Your goal is to position your brand as the top authority

Yesterday I took everyone out to our favourite spot on the Akamas peninsula, to enjoy a nice dip in the clear azure waters. There wasn't enough wind to go windsurfing, so I delved into a book that had been recommended to me by Suraj Sodha, one of our speakers at The Local Business Marketing Summit. The book is called 'Brand Against The Machine', and it is by personal branding expert John Morgan. John says: "People are bored to death with the way brands market themselvesAC Blower Fans Manufacturers. People do business with people. They engage and connect with people. Corporate branding is no longer an effective strategy. Take Ford Motor Company for example. Ford is doing a good job of letting us know the people behind the logo. Scott Monty is building relationships with people and is a brand within a brand. The Ultimate Fighting Championship, or UFC, really understands how personal brands can connect with their fans. They are encouraging their fighters to tweet as much as possible. Dana white, president of the UFC, is giving them incentives for doing so. The understand that personal brands from their fighters reinforce They are giving their fans a chance to connect and engage with their favorite fighters. Your goal is to position your brand as the top authority in your industry, to be seen as a valued resource rather than another service provider. Personal branding is about building a tribe of raving fans." This last sentence reminds me of how I've been harping on and on about how important 'listbuilding' is, of course, but it also reminds me of something I read on Tim Ferriss's blog about getting '1,000 True Fans': "A True Fan is defined as someone who will purchase anything and everything you produce. A creator, such as an artist, musician, photographer, craftsperson, performer, animator, designer, videomaker, or author - in other words, anyone producing works of art - needs to acquire only 1,000 True Fans to make a living." - Kevin Kelly And it's interesting how he mentions using Twitter as a way to build a following and connect with your fans. 6 Steps of Personal Branding John Morgan then goes on to explain his 'Six steps of personal branding': Step #1: Know Your Audience What does your target market want? What frustrates them the most? Step #2: Define Your Position Branding is all about positioning. What specific solution do you want to be known for as THE go-to person? Step #3: Create The Solution Create a product or service that gives them what they want. Step #4: Content It is your content that will attract people to you and will assist in establishing your authority positioning. By producing high-quality content that your target audience finds valuable, you will attract prospects to you. Attract first, and then engage. The more you give, the more attractive your brad becomes. Step #5:Promotion You should always have a promotional campaign in motion. Step #6: Over-deliver There is simply too much competition to produce a product or service that just delivers. Strive to exceed your clients' expectationsAC forward centrifugal fans Manufacturers. Laptop Entrepreneurs Should Build Their Personal Brands If you want to be able to enjoy working from the beach, any day of the week (yes, even on a Wednesday morning), then… a) choose your target market b) build a list and send your subscribers some great content (create your tribe of raving fans) c) promote awesome and relevant products and services to them. What is your target market?