Six simple strategies to build your brand online for more impact and income

By Jan Marie Dore

In this age of new media and new marketing, the rules for marketing professional-service businesses have changed dramatically. Yet, many service-based businesses are not keeping up with the times and may fall behind the leaders in their marketplace who are embracing the new media models to build their brand online.

Having a strong brand reputation is the key to making sales in the new economy. It’s never been more important for your brand to be highly relevant. Your brand is the one competitive edge you can offer that no one else can copy or duplicate.

Brand marketing trends indicate that you need to have something highly interesting and relevant to say to build a brand that people will notice. You need to engage your community, build your platform and include social media in your marketing mix.

Here are my six simple strategies to build your brand online for more impact and income:

1. Publish a blog that positions you as a leader in your niche

Publishing a blog is a great way to expand your visibility and attract a community of followers. And it’s very easy and low cost to publish a blog. Creating a blog is a great way to find your voice as well as start to cultivate an audience base. Put the focus on your readers instead of on you. Provide solutions to the biggest challenges experienced by your audience and you’ll never be at a loss for content. Offering valuable and relevant information in your blog can position you as the go-to person in your area of expertise. You will be easily referable and people will line up to buy from you. To remain relevant, your message must be interesting and timely, communicate authority and an authentic personality and indicate that you are connected and in the know.

2. Brand your brilliance and your purpose

Personality and purpose-driven marketing can be highly effective these days when it has become so hard to get people’s attention. The most effective personal brands are built around your strengths, expertise, passion, personality and life purpose. A strong brand based on your unique brilliance can differentiate your offerings and create value-added client relationships which lead to sustainable client loyalty. What people want now is relevance, simplicity, authentic personality, honesty, imagination and inspiration. If you’ve been holding back on following your true purpose or heart’s desire in your business, or not saying what you really think and feel, now’s the time to get real.

3. Leverage social media marketing

Social media marketing is one of the easiest ways to effectively expand your reputation. You can use social media to position yourself as an expert, build your credibility, build relationships and extend your reach. Social media can be a very powerful tool for business growth if you know how to use it wisely to build relationships and not just to promote yourself. To successfully leverage social media, become highly active at a few sites like Facebook and Twitter, or LinkedIn, rather than trying to keep up with multiple networks. Get to know and get known by your online community and virtual neighbors. Become a superstar, must-read resource and source of inspiration on Twitter.

4. Build a Purposeful Platform to Amplify Your Brand and Your Message

Your brand platform is the image or impression you make in the marketplace. It’s the set of associations that clients make when they think of you and your services. It’s both what you stand for and what your marketplace perceives as valuable. It’s how you create distinctive value through the unique combination of your expertise, values, vision, passion, purpose and message. By following your passion and purpose, you can build a purposeful platform that feeds both your pocketbook and your soul. A powerful online presence is one that builds and extends your platform and positions you to become well known for your message. There are many ways you can do this: article and blog marketing, social media marketing, signature presentations and programs, press releases, and developing a line of information products, to name a few. The first important step of course is to choose a highly targeted niche market that is looking for solutions to problems that you have answers to.

5. Take your brand viral with video marketing

Video marketing is hot. It’s the big key secret method to extending your reach globally and attracting more interested, pre-qualified leads quickly. A picture really is worth a thousand words! You can easily create short, two-minute video tips to post at your blog for your target audience, or a video of you outlining the benefits of your new program at your sales page, or record testimonials from satisfied clients. Upload your videos to a free video-sharing site such as YouTube. Video can quickly raise your visibility and exposure and spread your message virally across the Internet.

6. Create raving brand fans

People have so many complex brand choices today that they get overwhelmed and confused. You need to get a community of people really engaged to build a loyal following. Develop a marketing strategy that will give your target audience exactly what they want so you can attract a community of followers and “raving brand fans”. Find out where your community is. Find out what they like to read and who they follow. Build your connections, strategic alliances and audience base. Over time, people will start to trust your expertise and enjoy your style and will buy your services and products without you having to put a lot of effort into selling.

Times have changed in the Web 2.0 world. The Internet has leveled the playing field in vying for people’s attention. Online branding will give you an edge in the marketplace that will cause clients to think of you first when they need your type of services.

 

Jan Marie Dore, MCC, is the Founder of Femalepreneurs.com, an online learning center for women worldwide who want to create a more profitable business and live a great life. Jan is an authority on small business whose passion is inspiring women to new levels of success and fulfillment through her coaching programs, teleseminars, workshops and retreats. She has made it her mission to teach women simple, effective marketing strategies to attract more customers and grow their profits substantially with much less effort.