Most of us understand the importance of Branding our Business, but how many of us are leveraging personal branding to help grow our business?
If you’re thinking: “So you’re telling me I need to be an influencer now?” – don’t fret. These strategies for creating and growing your personal brand won’t ask you to make duck faces or, create makeup tutorials or anything of the sort. In fact, the core behind your brand should be your authentic self.
That means if you’re a martial arts school owner – your personal brand should highlight your passion for the martial arts.
Still struggling to see how your personal brand can be of benefit to your business? No sweat. Your growth professionals got you.
Let’s break down The Keys to Establishing Your Personal Brand…
Trickle Down
Your personal brand will draw people to you and get you in front of people that may not have seen or engaged with your business without that initial personal connection to YOU.
Networking (both in person and online) is a useful tool that puts you in front of people that have access to advice, collaborators, and resources that can be of huge benefit to your business.
Brand Awareness (Top of Funnel)
When people know who you are, this drives Awareness to your business, which is a top of funnel strategy (followed by consideration and action). Awareness MUST come before a potential buyer will purchase your product/service and often they won’t pull the trigger the first time they discover you exist, so this is an important piece of the process of acquiring new customers. For more on Top of Funnel Awareness, Check Out This Blog; and then allow the Growth Professionals to help you Create A Customer Journey That Converts with our FREE Webinar.
B to B Partnerships and Business Opportunities
What would you say if I told you businesses and opportunities could fall into your lap? Don’t listen to that cynical voice in your voice that says: “there has to be a catch.” If another business comes across your account/page/website and like what you’re doing, they might want to form a mutually beneficial partnership.
Grow Pro Agency is proof of this.
Cris’ online presence and her knowledge in various areas of expertise have allowed Grow Pro Agency to build powerful partnerships with Skillz Worldwide, MAIA (Martial Arts Industry Association), and Market Muscles. These connections have enabled Cris Rodriguez to further grow and expand her personal and business brand awareness through speaking engagements and participation in business conferences.
Leveraging your network is another benefit of creating a strong online presence through your personal brand. The more your presence grows, the more people you’ll get to interact with. All these interactions make for opportunities to gain new advocates, employees, or collaborators.
Stronger Relationship with Clients = Higher Retention
When people first engaged with you and your content on a personal level, it’s easier to convert them to a client. Once they’re a client, the initial personal connection will serve to improve your client retention.
Clients are a lot more likely to forgive minor hiccups when there’s a face connected to the name – it’s more personal and gives you the opportunity to keep a client from walking at the first sign of trouble because they like have a level of affinity, and with affinity, there is usually an inherent level of trust. Think about a tense interaction you may have had with a telemarketer. It’s easy for frustration to bubble over when it’s just a faceless voice.
If you want to learn strategies to help increase client retention, check out our Blog: The Customer Courtship.
Take Control of the Narrative
Let’s face it – people love to create stories. Don’t you want to have a say in how people are telling yours?
Sure, we can’t make everyone like us and we shouldn’t lose sleep over that fact. When we try to please everyone, we usually end up burnt out or miserable; it’s an impossible feat. However, at the end of the day, there are going to be those that won’t understand our message. Even worse, there are those who even intentionally misinterpret it to paint us in a negative light. That’s why it is important to use your personal brand to show your passion and integrity.
In the absence of an online presence, you leave yourself open to having your critics or competition create one for you. When you’re posting and engaging with your audience – it gives them access to you, and that window into your life can be used to establish credibility and connection.
Increased credibility allows you to position your business’s goods or services at a higher value because when people trust you, that trust also extends to your business. Think of it like Oprah’s Favorite Things. Because people like and trust Oprah, when she puts her seal of approval on something – people assume it is of a certain quality. “If it’s good enough for Oprah, it’s good enough for me!”
You Have My Attention, Now What?
Start by answering these questions:
- What are the values/themes that I connect with?
- What am I hoping to accomplish with my personal brand?
- What is the avatar for my ideal audience, who am I trying to get engagement from?
- What am I comfortable sharing, what are my boundaries?
- What does my ideal audience value and how can I help them get it? (Purpose)
- What platforms will I use to create my online presence and with what frequency can I commit to creating/posting content (Keep in mind, the recommended frequency will vary depending on the platform you’re using. See list for recommendations*)?
Answering these questions will help you to hone the fundamental elements that will comprise your brand. When you’re not sure what kind of content to create, go back to these questions – your foundation. Use them like a compass and they will keep you focused and moving towards the fulfillment of your goals.
If you’re struggling to land on a theme, below you’ll find a list of popular brand themes to give you a jumping-off point:
- Art
- Beauty
- Mindset
- DIY
- Health & Fitness
- Education
- Lifestyle
- Food
- Travel & Culture
- Parenting
- Skill-based
- Humor
- Entertainment
*Below you’ll find a list of social media platforms and other mediums you can utilize for the development of your Personal Brand, as well as recommendations for posting frequency depending on the platform.
- Facebook (1 – 2 daily)
Example: The Martial Arts Entrepreneurs Group
- Instagram (1 – 2 daily)
- TikTok (1 – 5 daily)
- Youtube (2 – 5 per week)
Example: 5 Simple Videos Every School Owner Needs
- Vlog (1 – 2 daily)
- Blog (Weekly/Monthly)
- Podcast (Weekly/Monthly)
Example: The 7 Figure CEO Podcast
- Website
- Book
Authenticity Trumps All
I know you might be thinking, this all sounds like a lot. But if I could boil this all down to a few key elements for successfully creating an online presence that will allow you to grow your business – I’d tell you to:
Be CONSISTENT
Start now. Commit to a frequency that fits your schedule and start with a platform you’re familiar with. With each post, video and email you’ll get more comfortable and that confidence will translate in your content.
Be AUTHENTIC
Now more than ever people want to establish a connection with people they follow on social platforms. This means you don’t need to create a super polished-looking video (talking head videos are actually some of the top-performing when it comes to formatting). People want to know the real you, imperfections and all. You don’t need high production value or fancy cameras to get in front of a massive audience, you can create great content via your phone.
BELIEVE
Any success begins with the belief it’s possible. Pin-point your unique strengths and qualities that distinguish you from others in your space. Nurture those strengths and find ways to provide value to your audience, whether it’s through business advice, encouragement to implement healthy habits, or a silly video that makes people smile.
While it’s easier said than done – don’t overthink it. If you wait to start until everything is “perfect” then your competition might beat you to the punch. While it’s good to play to your strengths, it doesn’t mean you have to omit your weaknesses. Sometimes it is that level of vulnerability that allows people to connect with you.
We all have a unique perspective and we can use it as a tool to develop relationships and help us to grow both in and out of our business. Nothing will take you as far as being yourself and doing what you love!
Ready to implement!? The Growth Professionals are here to help. Our Grow Pro clients get access to a monthly Masterclass, video scripts, and other training resources to them establish omnipresence so they can become The Best Known Dojo in their community.
Learn More About Our Team!
Not seeing the growth you want from doing your ads in-house? Grow Pro Agency offers a wide range of digital marketing services at competitive rates. Google and Facebook Ads, Social Media Management, Database Reactivation, step-by-step Video Marketing, FREE Webinars and more! Consider us your partners in marketing!
For more on growing your business, visit our website and schedule your FREE Marketing Audit; then, join the community of Martial Arts Entrepreneurs on Facebook.
