Talking about the long game helps us to focus on the process we have to follow to achieve our desired result.
However, if our base-level assumptions are wrong then we will be expecting unrealistic results. Think of brand and marketing for example. A brand is long-term, it’s about building authority and confidence with our audience. Marketing is shorter term in that it is looking for quicker results. This is why people spend on ads across search and social.
I have always said that building a brand is a smarter strategy than using ads alone. I would say that as I head up a brand marketing company, but I know that although ads boost awareness and sales, enhancing your brand means larger and more impressive opportunities.
Ask yourself how your buyers behave…
For me, after I meet someone, they usually head to my LinkedIn or Website. A quick search against my name will throw up websites, podcasts and books, but that hasn’t always been the case. I have invested a great deal of time in a long-term content strategy and now have a sustainable back catalogue of evidence around Purpose and a whole heap of other stuff.
Cre8ion is of course a brand marketing company, but we do paid ads as well. We are also close to launching a brand new product to the masses that will make it even easier for people to embrace brand and marketing at the touch of a button. All this said we have found that building a credible catalogue of authoritative content and work ultimately opens more doors than PPC ever would.
You see, an important and often under-rated key to a successful brand marketing journey is networking. Getting out there and having conversations. It might not come easily but the more authority you carry the more confident you will be in the room.
I’ve met people who don’t network because they feel as if they don’t have anything to say. Whether or not the decision to avoid networking is a conscious decision or an unconscious one, it’s definitely linked to a lack of confidence.
We all want more clients for our business, but we have to be prepared to lead and engage with people, rather than just fire out ad words. If you are brave enough to put yourself out there your name becomes the ad word as you add your words to the conversation!
Marketing works, but if you put brand first and marketing second, you’ll see a growth switch. You put in the work on your brand and effort into marketing it, and you will see amplified results!
When you build your brand authority first and bring attention to it (with your marketing) people will take action. It’s no confidence that we are known as a Brand Marketing Agency. Brand comes first. We tell compelling stories to give clarity and confidence (to both you and your audience) giving your brand the depth that people are looking for! Your ad spend can then target specifics. You’ll feel confident about elevating your brand as you know that you have to strength to hold the attention when it hits.
My advice is to do some networking and spend on ads!
Brand marketing creates sustainable content at scale and sustains your prominence and visibility. Yes, it’s a long-term strategy, but it is a sustainable one.
So how do you give your brand authority and build your reputation?
The Power of Podcasts.
We believe in them, they have opened hundreds of doors that have led to fresh connections and clients. We have even won work thanks to our guests and listeners! The best thing is that we have built an incredible network of people that we are looking to bring together into a much bigger room. We have filmed 91 podcasts of our own and when we hit 100… well, watch this space!
The Brilliance of Leading with a Book:
Writing a book is one of the most rewarding things I’ve ever done. I found establishing a narrative to be an extremely effective way to reveal your insights. Don’t worry about giving away your IP in a book as although 90% of people will catch what you are saying they will still want someone else to execute it for them. You’ll give them the confidence to get things done. Book writing has opened stages and given me so much value I can add. You might make money directly from book sales BUT you will create momentum from having a book that creates sales.
The Strategy of Speaking:
Among most people’s fears is speaking to a room full of strangers, but that room full of strangers could easily become a world full of advocates and adventures!
If you want to be taken seriously you need to invest time in speaking regularly and just getting better at it. The more you do, the more you’ll get confident. Take 10 minutes, in that afternoon slot, just take the chance. You might not get paid at first, but in time, you will. We have won our biggest clients by speaking directly to crowds.
The Electricity of Education:
As an authority, get used to educating as well as delivering a service. How? Utilising the power of frameworks. This is a secret that few people understand. If you can teach around a framework you will build valuable IP into your business.
When you Google ‘frameworks’ you won’t find too many results. It’s not that they don’t exist, they simply operate behind a paywall. People don’t give them away. Frameworks are a method used by the best to shape the future. If you don’t know how to put your products and services into a framework, Cre8ion have a dedicated workshop to build one around the products you sell and the infrastructure through which you can serve.
I cannot emphasise enough that when you have frameworks in your business you can switch your operation to an elite level.
Get Personal:
If you are speaking, consulting is a natural opportunity. For my part, I intend to make it easier for people to engage with me, from mentoring to coaching at different levels through HUM4NS.
What I’m trying to say is that your brand is a gateway to a wider world. As of today, I am actively looking for 12 people to join me on The Crisis Catalyst Course which will last 8 weeks, with each part of The Crisis Cycle covered in each session.
If you feel alone, not heard, without a plan, or struggling to go to the next level, then this is the course for you!
Register your interest here as we build a waiting list of people wanting to join us on this online adventure.
The company of community:
The strongest thing you can build as a brand is a community around it. I have a Facebook Group, “Purpose People”, a network in Introbiz Bristol and a collective of entrepreneurs who lead with the heart of HUM4NS. Each has its merits and I also belong to a few other groups such as HBBA and co-lead 4D Entrepreneurs (faith-based) at our church.
You see, all these things help establish a narrative and enrich the people we serve, including this blog. Each week is designed to give you more insight and wisdom to help winners like you win!
There is plenty of opportunity out there, the biggest and greatest thing you can do is to take action! Get in touch with our brand marketing company and get ready for transformation…