Recently I’ve been reading a lot of stuff about branding. What exactly does “branding” mean? Sounds like something that only relates to huge companies with big-time advertising agencies and humungous ad budgets.
But how the heck does that relate to you, the direct-selling professional? Is there a lesson in there for you and your business? It might just relate to you in a much bigger way than you might imagine. Let’s do a little investigation…
What is branding? For a company, it starts with a cool logo, graphic look and advertising campaign. But it’s much more than that. A brand is actually the differentiator of what they offer over their competition.
So, is branding linked to the products you sell? Is it that you offer the lowest price? Or the tremendous business opportunity you can provide? Sure, you need to sell products. You need to offer value. And to grow your business, you need to recruit others. Those are the ultimate goals.
But it’s HOW you go about it that makes the difference. And that’s where personal branding comes into play. Personal branding is best described as your promise to deliver quality, performance and consistency to your customers. You provide something that they can count on. As a business person, that’s worth all the tea in China.
Corporate Branding vs. Personal Branding
We can all learn from the marketplace. Successfully companies work very hard to establish themselves in their spheres of influence. Bizillions of dollars are expended every year to promote products and services. At the end of the day, they want you to walk away with a good feeling about them and what they have to offer. Simply put, they desperately crave your brand loyalty.
Certain organizations stand out as true branding winners. Apple, BMW and Nike come to mind. So what is it that they’ve done that differentiates them from their competition? Sure, they make terrific products that answer a market need. But they also do something else that’s relatively unique in the world of commerce: They establish relationships with their customers.
That can be your greatest asset. Think of yourself as a brand. What do people think of you and what you offer them. It’s not just the products you represent, it’s what YOU bring to the table. If folks believe in you and trust in what you signify, you’ve established a powerful personal brand.
So every business effort you pursue should enforce and embrace that goal. There are some basic fundamentals that you should consider when going about your business:
Personality
YOU are your brand. Make your personality something that your customers want to migrate to. If they’re comfortable with you, they’re more likely to stay with you and trust your input. Nurture and build relationships. Sales will follow.
Culture
Immerse yourself in the lifestyle and culture of your target audience. For example, if you’re representing wellness products, establish yourself as an expert. That doesn’t mean you become a know-it-all—that annoying guy at the cocktail party. Expert status is akin to respect. It comes slowly and develops through consistent action.
Be part of the conversation. Offer helpful tips and advice that leave people with the idea that you might have solutions for them. Don’t force products down their throats. Once they have confidence in your contribution to the discussion, they’ll be more open to what you have to offer them.
Stay in touch
There’s a huge difference between staying in touch and being a nuisance. Only you can determine that fine balance. You want to let prospects know that you’re there, but you don’t want to bug the heck out of them. Use subtle ways of staying in touch. Remember their birthday or anniversary. Or just say hello. Done appropriately, those little things can really make an impression.
Keep prospects and customers informed… casually!
When you do have a special offer or event, let them know. Just don’t overdo it. They’re very sensitive to a sales pitch. There’s a big difference between providing information and being that annoying mosquito that people just want to bat away. If you’ve established yourself as an expert in a particular field, they will want to hear from you.
If you make an effort to position yourself properly with your prospects and customers, you’ll find that they’ll be much more receptive. And that means more business for you in the long run.
What? Can’t possibly be! But that concept is exactly what inspired Steve Jobs and Apple at their lowest ebb. In the mid 80s, Jobs lost a power struggle with the board of directors and left the company. He returned to skipper the firm in the mid-90s, but was strapped with a company that was only a tepid niche player in the market. Apple had but a tiny share of the competitive pie and was saddled with a hodgepodge product line.
So what to do? Well, Steve Jobs being Steve Jobs, he took the unbeaten path. In his genius, he realized it was futile to win by “out-claiming” the competition… touting faster processor speeds, more memory, etc. That would bring incremental gains at best. If Apple was to survive, he needed to outflank the competition.
Who are you? What are you about?
Anyone who sells needs to watch the video below. Jobs explains how he was going to accomplish Apple’s success. He believed that one of the best marketing efforts “the universe has ever seen” was Nike. He points out that in the most basic terms, Nike sells shoes. But they never really “sell” shoes. You don’t typically hear them comparing features or technologies with the competition. Their entire marketing push focuses on great athletes and accomplishments. Jobs says of Nike, “That’s who they are… that’s what they’re about.” Brilliant.
And so that inspiration was an epiphany for Jobs and triggered Apple’s mercurial rise and rightful place in history.
The moral of this story?
You do yourself more good by exhibiting a genuine passion for what you and your organization represent instead of trying to become a pitchman (or pitchwoman) for products. That’s true whether you sell nutritionals, real estate or cosmetics. Your products will get their moment in the sun once your prospects and customers believe in you and your company.
Social media as a marketing tool can be über powerful when used the right way. There are billions of users on the Big Three – Facebook, YouTube and Twitter. In fact, Facebook claims 800 million all by themselves! But as with any tool, you have to know how to use it properly. It wouldn’t be cool to give a 4-year-old a nail gun. Not only would the project never get done, it would have disastrous consequences.
Here are ten things to avoid when launching your social media strategy:
#1 Confuse your audience
Consistency is king when it comes to establishing and maintaining a brand. Toe the line. Avoid tangential messaging. Make sure you’re sticking to the core of what you and your products/services are all about. If you constantly switch your value proposition from message to message, you confuse everyone. Including yourself. So when you post to Facebook or tweet on Twitter, make sure your message always honors and supports what makes you unique.
#2 Sell! sell! sell!
I know it’s irresistible, but don’t use social media to pitch your products or services. You run the risk of turning your audience off in a major way. The social universe is totally unique from traditional advertising and marketing. People are looking for help, not a sales pitch. And if you can be helpful in that process, you come off looking pretty darn good. Give them useful information that covertly supports your brand. Trigger conversations around your expertise and knowledge.
#3 Share frivolous information
Nobody cares what you had for dinner last night, what you think about the latest movie or your busy travel itinerary. Remember, stay on track! Promote what you and your brand is all about. That way you will enjoy a following of folks who share like interests and will come back for more.
#4 Don’t listen
We’ve all been at a party and met someone who only talked about themselves. You tune out in seconds. Don’t be that person online. Listen to others. Strike up conversations. Engage. Ask questions. Comment. Respond. You get the point.
#5 Ignore your audience
This relates to #4. If you think you’re in this all by yourself, you surely will be! You need followers that share your interests. So dig in, find out what’s out there and respond to it. If you don’t, your audience will be ignoring you – big time.
#6 Avoid negative comments
Not all comments will be endearing. But the last thing you want to do is avoid or delete them. Address issues straight up. Social media is all about transparency and authenticity. If their concerns are legit, absorb them and perhaps even change something to make things better. Don’t hide. Your audience will forgive you if you take their comments seriously, apologize and act upon them.
#7 Keep your passion in check
If you exhibit excitement and passion about your brand, your audience will too. It sort of rubs off through osmosis. Think of it this way: If the CEO of a company shows no passion for the company, neither will his employees. No forward motion.
#8 Expect instant results
Unless you’re offering a free Ferrari to everybody who “Likes” your Facebook page, social media is a slow, steady build. You need to know that going in. Stay the course. Steady as she goes. And you will slowly start to realize a robust following.
#9 Ignore your competition
To be a player, you must keep an ear to the ground. See what others are doing and learn from it. That doesn’t mean you slam your competition. Just know what they’re up to so you can make critical course corrections.
#10 Pretend to be who you aren’t
Speak to subjects you know and actually have something useful (and genuine) to offer. I’ve been in many situations where someone is spouting off the top of their head. It’s very easy to spot and I quickly label them as phony.
So there you have it. These are rules to live by in the social media universe. Avoid them at all costs and you’ll be rewarded with mucho success.
Personalized service can make or break a sale. Think about it, when you get that special attention at a retail store, you’re more likely to buy. We all react positively when we’re given special treatment. And that means higher sales and happier customers. Here are a few thoughts from leaders in the industry:
Personal attention for party plan consultants
Jennifer Fong, a noted corporate social media consultant, speaker and consultant for the direct selling industry, offers a few great tips for improving your party orders and re-orders:
Call each guest by name at the party. Use whatever memory technique you need to so that you remember everyone’s name.
Call each guest once they’ve received their order to make sure they are satisfied, and to find out if they have any questions.
Write thank you cards.
Offer little “extras” when people shop with you. One of my favorite consultants always sends me a little something extra when I place an order with her…a product sample, something new to try. She has taken the time to understand the scents I like, my skin type, etc, and she keeps track of it. Now when I call her with my order, I tell her to just add one more product to the order to surprise me. Because I know she knows what I love, and she takes care of me.
Sabrina Coffin is an online success coach who works exclusively from home helping others succeed. She is a student in network marketing and follows the internet experts who have successfully built an empire from home. While she believes in using the power of the Internet to reach out, she also stresses personal interaction as a crucial component in building her network “community.” Here are a few suggestions:
Get your people plugged in.
Get to know them personally. Find out who they are, what makes them tick and their reason for wanting to work from home.
Ask them what their big dreams are for their future.
Ask for a photo of them with their family and hand it on your fridge with the rest of your family photos.
Have them attend your weekly training calls and publicly recognize their achievements.
Be an inspiration and encouragement at all times.
Communicate every couple of days to stay connected.
Recently I’ve been reading a lot of stuff about branding. What exactly does “branding” mean? Sounds like something that only relates to huge companies with big-time advertising agencies and humungous ad budgets.
