In a world of increasing competitiveness and dwindling attention spans, it can seem near impossible to make a lasting impression on your customers. Renowned brand and profile specialist Julie Masters talks through the fundamentals of building a strong personal brand.
Clarity & Credibility
It is vital that your brand be strong enough to cut through the clamour and connect with your audiences. To do this, you need to be able to communicate your point of difference effectively. You also need to be able to demonstrate why you’re an expert in your field. By positioning yourself as the ‘go to’ authority, you’ll build trust and influence—two enduring pillars of any business’s success.
Community & Content
Furthermore, in this hyper-connected age where shareability and word of mouth are indispensable commodities, it’s important you create a loyal network of followers who will champion your brand. A sure-fire way to ensure this is to regularly offer your customers quality tailored content so that they are kept engaged and feel as if their needs are being met.
Contribution
Finally, outspending the competition is no longer a viable means of remaining on top. The most valued (and underutilised) currency in an age of limited time and attention spans is not money – but knowledge, access, time, insight and energy. Don’t fall into the trap of only rewarding your customers with monetary gifts – think creatively and offer something that they will truly value.
This may seem a lot to take in, but all you really need to remember when it comes to ensuring that your personal brand succeeds in 2017 are the five fundamentals—or five Cs—of brand building: Clarity, Credibility, Community, Content and Contribution.