Every day we are inundated with more information than our brains can possibly handle. Attention has become our scarcest resource. If you are ever going to have a chance to earn a piece of real estate in your target audience’s mind, then it’s not okay just to be good enough, or even great.
You’ve got to stand for something. You’ve got to be awesome.
Awesome to them. To the people who matter: those who are most likely to identify with your message, connect with you, and ultimately buy from you.
You don’t have to be all things to all people, but you DO have to be awesome for your select few, whether that’s 10 or 10,000. Having an Awesome Brand isn’t a popularity contest, it’s getting crystal clear about who you serve - those who have the problems that you best solve - and focusing on them.
People are only buying one thing from you - the way the engagement (hiring you, working with you, using your product or service etc.) makes them FEEL. The only way to become an Awesome Brand is to intimately get to know your target clients, and then earn a place in their hearts.
Here are four key things you must have in order to take a stand for your brand:
CLARITY: You’ve got to be clear about who you are, who is your target audience, why you do what you do and how you are the solution to your audience’s most pressing problems. You must also be able to effectively communicate the value you provide. There’s a saying, “a confused mind never buys.” If you aren’t clear about what you offer and the value it provides, how can you expect your potential clients to buy from you? When you are clear, it’s like putting a neon light on top of your head that allows your target audience to REALLY see you.
CONFIDENCE: You have to believe in yourself before you can expect anyone else to. In every moment and in every interaction, you are teaching others how to treat you and how to interact with you. Embrace who you are, what you stand for and the bigger mission of why you do what you do. Create anchors and rituals as reminders, so that on those days when you’re feeling less than confident, you’ll still have the ability to step into your power and attract your ideal clients.
POINT OF VIEW: Give us your opinion, your perspective. There’s a ridiculous amount of content regurgitation going on - a lot of people are saying the exact same things. People are copying systems and templates and we’re being hit with the same exact messages on a daily basis. This is nothing new, and for sure, it’s nothing interesting, or worth taking a stand for. If you want us to follow you, to believe in you, to become raving fans, you’ve got to tell it like it is - give us your real voice, your real opinion, your Truth.
PERSONALITY: Trust is the most valuable asset you will acquire from your clients. And in order to trust you, we’ve got to get to know you and decide whether we share your values and mission. The only way we’ll really get to know this is if you show us who you really are. Now more than ever, business is personal. Awesome Brands understand that business is about people - not computers, numbers or data points. If you want to win our hearts, then you’ve got to let us connect with you on a human level and self select.
In our rapidly changing business environment, the brands that are going to thrive are the ones that are clear and confident, and allow their personality and point of view to be seen and heard. They also understand that, by taking a stand, they attract their true fans - their ultimate tribe - and it’s ok to let go of the rest.
©Liz Dennery Sanders 2012
Liz Dennery Sanders is the CEO of Dennery Marks Inc., a nationally acclaimed brand strategy and celebrity outreach firm, and SheBrand, a company dedicated to empowering other female entrepreneurs and small business owners to build their buzz and create powerful personal brands that attract more clients. For a FREE report, “101 Ways To Build A Powerful Personal Brand and Attract More Clients” visit www.shebrand.com
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