Building a Better Brand

Photo by Jess Bailey Designs from Pexels

One of the best ways to build a successful business is to build a strong brand identity for your company. The stronger the brand; the better targeted it is to your audience, the more likely you are to generate leads and ultimately convert more customers. Building a better brand takes time. How exactly do you build a strong brand?

Find out what people think of you

The first thing you need to do in building a better brand is to find out what people currently think of your business. Google your company, read reviews and comments, and see how the land lies. Once you know what kind of image you’re currently portraying and once you get insights on your customer’s behavior, you can work on getting rid of any negative views and building upon positives until you’ve created a brand that blows your target audience away.

Check out this video on Conducting a Social Media Audit.

Build your online visibility

As a modern business, you probably have a website and a social media presence at the very least. Chances are though that you could be doing a lot more to promote your company and build up a strong brand identity. For example, you could be creating guest posts on more prominent blogs and websites, which will not only draw more attention to your business but also set you up as a leading authority within your niche. Podcasting would have a similar effect, as would spending more time replying to social media comments in a friendly and informative way. Basically, experiment on different strategies that can build the positive image of your brand.

Keep it consistent

Consistency matters! Businesses fail with branding when their message to customers are not consistent. If your copy, images, downloadables, etc. all have a consistent theme, customers will always know exactly what you’re about, and this is something that will work in your favor. Think about it. You always know what you’re going to get with Apple, Coca-Cola, or Nike, and they are three of the biggest brands around. If keeping consistent is something you struggle with, a good digital marketing agency can help you out, as can using the same team of copywriters on all of your campaigns, but if you simply create a brand mission statement and refer to that before you put out anything new, it will help a lot too.

Give up trying to please everyone

There isn’t a business on the planet that is universally appealing to everyone, so you should give up trying to be all things to everyone. Gone are the days of mass marketing!

If you don’t have a specific target market in mind, chances are you won’t be able to appeal to anyone at all because your message will be so all over the place that it won’t really catch anyone’s eyes. Work out who your target market is and what you’re about and focus on that, and you’ll be more successful for sure.

Offer value

If you want people to look upon your brand favorably, you need to offer them something of value. You don’t necessarily need to be as revolutionary as Apple or as high-end as Gucci, but if you are able to produce high-quality goods and/or services that are useful, appealing, and made to last, this will reflect very well on your business and be a solid foundation upon which to build a lasting brand.

Offer excellent customer service

In building a better brand, we tend to forget that we are talking to people. With this customer service often gets overlooked as something that can help. People are more likely to engage with businesses that have treated them well than those who have not, and if you have a good reputation for listening to your customers, making things convenient for them, making their experience with you a memorable and happy one, people are going to look upon you more fondly than the competition.

Be yourself

Above all, as a business, you should strive you be your own unique self. Do things you won way, even if it’s different from the rest of the crowd, and do so unapologetically because half the battle of building a string crowd is being able to stand out from the competition.

A strong brand can get your further than almost anything else in the business world, so make it your mission to do whatever you can to build one of your own and you will see the fruits of your labor. It may take some hard work and ingenuity, but it will all be worth it in the end.

Create a Blog and BRAND It!

MG Blog Series

Today was a light day! I got to squeeze in time for learning. I was watching and listening to videos from the Teachable summit. For 2017, I want to create a course, but I don’t know what course to create and share with you. This endeavour is something new to me. I felt confused as to where to start and how to start. I then remembered that 8 years ago, blogging was also new to me. It moved me to think about how I started blogging, and to think of the factors that made me get to where I am today. I’m pretty happy that I have gotten this far in blogging, and I attribute a big part of it to branding. Create blogs with great branding, and you’ll go places!

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What is good branding? When you create blogs, consider thinking about the following:

1. Define a blogging objective.

What is the main thing or specific thing that you want people to do, learn or read from your blog. It is important that you have this in mind 24/7 when you create blogs. The topics that you choose, the videos that you make or even the picture or font that you use should be with aligned with the mood, tone or feel of the objective of the blog. Everything should be consistent. Consistency will come in when you have a clear objective.

2. Check on what you can offer that others cannot.

Uniqueness is a big part of the game. All of us can be a certain type of blogger (mom blogger, travel blogger, etc.). What sets you apart can be how you craft your content, the tools and methods of how you relay your message, the tone of your message, and the chosen angle of your message. These are all dependent on what particular niche you are trying to talk to. Knowing your readers really well is what makes you know of your “uniqueness”.  Truly listening and engaging with them will steer you towards the direction you alone will be taking.

3. Don’t forget offline marketing.

Talking to people offline is as important as chatting with them via social media. Building trust or just getting to know people who are part of your chosen community or niche is one big factor for successful branding. People should know who you are as a person. They will trust you more once you connect with them in both the online and offline world. This is especially true when you don’t have your own flock of brand believers who will tell others of who your are and your story.

These are just some tips that worked for me. Do you know of other tips that may have worked for you to develop a good brand. Share them with me please at the comments section below.

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Knowing your Personal Brand

When branding comes into mind, we think that the best way to start is getting the word out and we need to be vocal about it. The first thing though that you should do really is to think of your personal brand. If you don’t have any plans for this coming Saturday, I would like to invite you to join me, Marv De Leon and Mike Grogan as we answer your questions on branding.

Sign up here: http://manilaworkshops.com/events/personalbranding3

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The first session was held last week and I heard that the participants learned a lot of things. Here are the top reasons why you should not miss this workshop:

– Learn how to stand out, win more clients and become a well-respected expert in your market through Personal Branding.
– A proven, step-by-step blueprint on how to create your powerful Personal Brand.
– Highly collaborative and interactive sessions with experienced coaches.
– A real “crack your knuckles” workshop – hands-on activities and interactive learning sessions.
– Pick the brain, rub elbows and take a selfie with our experts — receive valuable tips and Q&A sessions with top influencers in the fields of freelancing and blogging.
– Get five (5) free professional, high-quality portraits that you can use for your blog and social media accounts.
– Win the “Most Promising Personal Brand of the Workshop” and get featured in the Freelance Blend Podcast, Manila Workshops, Manila Reviews, Malaya Business Insight newspaper and other media sites.
– Join our tribe — become part of a thriving exclusive Facebook group of freelancers, Freelance Blend Workshops & Events Group, where you have access to experts and peers 24/7.
– Surprise bonus from Marv at the end of the session.
– PLUS much, much more!

Here are some pictures from last Saturday’s workshop:

To sign up, you can still use this form at ManilaWorkshops.com: CLICK HERE

 

 

Brand Yourself — Personal Branding Workshop!

I have been asked by a lot of bloggers and freelancers on how I get to successfully bring in brands for my site and for my business. Recently, I have signed up for three brands as a digital endorser. This is aside from the other projects that I have with other brands. Do you want to know the secret? Well, one of the secrets is to really build a good and solid PERSONAL BRAND. I have built my brand as an as an entrepreneur, business and marketing coach, because it is what was in line with my dream of helping build businesses here in the Philippines.

Personal branding does not just mean creating a great logo or knowing what your blog is about or what services will you offer as a freelancer or as a small business. It goes beyond that. You and your business or the services that you render are connected and you cannot separate who you are as a person with what you want to do. It makes sense and it can even make you more successful if you build on something that you are passionate about and this is where all the tips about doing what you are passionate about comes from. It’s easier to build your personal brand if you are pursuing something that you love and something that you want to do for the rest of your life!

I highly recommend that you sign up for the Personal Branding workshop this May 16 and 23. You can opt to attend just one of the two classes but of course, you will benefit more if you attend both classes.

Personal Branding Workshop

Personal Branding Workshop

On the second day, May 23, I will be sharing the brand story of Manila Workshops and will be a part of the panelist together with my good friend Nikki Tiu of AskMeWhats.com and of course, the famous Shobiz Bro.

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I hope that you can attend this workshop. I know that you will really learn a lot from this!

To sign up, please visit: http://manilaworkshops.com/events/personal-branding

If you have branding questions, feel free to leave a comment below!

Personal Branding: Is it that Important?

The world that we live in has become so competitive. People compete for jobs. Products compete for attention. Advertisements are competing for attention from viewers, too. In the world of freelancing and solopreneurs, like myself, you really need to develop a good brand to stand out from the rest. That’s how Personal Branding comes in.

Why is Personal Branding important based on my experience? As you think about what brand you want for yourself, it helps you understand yourself better and it helps you create clearer goals for yourself and for your endeavor. I remember when we started developing our mobile applications, we all wanted to get into different things which were a little bit related to why we developed our start-up business. Some ideas though were really far from what we initially talked about so we had to move away from that. With knowing what your personal brand is, you can ditch those irrelevant ideas and concentrate on the things that WILL MATTER for your brand.

The next importance of personal branding is that you establish your presence in that space that you want to be know in. Without a good brand for yourself as a freelancer or solopreneur, you will just be one of the other players in that field. Obviously, if you stand out and are different from the rest, there will be that certain group of clients who will particularly want your service. This means that you can earn more.

I still have a lot to say about Personal Branding so I invite you to join me at the Personal Branding Workshop for Freelancers and Solopreneurs on April 18, 25 and May 2.
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Let's Talk about Personal Branding!

Let’s Talk about Personal Branding!

This 3-session in-depth workshop series from Freelance Blend, Manila Workshops, Freelance Pro and LifeQuest, will help you grasp the basics of creating a personal brand, learn how to promote and grow a powerful personal brand that everyone is talking about, attract more customers like bees to honey, and become an in-demand influencer in your niche! This highly collaborative and interactive workshop includes learning sessions, group break out activities, and hands-on action breaks.

I will be with other guest speakers also. I will be with Showbiz Bro and The Bull Runner, Jaymie Pizarro.

What’s exciting is that you can get a chance to win the “Most Promising Personal Brand of the Workshop” in the culminating activity – the “Brand Me Exhibit” – where you will dress up as your brand and pitch your personal brand story to the experts and your peers!

What You’ll Get From This Workshop (Key net takeaways):

– Personal Branding – what it is and why you need to create one for yourself or your business.
– Learn how to build, promote and grow a powerful and irresistible Personal Brand.
– Learn how to stand out, win more clients and become a well-respected influencer in your niche.
– Highly collaborative and interactive sessions with experienced coaches.
– A Real “Crack Your Knuckles” Workshop – very hands-on activities and actionable steps.
– Pick an Expert’s Brain – valuable tips and Q&A sessions with top influencers in the fields of freelancing, business and entertainment featuring Makoy Pare “Showbiz Bro”, Jaymie Pizarro “The Bull Runner” and Ginger Arboleda “Mommy Ginger”, and a lot more!
– Pitch Your Story – a “Brand Me Exhibit” to pitch and showcase your new Personal Brand to the world.
– Win the “Most Promising Personal Brand of the Workshop” and get featured in the Freelance Blend Podcast, Manila Workshops, Manila Reviews, WhenInManila.com, Malaya Business Insight newspaper and other media sites.
– Join Our Tribe – become part of a thriving exclusive Facebook group of freelancers, Freelance Blend Workshops & Events Group, where you have access to experts and peers 24/7.
– PLUS much, much more!

When and Where
Session 1: “Me: Who Am I and Why Brand Myself?”
With Marv de Leon of Freelance Blend and Sonny del Rosario of LifeQuest
Date: Saturday, April 18, 2015
Time: 9:30am to 4:00 pm
Venue: 2F Multi-Purpose Hall, Insular Life Building, Ayala Avenue, Makati City

Session 2: “Build a Powerful Personal Brand” ­
With Marv de Leon of Freelance Blend and Sonny del Rosario of LifeQuest
Date: Saturday, April 25, 2015
Time: 9:30am to 4:00 pm
Venue: O2 Space, Mile Long Building, Amorsolo Street, Makati City

Session 3: “Win More Customers. Grow Your Personal Brand and Your Influence.” ­
With Marv de Leon of Freelance Blend, Sonny del Rosario of Lifequest and special guests
Date: Saturday, May 2, 2015
Time: 9:30am to 4:00 pm
Venue: O2 Space, Mile Long Building, Amorsolo Street, Makati City

Learning Fee:
Early Bird Rate – P6,000 (until April 11, 2015)
Regular Rate – P7,500 (starting April 12, 2015)
Bring-A-Friend Rate – P11,000 for 2 participants
Persons With Disability Rate – P5,500

To sign up and to learn more about personal branding, just go to: http://manilaworkshops.com/events/personal-branding