What My Business Ultimately Has Become (Pt 2)

In my book I have a chapter titled "You Are Your Brand". In it I discuss how your name, as well as your reputation, is just as important as what you sell. When people hear your name, what do you think they comes to mind first? Find out by asking some of your most objective friends.

Protecting and carefully extending your brand is the basic premise behind all of our marketing. If you are a mortgage broker and known in the community as a such, it makes sense for you to expand into business (if you want) related to other financial tools. A friend of mine in the Charleston, SC area is a mortgage broker, but also a financial advisor and an insurance agent. That makes sense.

But what if our mortgage broker decided to start selling ornamental jewelry? That would seem like an odd fit and would water down their brand. 

NOTE: Having a side hustle isn't horrible, but it helps if you can do it under a different name. That way it stays separate from your brand.  On the other hand, if your secondary interest is charitable, that enhances your brand. "Everybody loves Bob. He's a honest realtor and does a lot of work with the Humane Society." 

What can you do to promote your brand? If your customer base is local, I highly recommend becoming an active member of the local business community. Join your chamber of commerce, attend after hour events and work it. Too many people join an organization like the chamber thinking that the phone will ring off the hook immediately. Trust me, that isn't how it works. Civic organizations and churches are also great places to network.

The key is to stay top of mind in the prospect's mind, so when they do need your product or service, they think of you first. And the best way to do that, without spending a lot of money on advertising, is to be active and visible. Let people see you flipping burgers at a fund raiser or selling raffle tickets for a charitable cause. Not everyone will do that kind of volunteer work so you can definitely enhance your brand that way.

However, if you sell a product or service in a larger geographical area you may want to increase your brand awareness on social media. If you are on a budget, it can be difficult but it can be done if you are willing to put in some time each day. Let's take a look at a couple of ways to do this.

1. Facebook ads - The 600 pound gorilla in the room. One of the things people don't get about Facebook is that as they use it for free, the social media platform is aggregating all of their information. When you decide to buy ads on Facebook, you an pick and choose from a long list of demographic information, like location and age, to target in on your chosen market. That way you aren't wasting your money selling children's items to a senior citizen. 
2. Facebook pages - Again, if you are on a budget you can start a page for free, invite your friends and post pretty much whatever you want. From here you can "promote" your page if you would like, which goes back to #1. Many people use their Facebook page in lieu of a website, but I wouldn't recommend that at all.
3. Instagram - Owned and operated by Facebook, this platform actually gets more responses than the others. With smart phones everywhere, anyone can make a short video to get there message across. And don't worry if you aren't comfortable in front of  a camera, as people really enjoy the honesty and charm of an "unprofessional" commercial. 
4. Twitter - The death of Google+ has moved Twitter into the position as my least favorite social media platform. There are so many bots and people with multiple account that it can make your head spin. I can honestly say that I have never gotten a client through Twitter, which is odd considering I have over 14,000 followers.
5. Pinterest - This platform has a reputation for being the place to go for great recipes or arts and crafts, but don't overlook it. It's easy to use and since it's free it can't hurt.  
6. LinkedIn - I still think this site is a bit overrated, but I have managed to get a few clients from here. Unfortunately, they have started to allow political posts (which I was hoping to avoid) and have added "stories" like Facebook and Instagram. 
7. Your own website - Sometimes an employer will offer you a website that has a personalized page for you. When I worked for a large insurance carrier this was one of the perks. My website had my photo and contact info, and looked very professional with content they provided. And there was the rub. I also sold other lines of insurance, so anyone going to this free site would be unaware of that. Make your own site, with the content you want. (I called Chastain Media to build my site, but I can make changes and updates to it. If I have a major issue I can call them to help me.)
8. Start a blog - Reluctantly I started this blog several years ago, but since then I have learned to be disciplined about the writing process. Blogging is a great way to boost your SEO (for your website #6) but it also helps you get your thoughts together on a product or service you sell. I've used the same phrases in sales presentations and blog posts. 

As I mentioned in the previous post, my business is not really an insurance business, but more of a public relations/media firm promoting me first and then my products. If you own a business or are otherwise self-employed, remember that you are your brand.  

Chris Castanes is a professional speaker who helps sales people succeed through workshops and humorous presentations. He's also the author of "You're Going To Be Great At This!", a humorous look at sales. For booking information, click here. He's also the president of Surf Financial Brokers selling life and disability insurance in several states.