The best-selling authors, entrepreneur and brand may not own the best products, services or books but they sell greatly because they’ve built strong brands. In this post, you will learn the 7 best brand strategies used by influential people to build strong business and personal brands that people really love.
The most successful brands didn’t focus on building a business; instead, they built a movement of people and set out to help as many people as possible.
And maybe you also set out to build an influential brand that is capable of sponsoring the lifestyle of your dreams.
And yes, it is very important that we dispel; some myths about brands and branding. Your brand is not just your logo, your colour, your personality. Your brand encompasses everything you do from having just an idea to bringing that idea to reality. Your brand is everything about you and your business.
You may be wondering why it’s important to build your influence in the marketplace.
Firstly, one of the key reasons why brands implement the best brand strategies to grow their influence is to build their trust factor. Branding is vital to building customer’s trust. People do business with people they know, like and trust.
With influence comes trust which transcends to more sales.
Secondly, brands grow influence to have more influential control in the marketplace. Apple Inc. has marketplace control because it has been able to build a reputable brand over the years. Its strategies are focused on increasing their influence over competitors.
So, what should you do to build a strong brand in the marketplace?
[1] KEEP IT SIMPLE
The greatest best brand strategy is simplicity! You think you have to solve the esoteric things to make an impact?
Well, many of us thought that way before, unfortunately, we only got ourselves running in a circle. Your idea or business model does not have to be complex to build the brand of your dreams.
Keep it plainly simple. If you confuse it, you won’t achieve it.
Your message and offering must be easily understood by yourself and others.
People don’t buy into your ideas if they couldn’t understand what you stand for.
Experts like Eric Thomas, Russel Bruson, Jeff Goins are plainly clear with their brands. They are doing a great job creating the right narratives and passing on the belief to their loyal readers.
If your dream is to have a great personal brand, you should add the best brand strategy which is simplicity to your arsenal.
Your ability to communicate your ideas and ideology with simplicity and make people understand you will skyrocket your influence.
Let your brand promise be simple and easy to understand. Be so clear with your ideology that your brand promise oozes out of everything you do.
In your quest for simplicity, gaining clarity on your journey would help you focus your actions to maximize your impact.
It is important that you get clear on your offering in the marketplace. Brand confusion is the last thing you want to create your brand.
Clarity is a journey, not a destination.Contrary to popular belief, people think clarity is a destination but that’s nothing but a fallacy.
No one gets it so clearly at first, it takes time for you to get a grip on your journey. You will grow, you will outgrow your current phase, get more clarity as you proceed on your journey.
Change is constant but regardless of your growth, get clear on your steps and don’t forget to keep it simple.
[2] TREAT PEOPLE LIKE FRIENDS NOT FANS
Another best brand strategy used by experts and influential brands is treating people like friends and not fans. Living beyond yourself and getting your offerings out there requires you to treat people as close friends.
Why is this important?Some people think it’s just social media but that’s a costly mistake. Behind each profile is a human being just like you with needs to be met. I still haven’t chatted with a goat or dog since I joined the league.
One of the strategies to skyrocket your social media engagement is to create your content in such a way that you are addressing one person. Instead of generalizing your content, products and services, use the power of one!
The power of one states that ‘if you treat people especially, they become your number one fan and they won’t stop telling others about you, your business and how awesome they felt dealing with you’.
Make people feel special, treat them like royalties…
Know your tribe and focus on addressing their needs. Give them what they want and treat them right.
I don’t see people as fans; instead, I see them as friends and family. Seeing people as fans may make you treat them lesser than you should. You may take them for granted and ignore their needs.
You may drive off-road the moment you begin to see people as your fans.
Words of mouth remain a key marketing and publicity tool with potent powers. How you treat people determines if words of mouth will be used to lift you up or bring you down.
A single tweet is capable of generating more sales and patronage to your brand, in the same vein; it is also capable of bringing you down and soiling your brand reputation.
In our interconnected world with social media and internet at its disposal, you can’t afford to go wrong with your brand.
Nordstrom is famous not because of what it sells but how it sells. It has been able to carve a name for itself through excellent customer service and treating each customer right.
If building a top brand is your dream, you won’t go wrong treating people especially.
[3] BUILD A TRIBE OF LOYAL FRIENDS
The most instrumental best brand strategies you can implement is building a tribe of loyal friends. Tribe building is what separates experts from amateurs and as you know; experts are more influential than amateurs.
What is a tribe?
A tribe is a group of people connected to an idea, purpose, movement or course. It’s a collection of people with common goals and grounds.
It is paramount that you create community, list, and a group around your movement or business if you are ever going to have an influential brand.
Building your list of targeted audience safeguards you from wasting your time and resources communicating the right message to the wrong audience.
Having an email list, Blog, Facebook group or LinkedIn group (as the case may be) is vital to building an influential brand.
Having list help you know your tribe and their needs the more. It also plays an integral part in generating traffic to your online properties.
Building your influence on rented land may look feasible now but think of Twitter or Facebook shutting down. What does it mean to your business and influence?
You have to build list or communities of people interested in the things you do and the best part is you have 100% control of everything that goes on there unlike the rented apartments.
Instead of starting a business, start a movement. Facebook started to bring people together before it became a world-class business racking in enormous profit each year.
Utilize the tribe effect, spread contagious mind virus that focuses not just on you but your target market and their needs.
[4] BE READY TO PUT IN THE WORK
The forth of best brand strategies used by top influencers is putting in the work required to maximize their influence.
“There is no shortcut to anywhere worth going”- Beverly Sills
If you haven’t realized yet, everything you want to achieve with your brand lies in how hardworking you are. You have to decide to keep grinding when no one is reading your content when you have little or no engagement when no one believed in you when things go south and especially when life hits you hard.
The best brands out there are brands that kept grinding even when they had no reasonable reason to stay in the game. The bridge between where you are and where you want to be is the work you put in.
The action is the principle thing…
Knowledge is great but it’s powerless without action.
You may not become the talk of the town in a month and even a year but if you consistently put in the work, you are on your track to become high profile and influential brand.
It takes work, time and patience. Be ready to outwork your competitors.
[5] BE UNIQUE:
I know you have role models and people you look up to. Almost everyone has that special person they follow and emulate. While it’s great to have mentors that you emulate, it will be damaging for you to try to sound like them.
Nothing is as damaging as being who you are not. Your tribe wants to feel you and your awesomeness, why pass up your seat at the table of the greats?
One of the best brand strategies is your uniqueness. It’s your ability to stay true to you and you alone. Stop trying to be someone else when you can be you.
Owning your voice may be one of the best brand strategies that would propel you to a greater height.
I know many writers struggle to find their voice and the struggles made them ignore who they truly are. But you don’t have to give up your awesomeness to chase shadows.
If you decide to be like every other person, who would be you?
Be unique, the best brands are those who are able to embrace their voice and awesomeness.
People come to feel you, not some random person.
Lead with courage.
[6] INVEST IN YOURSELF:
Yes, you decided to live beyond yourself and be of value to your target audience but, is that enough?
See yourself as fuel tanker who has to deliver fuel to filling stations. For the tanker to deliver fuel to stations, then, it needs to be filled too.
Let’s imagine the tanker runs out of fuel, how does it get the fuel it carries to stations? Your guess is as good as mine, there’s no way for it to deliver the goods it carriers unless it refills.
In the same vein, you are also like the tanker who serves others. For you to deliver on your promises, you have to keep your knowledge bank filled.
You don’t want to burn out and that’s why you have to commit to never-ending improvement.
The best brands out there are brands that have invested in more knowledge and actionable values.
What separates an amateur from an expert? Knowledge and implementation are what makes the difference.
If you are to earn profitably from your expertise, it is vital that you invest in knowledge.
Getting a coach wouldn’t hurt your chances of growing one of the best brands.
Reading books and acting on the knowledge will go a long way to ensure your idea bank never runs dry.
Taking courses would put you ahead of the queue to ensure you monetize your passion.
Before anyone invests in you and your ideologies, it is critical for you to invest in yourself. Remember, the greatest investment you can make in your journey to becoming a global brand is to invest wisely in yourself.
[7]FACE YOUR WORST ENEMY
The last of the best brand strategies used by influencers is facing their fears. It is standing tall against all narratives that hold you in shackles.
Your worst enemies are everything that impedes you from living the life of your dreams and having the best personal brand.
You may be afraid of failing or even afraid of success. You may be empowering limiting beliefs to hold you down. But, if you are ready to put in the work required as a result of your own decision, you will have a top personal brand in no distant time.
Your enemy may be yourself. You become the one impeding your journey to greatness when you fail to utilize consistency with strategies.
CONCLUSION
Building thriving personal brands becomes much easier if you are ready to put the best brand strategies to use.
It’s a crowded market but your amplifying and maximizing your message will help you stand out in the crowd.
It is crucial to know that results may not come immediately. There are no silver bullets to becoming a top brand in the blink of an eye.
It is my promise to you that if you put the best brand strategies to use, you will grow your influence, get visible and earn profitably from your expertise in no distant time.
What brand strategies have you been putting to use to maximize your influence?
