your company. Publishing and promoting content is not enough to hold people’s attention any more, and with a little effort and target market research you can reach out to your community and create loyal brand ambassadors.

Social media marketing is not about selling, but rather about meeting the needs of your customers, and presenting a message that solves their biggest problems. There are several ways to attract followers to your personal brand with a powerful story.

Steps to building a winning storytelling content strategy:

Today’s brand message comes from being real with your audience. It takes transparency and building relationships through your marketing execution to make this work:

1. Improve your content

Educate yourself and find out what is working well in your industry today. If video garners more attention then focus on that. Some businesses have a higher number of followers from mobile than computers. Do some research to learn where your community is active the most and the types of content they prefer then adjust yours according to this data.

2. Send invitations to connect

Stay in touch with your subscribers and brand followers on social media. Provide them with valuable offers and information that can be helpful in solving their needs. Use this as an opportunity to not sell, but build relationships with them.

3. Create a sales page

Once you have established a good following create a separate sales page where they can go to learn more about your products and services. This is the place where your actual sales pitch comes in, and is best done through testimonials and real-life examples such as a video from a happy client.

Storytelling for your personal brand is a great way to connect more with your leads and customers. Attract new customers with creative ideas that have a profound impact on their lives and tell the story of your company.

Image credit: Shutterstock

By Susan Gilbert

This story originally appeared on Personal Branding Blog

Sourced from Entrepreneur

Read More
By
In News

Our obsession with personal branding reveals a dark truth about the future of work

No Comments

By Noah Berlatsky.

If you’re looking for a new job, the internet is full of helpful tips.

“7 Things You Can Do to Build an Awesome Personal Brand!” one headline declares. “6 Branding Tips for Job Seekers!” blares another. After all, in this fast-paced economy, you can’t just apply for new positions; you need to brand yourself.

Competitive job seekers need more than a stellar resume and strong references; they must be able to package themselves like Coca Cola. They need to be their own instantly recognizable service, like Amazon or Google. People with effective personal brands attract job offers; those without languish in brand-less failure.

Or at least, that’s what many job-seekers are being told. Ilana Gershon, however, is skeptical. Gershon, a professor of anthropology at the University of Indiana, Bloomington, spent a year interviewing and observing job seekers and employers in Silicon Valley and around the US. Her new book, Down and Out in the New Economy: How People Find (Or Don’t Find) Work Today explains that branding is largely a boondoggle advanced by inspirational speakers and job trainers. It doesn’t help people get jobs. But it does make us more accepting of an increasingly dehumanized job market that treats workers as products rather than people.

For one thing, the employers and hiring managers Gershon talked to didn’t look for, or even notice, personal branding. Gershon concluded that despite all the hype, finding your personal brand doesn’t help job-seekers. Its primary function is to make people feel like they have control over their working lives in an increasingly hostile job landscape.

According to Gershon, the concept of personal branding developed over the last 30 years as the concept of work itself became more precarious. Union membership has contracted. The number of hours in the average work week has risen; full-time adult workers spend 47 hours a week working on average, which is up an hour and a half from ten years ago. Today, millennials average four jobs in their first 10 years out of college, twice as many as the average for the generation before them. Workplaces are demanding more time and offering fewer protections and stability.

This change has a lot to do with the relationship between employer and employee. According to Gershon, in earlier eras, employees saw their relationship with an employer as a kind of loan of time and skills. You rented out your services for a certain period, and then the rest of the day was your own. Increasingly, however, people have begun to see themselves as individual businesses. And the employer-employee relationship is starting to feel more and more like a contract between two business enterprises. Meanwhile, companies like Uber, in which employees are all independent contractors, present themselves as the ideal future of work (though Uber looks less and less ideal all the time.)

In this context, branding, Gershon argues, isn’t a way to get a job. Rather it’s a way to reconcile oneself to an economy that provides less and less security. Without unions and without job security, employment is precarious and life outside work withers away. Gershon explains that, “The self as business is a metaphor that people developed to think through how they can operate in a space which is completely defined by market logics.”

This way of thinking can help people feel like they fit into the current market. But it has its downsides, too—plenty of them. The main problem with branding yourself as a business, Gershon says, is relatively simple: “People are human beings with physical needs and with personal lives outside of the business,” she says. “They are not always on; they have a personal life.”

When people are turned into brands, they become responsible to their brand—and to their bosses—all the time, everywhere. Social media posts showing a teacher enjoying an after-work cocktail could endanger her employment. Tweeting a controversial opinion can get you in trouble if said opinion is antithetical to your personal brand. There’s a reason massive companies like Disney hire an army of public relations people to manage its brand—staying on-message all the time is hard work.

Visualizing oneself as a brand also makes worker solidarity more difficult, Gershon says. Brands compete with each other; they don’t come together to demand higher pay, or decent health care, or reasonable hours. When people think of themselves as brands, they are speaking the language of reputation, appearance, and marketing. It’s hard to switch from that to a discussion of moral responsibility.

“I would love to see another metaphor about what work has to offer become dominant,” Gershon says. “Maybe instead of thinking about people as property or businesses, we could think of people as craftsman. And that way, people in the same kind of work could see themselves as facing the same structural issues.” This tweak might allow people to focus on group organizing, rather than self-packaging.

At the very least, readers of Gershon’s book should come away secure in the knowledge that branding yourself is mostly hooey. It wastes your time, and it doesn’t usually help you get a job. Human beings aren’t brands. Rather than spending all their time trying to think about what distinguishes them from the pack, workers might be better served thinking about what brings them together.

By Noah Berlatsky

You can follow Noah on Twitter at @nberlat. Learn how to write for Quartz Ideas. We welcome your comments at [email protected].

Sourced from Quartz

Read More
By
In News

Studio Sense: Five personal branding strategies every creative needs to know

No Comments

By Shayla Price.

Building your own personal brand is key to gaining client trust and setting yourself apart from competitors.

As a creative, your success depends on your personal brand. You may very well have the skills to get the job done, but without effective branding, clients won’t trust you.

Develop a personal brand that stands out, become familiar with the client’s needs and set yourself apart from the competition.

“All of us need to understand the importance of branding. We are CEOs of our own companies: Me, Inc. To be in business today, our most important job is to be head marketer for the brand called ‘You’,” says Tom Peters, a well-known author and speaker.

On the road to success, your personal brand drives and you ride shotgun. Here are five ways to get your personal brand heading in the right direction.

A website that implements Zealous' Personal Branding Strategies A website example from freelance writer Kaleigh Moore

1. Deliver on your promises

Above all else, deliver on your promises. You can’t build brand credibility based on words – only actions. Clients have high expectations, so when you commit to certain standards, they will hold you accountable.

Completing your commitments is a sign of professionalism – it shows people you can be trusted. Be mindful of quality when fulfilling your clients’ promises. Subpar work will only diminish your brand’s value. Create a quality control checklist to ensure you’re producing excellent work.

Clients don’t want creatives who deliver good work sometimes. They desire individuals who will provide quality every single time.

Consistency is the ultimate brand-builder. Clients don’t want creatives who deliver good work sometimes. They desire individuals who will provide quality every single time. To remain consistent, never stop improving. Invest time in learning new skills, as well as honing your old ones.

Daniel Bliley, marketing director at Passport says: “Branding today is as much about consistently delivering on your promise as it is about differentiation. You have to position yourself in unique ways in order to stand out from others. You have to meet all of the subconscious expectations and go beyond the mundane to truly impress.”

Differentiate yourself from the competition by understanding your clients’ goals. Learn the reasoning behind their projects. This will help you provide a better work product. Personal branding hinges on you delivering quality work in a consistent manner. Be prepared to make the commitment.

A tweet from freelance designer and developer Jonnie Hallman, announcing an update about his latest project. A tweet from freelance designer and developer Jonnie Hallman, announcing an update about his latest project.

2. Build a website or portfolio

Show clients who you are and what you do by creating a website or portfolio to promote your brand. A personal website is an effective tool to give clients an inside perspective. It provides a visual representation of your brand’s values and your work experience.

Develop a website that will showcase your talents. Add case studies about previous clients and mention notable awards and recognitions. And highlight how your work makes a difference. You may even want to include a blog or have prospects sign up for a newsletter. The key is to underline your strengths.

Moreover, focus your website on how you can solve your client’s problems. Leah Kalamakis, founder of The Freelance To Freedom Project, writes: “Don’t use your website to tell people what YOU do, use it to tell people what you can do for THEM.”

Create a website that exudes professionalism and makes a good first impression. Based on eye-tracking research conducted at Missouri University of Science and Technology, “when viewing a website, it takes [visitors] less than two-tenths of a second to form a first impression”. So, avoid adding a multitude of colours, splashed with stock photos. Clients will leave and go to your competitors.

Develop a website worth visiting and give prospective clients a reason to contact you.

picture3freelancersunion.org

3. Maintain a social media presence

We live in a tech-savvy society. And social media is helping individuals connect with people all over the world. Expand your reach and use social media to gain more exposure for your creative services.“[A] big part of being recognised as a distinctive, successful brand is the ability to reach consumers through multiple channels,” says Forbes contributor Jayson DeMers.

Research where your clients hang out online. Is it Facebook? Twitter? Or, maybe Instagram?

Then, start creating content on those social networks. Follow your clients’ profiles, comment on their posts, and curate helpful information under your account.

A Texas Tech University report found that brands with active social media profiles have more loyal customers.  Moreover, brand loyalty is built on a strong social media presence.So, stay active but don’t nag your potential clients. Focus on building a relationship, not earning another work project.

Entrepreneur John Rampton says: “Use social media to converse with industry leaders, such as asking questions, adding your input, sharing their content or signing up for their newsfeeds. This type of networking will continue to improve your credibility and expertise.”

Your online presence matters, so start building connections on social media.

keyboard-1395316_1920

4. Participate in multiple communities

Networking is essential. As a creative, it’s the lifeblood of your operations. People do business with people, not businesses. So aim to build relationships with others.

“When you take the time to build a strong network, that investment will bring results. People start seeing you as an expert and will come to you for services, whether you’re a writer, designer or massage therapist,” says Justine Smith, outreach manager at Freshbooks.

Find networking opportunities in your local area with Meetup.com, or join a Slack community dedicated to your specific industry-related niche. Or try collaborating with fellow freelancers at the Freelancers Union.

If you’re looking to be mentored, offer to mentor someone else. Reciprocity is a powerful professional trait

When joining communities, your goal is to add value. Become a resource to your network. Don’t spam people with ads about your services, instead discover new ways to build partnerships. For example, if you’re a graphic designer, you can partner with a copywriter. Together, you can offer high-quality brochures with impeccable copy and custom-made layouts.

Your networking efforts should centre around leveraging relationships. Personal branding isn’t selfish. You can build a better reputation by helping those around you, so participate in communities by sharing your knowledge. If you’re looking to be mentored, offer to mentor someone else. Reciprocity is a powerful professional trait.

Build a mutually beneficial network. Help first, then ask for guidance.

Zealous' Personal Branding Strategies

5. Give your brand personality

Personal branding revolves around perception and everything you do represents your brand. In order to separate yourself from others, give your brand a personality.

Brand personality is defined as “a set of emotional and associative characteristics connected to a company or brand name”. It is how people feel and interact with your freelancing business. For example, Apple exudes innovation. Nike is connected with athleticism. Chick-fil-A is known for pleasurable fast-food experiences.

Link your brand personality with an ideal that your clients can respect.

“People connect to the people and things they believe in,” says Detavio Samuels, president of GlobalHue-Detroit. “So, as a brand, you are either connecting based on showcasing a similar belief system or you are providing them with new beliefs based on a better future they choose to embrace.”

After you select a personality, inject it into everything you do. It is how you interact with people, choose a website design, and even deliver your work product. But don’t force artificial feelings. Your clients will know if you’re faking it, so be genuine with your approach.

So liven up your brand and give it your unique personal flair.

Get noticed

Every creative needs a personal brand that works for them. It will attract clients to your business, in return increasing your revenue.

Create quality work. Build an amazing website (HostGator can help with this part). Interact with clients on social media. Network with leaders in your industry. And develop a brand personality.

Be seen. Be heard. Build your personal brand.

By

Sourced from Creative Review

Read More
By