Future Entrepreneurs: Brand Trends
Date Published: 1/16/2019
A memorable personal brand really can be a game-changer for your company
The benefits of building a strong personal brand when it comes to your business span far and wide. From increasing brand awareness to building trust in potential customers to seamless networking with other decision makers in your industry, the most memorable brands make the most of game-changing opportunities. We continue our brand trends study with wisdom from Inc.:
As the social media landscape continues to move at breakneck speed, so do the best practices and opportunities for most effectively and efficiently building a personal brand. On that note, here are four timely strategies for cultivating an unforgettable personal brand in 2019.
1. Look Closer at LinkedIn.
When it comes to organic reach, LinkedIn is one of the hottest platforms on the market today. Additionally, because the network has largely "loosened up", it's opened up opportunities for industries one wouldn't normally associate with LinkedIn, from fitness to yoga to fiction writing.
If you're looking to beef up your LinkedIn presence, start by publishing long-form, story-style posts (if you're unfamiliar with the style, check out the profile of BAMF Media's co-founder, Josh Fechter, for reference).
These posts should recount a struggle you've had in your career that led to you learning and growing as a professional. Additionally, you should also take 5 minutes per day to engage with the content published by influencers in your industry to begin building relationships with them.
2. Pump the brakes on Facebook.
Don't get me wrong, Facebook is still, by far, the most robust engine for targeted advertising on the web. That being said, with organic reach on posts continuing to be slashed, increasing ad costs, and privacy scandals compromising the data being used for targeting in the first place, it would be wise to begin allocating more resources elsewhere.
Don't limit yourself just to Facebook ads simply because it's what every entrepreneur is doing. Be savvy and three steps ahead this year by taking a step back from Facebook until the dust settles. Otherwise, you'll quickly find that building a personal brand on the platform is a hell of a lot more expensive and difficult than it used to be.
3. Continue to build your email newsletter and website.
One of the wisest things you can do in 2019 when it comes to building a long-lasting personal brand is investing more into building up your own email newsletter and website. At the end of the day, social media platforms -- while all amazing promotional tools -- are someone else's property. Your livelihood is at the mercy of whatever a roomful of tech investors up in Silicon Valley decide is best for their company. Plain and simple.
This year, stop building your house on rented land. Take back control of your brand by using these social media platforms as a way to "pollinate" and grow your own email subscribers and web traffic. It's a long road ahead and a lot of work, but it's definitely worth it.
4. Don't forget about features.
Want in on a little secret? No matter what social media platform you're looking to build an audience on, there are always opportunities to break through the noise if you're early to hop on a new feature the platform rolls out. These companies are constantly looking to innovate, so new features are inevitable.
For example, just because you might've missed the boat on Instagram, doesn't mean you can't be one of the first to effectively leverage Instagram Live in your niche. Just because you might've been late to the party on LinkedIn doesn't mean you can't be an early adopter of LinkedIn video. It could be the difference maker for your personal brand.
Building a strong personal brand could truly be the catalyst which makes your company grow by leaps and bounds in the coming year. If you're looking to develop a brand for yourself in 2019, applying the tips laid out in this article is a terrific place to start.
Take a look at related brand wisdom and proven techniques:
https://thewishwallfoundation.org/future-entrepreneurs/
~~~
Thank you for reading and we welcome your comments below.
Cheers & fair winds!
Akasha Lin
Akasha Garnier for The Wishwall
Author, Brand Expert, Filmmaker
http://www.akashagarnier.com
#ShineThroughtheNoise
The benefits of building a strong personal brand when it comes to your business span far and wide. From increasing brand awareness to building trust in potential customers to seamless networking with other decision makers in your industry, the most memorable brands make the most of game-changing opportunities. We continue our brand trends study with wisdom from Inc.:
As the social media landscape continues to move at breakneck speed, so do the best practices and opportunities for most effectively and efficiently building a personal brand. On that note, here are four timely strategies for cultivating an unforgettable personal brand in 2019.
1. Look Closer at LinkedIn.
When it comes to organic reach, LinkedIn is one of the hottest platforms on the market today. Additionally, because the network has largely "loosened up", it's opened up opportunities for industries one wouldn't normally associate with LinkedIn, from fitness to yoga to fiction writing.
If you're looking to beef up your LinkedIn presence, start by publishing long-form, story-style posts (if you're unfamiliar with the style, check out the profile of BAMF Media's co-founder, Josh Fechter, for reference).
These posts should recount a struggle you've had in your career that led to you learning and growing as a professional. Additionally, you should also take 5 minutes per day to engage with the content published by influencers in your industry to begin building relationships with them.
2. Pump the brakes on Facebook.
Don't get me wrong, Facebook is still, by far, the most robust engine for targeted advertising on the web. That being said, with organic reach on posts continuing to be slashed, increasing ad costs, and privacy scandals compromising the data being used for targeting in the first place, it would be wise to begin allocating more resources elsewhere.
Don't limit yourself just to Facebook ads simply because it's what every entrepreneur is doing. Be savvy and three steps ahead this year by taking a step back from Facebook until the dust settles. Otherwise, you'll quickly find that building a personal brand on the platform is a hell of a lot more expensive and difficult than it used to be.
3. Continue to build your email newsletter and website.
One of the wisest things you can do in 2019 when it comes to building a long-lasting personal brand is investing more into building up your own email newsletter and website. At the end of the day, social media platforms -- while all amazing promotional tools -- are someone else's property. Your livelihood is at the mercy of whatever a roomful of tech investors up in Silicon Valley decide is best for their company. Plain and simple.
This year, stop building your house on rented land. Take back control of your brand by using these social media platforms as a way to "pollinate" and grow your own email subscribers and web traffic. It's a long road ahead and a lot of work, but it's definitely worth it.
4. Don't forget about features.
Want in on a little secret? No matter what social media platform you're looking to build an audience on, there are always opportunities to break through the noise if you're early to hop on a new feature the platform rolls out. These companies are constantly looking to innovate, so new features are inevitable.
For example, just because you might've missed the boat on Instagram, doesn't mean you can't be one of the first to effectively leverage Instagram Live in your niche. Just because you might've been late to the party on LinkedIn doesn't mean you can't be an early adopter of LinkedIn video. It could be the difference maker for your personal brand.
Building a strong personal brand could truly be the catalyst which makes your company grow by leaps and bounds in the coming year. If you're looking to develop a brand for yourself in 2019, applying the tips laid out in this article is a terrific place to start.
Take a look at related brand wisdom and proven techniques:
https://thewishwallfoundation.org/future-entrepreneurs/
~~~
Thank you for reading and we welcome your comments below.
Cheers & fair winds!
Akasha Lin
Akasha Garnier for The Wishwall
Author, Brand Expert, Filmmaker
http://www.akashagarnier.com
#ShineThroughtheNoise
