branding

Are You Building Your Personal Brand By Accident?

Do you consciously think about how you’re building your personal brand? Are you aware of the impact it’s having on you and your business? If you’re not sure of the answer, let us help you find some clarity.

If we were to talk to people you do business with, what would they say about you? Think about your customers, vendors, team members, or your employees. Reflect on how you converse and interact with them. Do you think you would like what they have to say about you?

If we asked them to describe you in only three words, do you think their three words would match yours? If they’re not the same, it’s not necessarily a bad thing. But you may want to ask yourself, “How close would it be?”

You see, this exercise shows how you see yourself versus how other people see you. And if there is a big difference, it means there’s a gap between who you believe you are and how other people perceive you. This gap can be a problem when it comes to building your personal brand.

 “Your brand is what people say about you when you are not in the room.” – Jeff Bezos 

This gap indicates what people are saying about you and your brand, behind your back. Why is this so important?

A survey by HubSpot found that 69.5% of companies say review sites, social media, or word-of-mouth directly drive leads for their businessThere’s a common misconception that a personal brand is a name or a logo. It’s like saying a country’s flag is a bunch of shapes and colors. In reality, it represents the history, people, values and much more. A personal brand goes far beyond the superficial name or logo. What matters is the meaning behind it. 

Every person or business has associations tied to them, allowing you to describe them with just a few words. But not everyone recognizes this, and this is the disconcerting part.

Every Action You Take is Building Your Personal Brand

Imagine you have a friend, we’ll call her Stephanie. And let’s say you have been friends with Stephanie since childhood. She always says she will meet you at a certain time, but she’s always late.
Every time you meet, you know you’ll be waiting for an extra ten minutes. This has happened so many times, you’ve learned to come prepared with work to do during the wait. This a personal brand. How?

Because when you need something done you may start thinking, “I don’t know if I want to call her.” You’ve developed an association with Stephanie being late as not dependable. But what’s interesting is she probably does not view herself the same way.

Instead, she’ll say things like, “It’s no big deal, you know, we’re good friends. You’ve known me for a long time. If I’m 10 minutes late what’s the problem?” But if you value your time, it is a big deal.

“How you do anything is how you do everything.” 

Because after so many years, you don’t know if you can trust her. Something as simple as being ten minutes late can turn into much bigger problems. And you may start thinking, If I cannot trust her with my time, can I trust her with my money? or Can I trust her to meet deadlines? Can I trust her with handling clients? 

This uncertainty becomes an issue, causing unnecessary stress that you could easily avoid. Every action we take, big or small, affects the way people perceive us. Can you see how everyone has a personal brand?

“All of us need to understand the importance of branding. We are CEOs of our own companies: Me Inc. To be in business today, our most important job is to be head marketer for the brand called You.” – Tom Peters in Fast Company

Having a personal brand doesn’t require a large number of followers on Instagram or Facebook. Within your circle influence, you have a personal brand. Your friends, family, and coworkers all have developed an idea of who you are. And this is why it’s important to be conscious of how you’re building your personal brand.

What Exactly is a Personal Brand?

Your personal brand is the perception of who you are as a person. The keyword here is perception because a personal brand is not actually a person.  It is the public’s perception of certain aspects of a person. Why?

Your consumers cannot know you entirely. They only see the strongest attributes you present to them. And it’s important not to confuse your personal brand with your personal image. What’s the difference?

Your personal image is what people instantly see, hear, or perceive of you at a glance. Think of it as a  first impression. On the other hand, your personal brand is what people think of you over the long term. It is a more developed understanding of who you are.

Think of it this way: When someone describes you, they can use positive words such as: Dependable, honest, and intelligent. Or, they can use negative words such as: Flakey, disorganized, and procrastinator. Or, they could use a mixture of positive and negative words to describe you.

Positive or negative, these words add up to  your personal brand. They are not what words you think of, but what words you are known for. Your personal brand is your personal reputation.

Why Building Your Personal Brand Is So Important

In today’s noisy world and oversaturated marketplace, it’s hard to stand out without using a strong personal brand. There is so much competition in the marketplace, and everyone makes the same generic claims.

Everyone is saying, “We’re better”, or “We’re faster”, or “We’re more reliable”. But how can the customer know this is true before trying your product or service for themselves? This is the reason why being better doesn’t provide enough motivation to make a sale. These days, consumers seek a stronger connection.

If people like you they will listen to you, but if they trust you, they'll do business with you.– Zig Ziglar. Share on X

People aren’t buying your products and services. Why? People prefer to buy from people they know, like, and trust. Which means people are actually buying you. They’re buying because they like you, not just because they like your product, and that’s what personal branding is all about.

Without a clearly defined personal brand, your customers don’t know what they’re buying. And a confused prospect  doesn’t buy. But what happens when you have a strong personal brand?

What a Strong Personal Brand Can do for You

When you see the name Michael Jordan, what comes to mind? He’s the world’s greatest basketball player, of course. And if anyone is thinking of buying basketball shoes, Air Jordan products are known as top of the line. Customers can feel the connection to his greatness, even from a small logo stitched on a headband.

What about George Foreman? Even though he was an amazing boxer,  you’re thinking of the George Foreman Grill. Many different brands of grills are on the market claiming to be better. But whether they are, or not, doesn’t matter. George Foreman built a strong personal brand with a fat burning reputation. It’s what everyone knows, so naturally, it’s what most people buy.

This is the power of building your personal brand. It gives you the ability to influence purchasing decisions. Even before customers are aware they need your product or services. How does it do this?

It’s All About Emotions

Personal branding emotionally predisposes consumers to enter into a business relationship with you. It appeals to their desires and touches their emotions. Instead of having a lifeless product or service, it feels more human when a personal brand is attached. This makes it  more relatable. Then something very special happens. This allows you to position your product or service in a way where people feel compelled by an irresistible urge to buy. And it takes no convincing or persuading. They just love your brand that much.

In other words, a great personal brand pre-sells people. Before they meet you, your customers will already be aware of your strengths and personality. You’ll have the power to influence the decisions, attitudes, and actions of your audience. And in turn, you will receive many benefits.

7 Benefits of Consciously Building Your Personal Brand

Become Master of Your Perception

When it comes to doing business in the marketplace, perception equals reality. It doesn’t matter how great your abilities and skills are if the marketplace does not perceive them the right way.

Harris Interactive conducted a survey. It showed how 45 percent of consumers did online research and found content that made them decide not to do business with the person. This is why your online representation is so important.

Consciously building your personal brand allows you to keep growing in the direction you want. And if you are in control of your perception, you can switch directions at any time. When you determine how you are perceived, you are in charge of your destiny.

What else does this do for you? 

Attract Your Ideal Audience and Opportunities

Imagine you were stuck in a business you hated, serving customers you don’t like. And it forces you to put on a facade every day. What’s worse is if the business is successful. You may start feeling conflicted. If you do, this can have a serious negative impact on your mental health and your happiness.

With the right personal branding, this is something you never have to worry about. It sets clear expectations on what your audience should expect. And this acts as a pre-filter, which attracts your ideal clients and rejects potentially bad ones. 

Either they resonate with you, or they do not. Which is a very good thing. If you are selling to everyone, you are selling to no one. And it also provides a win-win situation.

Are You Building Your Personal Brand By Accident? Share on X

Building your personal brand enables you to spend more time serving clients you like. So you can focus on building the business you enjoy. And the clients that would be a bad fit will not waste your time. Your headaches become your competitor’s problem. 

Create Your Own Category and Dominate

Many businesses believe having a better product is all they need to succeed. The problem with this is when you’re seen as a comparison, you’re stuck in the generic pile. To get the most sales it’s best to be in a category of your own.

Think of Apple with its iPhone and iOS. It’s a cool looking product, fun and easy to use. Even the unboxing creates a premium experience. And beyond that, there is the Apple ecosystem: iCloud, iTunes, iMessage, etc. Once you join the team Apple, it becomes difficult to leave.

So while all the other Android devices are battling each other. The iPhone’s premium positioning in its own category allows them to stay on top. This is one of the biggest benefits of building your personal brand. Even though you may be offering the same product or service, your personal brand is unique to you. It’s something your customers can not get anywhere else. And this exclusivity allows you to charge more.

Increase Your Perceived Value

This benefit can add a lot of money to your bottom line. Think about the difference between a bag from Coach, and a bag from Hermes.  Are the materials different? Yes. Are the designs different? Of course. But are they different enough to justify the price difference? Objectively speaking, probably not. But the fact remains the increased perceived value of Hermes bags is remarkable.

According to Fundera 43% of customers spend more money on brands they are loyal to. And with the correct personal branding, you can reap these rewards too. It can influence and persuade your customers to justify higher pricing automatically.

Build Trust With Your Audience

Getting your audience to trust you is very valuable when building your personal brand. According to Invesp, 31% of consumers say trustworthiness is the most important brand attribute. Even more important than creativity and intelligence.

Trust is what creates lifelong, loyal customers and brand advocates. According to Fundera, 56% of customers stay loyal to brands who “get them” and 89% of customers stay loyal to brands who share their values. These are the customers who happily spread awareness of your personal brand without you asking them to. Why?

Because your personal brand will give them something to relate with. They will know who you are, what you stand for, and what you believe in. They won’t perceive you as a stranger. Instead, you’ll feel like their friend. And since both of your views are in alignment, they don’t see it as advertising. Why wouldn’t they share something they value with friends and family?

Be the Thought Leader Within Your Area of Expertise

The leader in any group does not necessarily have to be the best. What matters is if the market perceives them as the best.  This is important because according to a survey done by Harris Interactive, nearly half (42 percent) of people said they Google’d someone before doing business with them.

Being recognized as the thought leader provides you with extreme credibility. Spending more time building your personal brand makes proving your claims easier. Because you are already your consumer’s main source of information.

They look to you first for their answers. Because you provide them with reliable knowledge they can trust. This further differentiates you from your competitors and increases your perceived value. But there’s one more benefit that is really exciting.

More Sales with Less Selling

Imagine gaining more sales with less selling. Or no selling at all. How is this possible? Referrals.

Are You Building Your Personal Brand By Accident? Share on X

What other people say about you is infinitely more powerful than what you can say about yourself. People will even believe the word of complete strangers over those of the company. According to a study done by BrightLocal, 76% of consumers trust online reviews as much as recommendations from family and friends. Talking about features and benefits pale in comparison to when your customers are praising your products and services. In a world as skeptical as today, building your personal branding is a necessity to thrive.

It’s Never Too Late to Start Building Your Personal Brand

With all these benefits, it’s surprising to find out that only 55% of marketers think their internal and external brand are aligned. This disconnect leaves a lot of money left on the table. But this also represents a huge opportunity to position yourself as an expert or authority figure in the marketplace. That’s why you need to start building your personal brand today.

Promoting and maintaining your personal brand does require work. You must remain consistent and transparent at all times. Otherwise, your consumers won’t know if you’re authentic.

It’s difficult to be conscious of all the actions that can affect your personal brand. Some are not as obvious such as the way you walk, talk, and the way you dress. Others are more complex such as your ability to meet obligations, customer service, or your presentation skills.

It can be overwhelming at first to identify and keep track of all these actions affecting your personal brand. But it is necessary to make a plan so you are projecting the attributes you want through all your channels.

This is why we created a digital training series where we reveal to you all our personal branding secrets. Inside you will find all of the techniques Dan Lok still uses to grow his business today. So if you’re interested in building a powerful personal brand, then check out this Personal Branding Secrets Video Training Series.

How To Get Consulting Clients Fast At The Beginning Of Your Career

If you ask any new consultant what their biggest fear is, they’ll probably all say the same thing: I have no idea how to get consulting clients fast. At the beginning of your career, it can feel impossible to get anyone to choose your business over someone else who’s more well established.    

If you’re like most entrepreneurs, your goal is to scale your business as fast as possible. But if you want to earn high paying clients, you must be willing to do things out of the ordinary. The issue is, many new entrepreneurs are not selective with the clients they take. They think that anyone with money is a potential lead for their business.

Here’s the truth, if everyone is your customer, then no one is your customer. Share on X

 So what do you need to do to get consulting clients fast?

Is Networking Really the Answer? 

Most publications on the internet begin to answer this question by telling you to build your network, get involved in local business communities, and talk to everyone you know. But is this really the smartest way to do this? 

Imagine you spend hundreds of hours talking to prospect after prospect just to close your first client. Not only did you waste your time and energy, but your client may not even want to pay you. You might even have to offer some advice or services for free, just so you can earn your first testimonial. 

According to Forbes, 58% of freelancers have experienced not getting paid for their work. So you might be thinking to yourself, what’s the harm for working for free for the first couple of clients? After all, you’re trying to build your portfolio. Setting the bar low early on can be a vicious cycle. Do you think you’re worth nothing to the market? And what about your rent, phone bills and electricity? They aren’t going to pay themselves. 

Don’t get me wrong, this strategy works perfectly if you’re trying to grow your business slowly. But that’s not why you’re here. You want to learn how to get consulting clients fastIs there a way to fast forward your results? 

Back when I was just entering the market as a freelance copywriter, I was trying to get any client I could. I was all over the place. I would do work for anyone who hired me. However, over time I learned that this strategy did not work. In fact, it was quite demoralizing. I found myself swamped in work, and only being paid a fraction of what I was worth. That is until I started applying the Kingpin strategy to my business. Are you ready to learn how to get consulting clients fast? Let’s get started.

How to Get Consulting Clients Fast – The Kingpin Strategy 

Let me ask you a personal question. Who is the one business, or person that if you got, it would change the rest of your career? You see, that’s the key of how to get consulting clients fast. In my first few years struggling as a freelance copywriter, I came across this book called Guerrilla Marketing by Jay Conrad Levinson. It’s a very famous book series on small business and marketing. 

Jay Levinson is a well-known author who has sold over 20 million books worldwide. At the time, he was one of the most well-known educators in the marketing space. So what do you think I did? I approached Jay. 

On his website, Jay was marketing a Guerilla Marketing Association membership. When I visited his website for the first time, I noticed that it could use some work. So I took the initiative upon myself to rewrite the entire page and sent it to the Guerilla Marketing Association. 

To my surprise, Jay personally responded to my email. He thanked me for my hard work. So what exactly did I do? I delivered value up front without asking for anything in return. Jay ended up using the material I sent him to generate more sales by running a much more successful marketing campaign. Instead of asking Jay for money, I asked him if he could give me some kind of recommendation and endorsement? He was more than happy to do so. 

Why Recommendations Work?

That was my first kingpin client. By getting Jay Conrad Levinson, a well-known marketing guru who has sold over 20 million books in his career, I could approach potential clients and leverage the endorsement Jay gave to me. This reference impressed client after client. 

This is how you get consulting clients fast. You see, at the beginning of your career, you’re working on establishing credibility and a reputation in the market. Chasing client after client just won’t cut it. More often than not, they will question your ability to write good copy. 

According to Help Scout, it is anywhere from 5 to 25 times more expensive to acquire a new client than it is to keep a current one. That’s why I followed a different route. I invested my time into one person or company that I knew if I could get would change everything. From there, I leveraged their name and brand for the test of my career. Before I knew it, I went from a nobody, to a somebody. 

If you were reading carefully, you might have picked up on a few strategies that I used to earn my first kingpin client. Can you name them? Here are three strategies you can use to earn your first kingpin client, and kickstart your freelancing career. 

Deliver Value First: The Winning Formula to Get Consulting Clients Fast 

If there’s one thing I want you to take away from all of this, it’s the importance of delivering value first. This has to be the sole reason as to why Jay responded back to me in the first place.

Let me ask you this. Let’s say instead of rewriting Jay’s webpage, I emailed him saying, “it looks like your webpage can use some work, let me rewrite it for you”. Do you think Jay would have even read the email, let alone reply?

This is why delivering value first is so crucial. Remember, Jay never asked me to email him, nor was he looking to make his webpage better. That’s why I needed my value proposition to be remarkable, and give Jay a reason to talk about it. 

Aaron Scildkroud, CEO of How About We said that, “Everything we do is oriented towards making good on our value propositions. To the extent that we achieve this, we believe our target market will love our product or service and our business will work”. Do you see what I mean? This is how to get consulting clients fast. Here are three reasons why delivering value first can give you an advantage in the market.

  1. Grabs the attention of your client.
  2. Gives your client a reason to pick you over your competitors.
  3. Allows you to show off the quality of your work.

Why does this work?

By delivering value first, I grabbed the attention of Jay’s team. Why? The answer is simple. I provided my expertise without asking for anything in return. I pointed out an area of their business that could be improved and improved it for them at no cost. This simple action gave Jay’s team a reason to talk about me. 

Let’s say you are in a crowd filled with 500 people who are all trying to get the attention of one client. Do you think yelling “pick me, pick me” is going to work? Of course not. 

When you are establishing your credibility early on, you don’t have a massive portfolio or hundreds of customer testimonials to back you up. But what if you somehow got a mega horn, and was able to overpower everyone else around you. Imagine what that could do for your freelancing career.

That’s exactly what I did. I became the 1% in the market and delivered value first. And look at the result. I got a personalized response from Jay, and afterward got an endorsement. 

Create a Compelling Offer No One Can Turn Down 

One of the most important steps of how to get more consulting clients is to have a compelling offer. The challenge is, most businesses sound the same to their competitors. They often only differ by offering their products or services for a lower price. These offers are not very compelling. 

Let me ask you a question. Do you think the market is oversaturated with freelance writers? 

According to Forbes, as of 2019, 35% of U.S. workers are now freelancing the report found. The total number of freelancers in the U.S. has increased to 57 million, up by 4 million since 2014.

Don’t let these statistics discourage you. Instead, let it motivate you. You can be part of the 1% group who take it upon themselves to add value first. So what do you need to do?

You have to stop and think about how you can make your offer as compelling as possible. Think about what your target really wants, and why they would benefit from it. In the early stages of your career, you need to do everything you can to build your portfolio.

Portfolio Building

Let me give you an example. Let’s say you are in the coding freelance business, and you want to get your first Kingpin client. 

You look online and find an article about how Google’s firewall was recently breached. So you take it upon yourself to code an updated, more secure firewall and send it to the Google headquarters. You wait patiently. One day passes, two days, a week, a month, you never get a reply. So what now?

The good news is, you have a piece of work in your portfolio to show potential clients. Additionally, Google isn’t the only Kingpin client in the coding world, maybe next month you take a shot trying to earn a response from Facebook.

This is the secret of how to get consulting clients fast. Stay consistent, and continue to build your portfolio. Remember, everyone’s Kingpin client looks different, and you may not even know who yours is until you least expect it. 

Make a Memorable First Impression

Making a good first impression can make or break a business. Positive experiences tend to create long-lasting relationships when negative experiences create doubt, uncertainty, and confusion. Studies have shown that once you make a good first impression, people tend to ignore any information that could disprove it. 

The key to getting consulting clients fast revolves around this idea. So you might be thinking to yourself, what if I don’t plan to ever see my clients face to face, how can I still make a good first impression?

The answer is simple: take the time to write memorable emails to your clients. A Memorable email is one that drives emotion and encourages action. It’s the first step to building a relationship with your client.

Here are three ways you can write enticing emails that will leave your clients with a great first impression. 

1. Personalize your emails.

Marketing Land concluded that US companies send more emails per month than the global average of 1.38 million. 

That’s a staggering amount of emails. How do you think you can get your emails to stand out in your clients’ filled inbox? Start off by adding a personalized touch.

Taking into consideration the person’s name, business, and even time zone can significantly improve your reach to them. This removes the idea that you’re sending out emails on an automated basis. 

2. Keep it short and use enticing headlines. 

Would you open an email with a headline that said, “Open this right now – urgent”. Chances are you would completely disregard it, and treat it as spam. 

Your clients are humans too. Avoid giving them a reason to ignore your emails. The second you sound desperate or sound like a robot, you’ll leave a bad first impression.

Focus on using short catchy headlines (5-7 words at most), and keep your emails short. Your call to action should also be clear and concise. This way, you remove any confusion and make it clear why you are emailing them. 

3. Delivering unexpected value.

Delivering unexpected value is the equivalent of exceeding your client’s expectations.  Don’t get me wrong, businesses send out free webinars, trainings, and videos all day long. What makes this approach any different? It’s because you are providing value that is specific to your clients’ business. 

This is why I took the time to understand Jay’s business, and write copy that resonated with his brand. I didn’t just send him some random web page I created, I sent him a webpage he could use today for his business. 

Judy Sheindlin, more well known as Judge Judy said, “Number one – and I want you to emblaze this on your brain – you only have one chance to make a first impression”.

Your first impression colours your future interactions. And believe it or not, it’s crucial for your success. This is the key of how to get consulting clients fast at the beginning of your career. And want to know the best part? You can use this advice in both your business and your life. The options are endless. 

Summary

So are you ready to apply the Kingpin strategy to your business today? It’s the strategy I used to get consulting clients quickly and fast forward to my results. 

Here are the three ways I earned my first Kingpin client:

  1. Deliver value first
  2. Create a compelling offer no one can turn turn
  3. Make a memorable first impression 

Once you’ve identified the one person or company that could change everything. Use these strategies to earn their respect and endorsement. From there, you can leverage their name and brand for the rest of your career. This is how to get consulting clients fast at the beginning of your career. 

Before you know it, you’ll go from a nobody who was making a couple of hundred dollars a month, to somebody who is earning thousands a month. If you’re someone who is looking to advance their consulting career further, click here to view my High Ticket Influencer Program.

This program is for serious entrepreneurs, influencers, and forward thinkers who want to scale their business to 7-figures and beyond. If you’re hungry and want more, High Ticket Influencer is the answer. We’ll talk soon. 

How To Use Social Media To Get More Clients

Social media is an excellent tool to attract clients if used correctly. Read on to learn how to use social media to get more clients.

Is it possible to use social media to get more clients?

For entrepreneurs, it is a powerful opportunity to get the most attention in a short period of time. Clients are essential to your business because, without them, you can’t generate revenue and your business will cease to exist.

In order to make this work, not only must you know how to use social media to get more clients, you need to leverage it as a way to attract your ideal potential clients.

You want to magnetize your active and loyal followers of ready-to-buy-fans and turn them into your ideal clients. Share on X

Looking at social media as a tool is a very limited way of looking at it. I simply look at it as a place where “attention” goes. You see, that is where people spend their majority of their time. Therefore, having a clear idea of why you’re using social media is an important start to your marketing strategy.

Define Your Social Media Platform

When you think of social media, you have different platforms, such as YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, Twitter and more. On top of that, there are new platforms being developed and launched every single month or day.

While most business owners haven’t clearly defined why and which social media platform to use, how will you accomplish your goal?

In the past, advertising via the radio, television, newspapers or the magazine were used to attract clients.

Social media is where people spent the majority of their time Share on X

Besides knowing how to use social media to get more clients, how do you convert the attention gained from social media into sales?

Let’s say you have your own products and services; you can use social media to get all the views and convert that attention into leads. And once you get those leads, you can follow up with them – drive them to your website, webinar or get them on the phone and actually sell them your product or service.

Another way to do it is if you don’t have a product or service but you have a lot of followers – you have “fame” which can be leveraged to get brand deals, endorsements or sponsorships. In this case, brands and companies will pay to get access to that attention.

Instead of being an entrepreneur with products and services, you’re leveraging their brands and companies to make money from social media. That’s if you have an incredibly huge number of followers.

Let me share with you the first rule of marketing online

Getting The Right Audience

As mentioned in the video, if it’s the right audience, companies are willing to pay you a large sum of money to collaborate with them and provide access to your pool of followers. They’ll collaborate by publishing a video with you, a single post or an endorsement video.

What they are actually paying for is the shortcut to getting the attention and views from your followers. And if you have one million followers, you can do that.

Social media is not only for companies that are looking to sell their products and services.

You can also do some kind of collaboration, where you’re promoting a particular brand or other company’s products and services, such as affiliate marketing deals.

When it comes to social media, there are many ways to make money Share on X

If your question is “how to use social media to get more clients” – that’s how you can make money online – with or without a product.

The thing is, when it comes to social media, there are many ways to make money. What I mean is, the line between social media and marketing is blurry. For example, “offline marketing” or “direct mail” or “TV marketing” or even “Facebook marketing”.

Social media itself is marketing.

Imagine how much attention and time span these people are giving. The number of hours they spend on reading newspapers and watching television compared to people who spend their time on social media.

You Can’t Sell If You Don’t Get Their Attention

People are spending more time on YouTube watching videos and reading Facebook posts every day versus reading a newspaper. And you can’t sell to them if they’re not paying attention to you.

It’s more difficult to sell to people who don’t pay attention to you because they don’t know who you are – simple!

The thing is, people think social media is something like, “As long as I get attention – I’ll make money” or “If I build a number of followers, I’ll make money”. You’re wrong!

Let’s say you’re building a group of followers on your Instagram channel, this is what I always ask people, “If you’re not making money with 20,000 followers, what makes you think you can make money with 40,000 or 60,000 followers?

Watch this video on how to make money on Instagram

It doesn’t make sense if you suddenly say you can make money when you reach 100,000 followers. You don’t suddenly make money when you haven’t been making money throughout the whole journey.

One method on how to use social media to get more clients is to have a solid business model – an offer that converts. This is a product and service that people actually want to spend their money on before you drive attention.

If you produce and launch a bad product, oftentimes people remember the bad more than the good. And even though you have all the attention – it’s not going to make you money.

Assuming you have a good product, not only will you get the attention to grow, but you also get to scale your business fast.

Social media is an excellent tool to generate clients if used correctly. It can help you reach billions of people around the world. Look at the number of people on Facebook daily, it has over 1.66 billion users.

Create A Product That Converts Attention To Clients

To get the attention of your followers through social media, the first thing is to make sure you’re using the right social media platform. What is your goal? What would you like to achieve on a particular social media platform?

Over 97% of marketers are using social media to get attention from their clients. That’s why it’s important to have a solid business model to convert this attention to your clients.

It can be hard to pick with a social channel to use but these guidelines will be able to provide a certain clarity.

97% of marketers are using social media to get attention from their clients Share on X

With a greater need for social media and the overwhelming amount of platform choices – you don’t want to spread yourself thin by managing each and every imaginable platform. However, you also don’t want to miss great brand-awareness opportunities.

With that said, I’m going to share with you the strength of some major platforms available.

Social Networking

These platforms are used for “networking” because they allow some form of interaction between people in different ways. With these platforms, you can build a business profile and include links to your website/s especially Facebook.

Let’s say you have a product or service to introduce to the world – you create an ad or post to get your client’s attention. And if your product is compelling and irresistible, you’ll be able to convert that attention to your client.

Whereas, if you’re looking to offer a professional service – B2B for example, LinkedIn would be a great platform to grow your business. When creating a business profile, you can categorize them according to your industry.

But if you prefer a wider spectrum of industries, having a Twitter account will be helpful – from entertainment to e-commerce. You can use twitter to post about company updates and retweet positive customer’s feedback.

Messaging and comment features for both LinkedIn and Twitter will help increase engagement with your customers.

Sharing Photos and Videos

YouTube: Over 1.9 billion active users

Instagram: Over 500 million daily active users

Pinterest: 235 million monthly active users

Instagram and Pinterest are the two biggest platforms when it comes to photo sharing. This could be helpful for restaurant owners or an online store. You can take photographs and display them to provide updates for your clients.

People like to be updated and if your product catches their attention, they will share among their friends and followers. As a result, you’ll get more clients and drive more traffic to your website.

I spoke about brand deals, endorsements and sponsorships earlier. Instagram is the home to influencer marketing.

Almost 100% of influencer campaigns took place on Instagram Share on X

Almost 100% of influencer campaigns took place on Instagram in 2018.

This is excellent if you don’t have a product or service. You can leverage the influencers with a large fan base on this platform. And that’s how to use social media to get more clients.

It can be just one brand or two – depending on your closing power and ability to attract them.

The difference with Instagram is, it doesn’t allow you to share links directly – Instagram emphasizes visuals. However, for basic users, you can only share links in your bio but if you’re a verified user or you have over 10,000 followers, you can post links in your stories.

Lastly, Pinterest is best categorized for e-commerce activities. For example, those who sell handicraft and home goods. Small business owners can share standalone product images that link to their website or a sale page.

Here’s a video about how to start an E-commerce business

If you’re new at this and still wondering how to use social media to get more clients – there’s so much I can share. I can go on and on and on about social media.

Anyway, for Pinterest, it’s interesting that you’ll be assigned a theme “board” and with that – your clients can engage with you by simply giving you a “heart”.

That means, they like your product and usually, they’ll continue to browse to see what’s more in store. This could be great for lead generation.

Video-Sharing Helps Pin Down Strategy

As I shared, the number of monthly active users on YouTube is over 1.9 billion. Here’s another great video platform – Vimeo has a total of 1.2 million subscribers.

With the rise of people watching videos online – 83% of marketers say video gives a strong return on investment. And, YouTube appeal to be the best video platform choice among online users. Adding a video platform can help pin down your strategy.

Watch this video on The #1 most important secret to grow your YouTube channel

https://youtu.be/qHB7M9KWET4

If you have an incredible business model, a video could make your brand look relevant and keep you up to speed with your competitors.

While a technology company focuses its video strategy around product demos – a restaurant could have a video log with cooking tips.

YouTube and Vimeo are leading platforms for long-form video. Since YouTube appeals to be the best video platform, they have a bigger audience base and better SEO capabilities. On top of that, Google has acquired YouTube and it’s the second-largest search engine next to Google.

A study done by Cisco in 2017, video represents 80% of all internet traffic by 2021.

Videos represent 80% of all internet traffic by 2021 Share on X

As a matter of fact, along with YouTube and Vimeo, more and more traditional social networking platforms have also begun embracing video marketing. Have you notice, in the last few years, Facebook launched “Facebook Stories” and “Facebook Live” – which is added to a tab on your mobile that’s dedicated to video.

Now let’s get into how to use social media to get more clients with interactive media

Younger Generation Yields Interaction

Snap Chat and TikTok’s social media trend lean towards Gen Z and Millennials. The dynamic nature of social media makes it challenging to keep up with the latest trends. With more and more new platforms that have been created, Snapchat and TikTok are taking over the social lives of the youth.

The younger generation influences business opportunity and you can’t afford to miss that. Here’s why; Gen Z holds $44 Billion of buying power. While many brands considered Gen Z as little more than kids who are addicted to their smartphones – 98% percent of Gen Z still shop in-store – according to the National Retail Federation.

That being said, Gen Z population is set to reach 2.6 billion by 2020 and retailers need to create more interactive engagement around their brands to reach new clients. So, with this, exactly how to use social media to get more clients?

Gen Z population is set to reach 2.6 billion by 2020 and retailers need to create more interactive engagement around their brands to reach new clients Share on X

Like any other target market, tailor your content for mobile and desktop, that’s why I said in the beginning, choosing the right platform according to your brand and product is essential. In that way, you’ll get all the eyeballs of the right audience.

But why do you need to produce content for both mobile and desktop? According to IBM, 66% of Gen Z frequently use more than one device at the same time.

And because of this, for them to get the best customer experience across all devices – have your branded content put out in the world with the highest optimization – from the layout of a website to blog post to any of these social media platforms.

 

More Attention Towards Bad Product

Before thinking about scaling your business or promoting your brand. You need to have a solid product or offer that convert your clients into a potential customer. Get their attention by introducing a great product offer.

Because, if you create a bad product, you will get a different kind of attention. Instead of winning and growing your audience as potential buyers, you’ll lose trust from billions of people. And that’s not going to make you rich, you won’t generate any money from bad attention span.

So, assuming you have a really good product, now you’ll get attention from there – you can scale your business fast. Because, with the right social media channel, you can scale by leveraging the huge number of traffic.

My point is, end of the day, you need a product or service that people are willing to spend their money on before you get any attention. Here are some mistakes I see people are making – especially the younger generation.

Don’t fix the marketing first, fix your product. Once you’ve got a good product to talk about, the marketing’s going to flow from that – Scoot Monty, Ford Social-media chief Share on X

They ask me how to use social media to get more clients, just because they want to be famous on social media – they say, “Dan, how can I build a social media followers like you?” But the real question is WHAT FOR? When you’re only 19 years old.

Do you have a product or service to offer to the marketplace?

Here’s another video on “How To Grow Your Social Media”

The thing is if there’s no substance – building that to get more attention doesn’t do any good. As I said, unless you’re in the entertainment industry, that’s a different story.

Even if you managed to grow a large number of followers and making a small income out from it – that might work for the short term. But it won’t be long term progress. So, build that substance and value that shows the marketplace you’re there for reason.

Final Thoughts On How To Use Social Media To Get More Clients

If you’re an entrepreneur, using social media is one easy way to increase your clients. If you have a valuable product or service – you can catch millions of attention throughout your social media platform.

I know it’s not easy and it won’t be an overnight success. With guidance, I’m sure you get more clients on your social media account.

I have over 100 videos on my YouTube channel and I’ve shared some here to get you started on how to use social media to get more clients. My team and I produce videos every single day.

On another note, if you’re already producing content and videos – don’t stop doing it! Post every day so you get the attention on a daily basis.

Are you ready to take the next step?

How To Vastly Improve Your Social Media Presence And Grow Your Following (Viralnomics Book Review)

Learning how to improve your social media presence is challenging, yet vital to your brand’s success. The online market is huge, the world’s social media user base is massive, and everyone wants a piece of the pie. According to a 2019 study by Pew Research Center, 72% of American adults actively use social media, and that number keeps exponentially growing.

Clearly, neglecting this online market of billions of social media users would be a huge oversight for any sensible business. Like many entrepreneurs, influencers and business owners, I’ve scoured the internet for tips and tricks for boosting my social media following and improving my online presence.

While I’ve learned a lot from mentors and speakers, I attribute much of my success to certain books I’ve read that have guided me along the way. 

You'd be surprised how many business owners don't take the time to read books. This means that if you gain knowledge by reading books, you'll also gain a competitive advantage against your competitors who did not take the time to read such… Share on X

While it’s true that over 73% of marketers reported success by implementing social media marketing as a significant component of their marketing strategy, not all engagement is created equal. Similarly, not all of the knowledge out there is equally as valuable.

Let’s take books, for example, as opposed to Google searches and online question-and-answer forums such as Quora.

Books offer more systematic, detailed strategies and unique insights that aren’t always available on blogs, on Quora, or via a Google search. Not every business owner is willing to take the time to read books, however. What does this mean for you? If you take the time to read books, you’ll gain a competitive advantage, since most people don’t read books about business.

Image of the book Viralnomics

Viralnomics by Jonathan Goodman

One of the books I’ve received immense value from is the book, Viralnomics: How to Get People to Want to Talk About You by Jonathan Goodman. In this book, Goodman offers insightful commentary on social platforms themselves while giving you plenty of actionable tasks that produce real results. 

Unlike other blogs or guides out there, Goodman doesn’t leave any room for excuses. Instead, he gives you the tools and the information you need to cultivate a highly engaged following on social media, and guides you on how to execute his advice accordingly. This is one of the reasons why his book is so impactful.

As you know, I don’t believe in making excuses – I believe in taking action – even if you think you have the best excuse in the world to delay or procrastinate.

In this article, I’ll recap some of what I feel are the most important points in the book. In Viralnomics, Goodman’s advice proves to go a long way, even in small doses. But first, let’s discuss why it’s so important to improve your social media presence and grow your social media following.

Social media apps on an iPhone

Why is it Crucial to Improve Your Social Media Presence and Grow Your Social Media Following?

Social media followers convert into real customers, and social media growth facilitates the growth of your business. It’s as simple as that. If your social media followers enjoy your content, check your social media pages regularly, and come to love your brand because of your social media, what happens? They become real customers. They buy whatever product or service you’re selling. And everyone knows this.

What you post on social media is incredibly important. The more people resonate with your social media posts and share your content because it reflects their own thoughts, feelings, and values, the more you will improve your social media presence. And, the more you improve your social media presence, the more likely you’ll improve your overall sales and business growth. 

You might be wondering, If it’s so obvious that a huge social media presence is good for business, why don’t more companies, businesses, brands and entrepreneurs have a larger social media presence? Well, I can answer this question in one word: Effort.

It requires time, resources, effort and patience to grow your social media following and improve your social media presence. It doesn’t happen overnight. Many companies, businesses, brands and entrepreneurs don’t have the time, energy or patience to do this. Even though they know how important social media is for business, they just don’t put forth the effort. Growing their social media is on their to-do list, but they don’t get to it. 

That’s why you’ll have such a major advantage against your competition if you do put in the effort to grow your social media following and strengthen your online presence.

So, let’s discuss some of my favorite tips from Jonathan Goodman’s book Viralnomics, along with my own tips for achieving powerful social media growth, and subsequently growing your business.

Friends on social media

Improve Your Social Media Presence By Giving Your Audience a Reason to Stick Around

One of my favorite analogies in the book Viralnomics is that of the metal spoon. Goodman describes a time where he was given a free sample, but he was given his free sample with a metal spoon instead of a disposable, plastic utensil. 

Though Goodman originally approached the booth to take the sample and go, he was unwittingly obligated to stay with the marketer, and discuss the product. After speaking with the sample-giver and trying out the product, Goodman was sold— but only because he wasn’t given the freedom to walk away with his sample, without talking to the marketer about it. You see, he didn’t have a disposable spoon. No, he had a metal spoon that he couldn’t walk away with.

In order to improve your social media presence, you need to figure out what your metal spoon is. Having initially enticing pieces of information isn’t enough on its own. Goodman’s metaphor of the metal spoon empowered me to ask myself, “What is going to make my audience stay? What is my ‘metal spoon’?”

I’ve found that the best way to answer this question is to look at why I stay on my favorite brand’s social media pages. Perhaps they’re giving me a solid piece of advice or inspiration, and it’s so valuable that I don’t want to walk away or keep scrolling. I’m willing to listen because a brand is giving me personal value, not just content. Makes sense, right? 

The Importance of Favors and Providing Value to the Community

Oftentimes as marketers, we focus far too heavily on what we can get from the consumer, rather than what we can give to our customers. Jonathan Goodman hits home on this point by asserting in his book, “Spend time every day looking for ways to do as many favors as possible.”

For most of us, this doesn’t feel natural. However, why would a consumer give something valuable to a business if they’re not getting something in return? Consumer trust is crucial, and Goodman is 100% right when he says that you have to earn it. 

When Goodman talks about doing favors for your consumers, he’s talking about providing value to the consumer. This could be something simple like saying, “Thanks for following our Instagram page! As a thank you, here is a free eBook!” 

Another ‘favor’, or as I call it, providing value, could simply be to thank a new follower by giving their Instagram page some love. Like their recent photo, comment on it with some words of encouragement. Sometimes you can do this before they’ve even followed your page, and because you showed their page some love, they will decide to follow you.

It often really is that simple. If you don’t have time to do this yourself, you can have a team devoted to this type of community engagement.

Manage your Online Community with Daily Interaction on Social Media

As I just explained, if you want to improve your social media presence and grow your following, you need to be devoted to community engagement. Engaging with the community should be done daily, and it involves commenting on other people’s social media posts, liking their posts, and even sending DMs. This type of role within a social media team is often referred to as a “Community Manager”.

Hiring a Community Manager who engages with your target audience by commenting on their social media posts is a great way to build a real, organic following.

Your Community Manager can provide value or ‘favors’ to the community by offering free eBooks, links to valuable blog posts, sharing their posts on your profile as a re-post crediting the original person who posted it, or simply commenting on their social media posts and showing their page some love.

By using this method, you’re likely to build much more meaningful interactions online, and build the type of loyal social media following that will actually buy your product or service. The old saying, “Sharing is caring” proves to be very accurate when it comes to social media. 

If you want your business shared and cared for, you’re going to have to share and care for others. It’s as simple as that.

Learning What Type of Content People Share

In order to improve your social media presence, it’s essential that you understand why people  share the social media content of others in the first place. In Viralnomics, Goodman breaks down the types of posts we tend to share into 5 main categories:

  • Intelligent
  • Intellectual
  • Interesting
  • Attractive
  • Funny

These may just seem like personal characteristics, which is exactly the point. Goodman argues that what we share is much more about self-representation than the content itself. 

When a consumer chooses to share something, it’s partially because what they share is a representation of themselves.

My take on this is that it seems only natural that your target audience will want to share content where someone else has said exactly what they themselves are thinking or feeling.

Everyone wants to share content that represents themselves in the way they want to be perceived. It’s the same reason why you only see people posting the best pictures of themselves on their profile. With this in mind, you can begin to craft content to help your target market represent themselves in a favorable way. In other words, you need to understand how your target market wants to be perceived, and create content that helps them paint that perception of themselves. Do this, and they’ll want to share your content.

Another tip is to share content that evokes emotion. For example, many big brands use the emotion of nostalgia to sell products through social media. This is called nostalgia marketing, and it works because it helps you resonate with your following.

Think Before You Post Content: Will it Resonate?

So, the next time you share a post, ask yourself, “What does this content say about a person that would make them want to share it?” Implementing this simple thought exercise before you create your social media posts, will give you invaluable insight to vastly improve your social media presence.

If your target audience tends to share humorous content, get your social media manager to create a variety of funny, witty or smart memes that you can post regularly. 

Improve your social media presence with memes

If your target audience tends to share motivational content about self-worth, believing in oneself, or self-improvement, create content that caters to that emotion of building oneself up.

Don’t forget that the more people resonate with your social media posts and share your content, the more you will improve your social media presence. And, the more you improve your social media presence, the more likely you’ll improve your overall sales and business growth. 

Information is No Longer Valuable in Itself

Goodman drops a hard truth when he explains that simply sharing knowledge and information is not enough on its own. He shares an anecdote where he used to love reading the encyclopedia as a kid, simply to learn.

Nowadays, we are constantly bombarded with information online, so much so that the value of information has gone down drastically. It’s no coincidence that encyclopedia Britannica stopped printing in 2010. Perhaps they knew they couldn’t compete with the modern-day encyclopedia of Google? Understanding this is crucial in order to improve your social media presence. 

The playing field is now much more level. For you to succeed, you’ll need to offer value to your consumers. Since anyone has the opportunity Google information, focusing on providing value will help you stand out.

Use unique analogies and examples when you provide information or share knowledge, so that people want to follow you simply because of the clear and captivating way that you share information. If you share valuable information in a way people can understand and appreciate, you’ll stand out.

This is why in Viralnomics, Goodman highly recommends fostering a community that enjoys the way you communicate to them, not just a marketplace. That way, people will return to your site for its ecosystem and in turn, feel more inclined to use your product or service. 

Building Your Web

To improve your social media presence, you’re going to need a network. I’ve learned from Viralnomics that I shouldn’t be picky with who’s a part of that web. A web is a circle of friends or a community of supporters.

In the book, Goodman described it best when he described a connection with a Facebook friend he hadn’t spoken to in years. Even though Goodman and this person weren’t necessarily “friends” in real life, that person saw Goodman’s content and shared it on their own social media page.

Think about it this way: If you have five friends, you have five more chances to get shared than if you had just one friend. To improve your social media presence online, you’ll have to play a number’s game. 

What if you want something more intimate for closer relationships? Goodman has a solution for that, too. In Viralnomics, he recommends having separate business and personal accounts. That way, when you’re on your business feed, you’re focused on engagement and not emotionally distracted. 

Build your web with anyone and everyone. You never know who will be receptive to your content. 

Networking at a networking event

Learning From Media Giants

Jonathan Goodman talks about Sea Lions in his book. You may be wondering how these mammals can help you improve your social media presence. As it turns out, they serve as the perfect model for fostering a highly engaged audience. 

In Viralnomics, Goodman notes how sea lions will feast on fish that a whale leaves behind, rather than try to compete directly with the whale. As I’ve learned from Goodman, this is precisely how we should learn from media or tech giants.

We need to learn how to cultivate similar followings in the way that huge social media influencers and media giants have. In this way, Goodman suggests reaching out to the engaged followers of social media influencers you admire, rather than the to influencers themselves.

You can combine this tip with the tip I mentioned earlier of adding value first, by showing these people some love and liking and commenting on their photos. While this may not be the most time-efficient way of doing things, it’s a surefire way to build a community. And, like I said, you can hire a Community Manager to do this for you.

Statistic on social media's popularity

Understanding Social Media First and Foremost

Understanding social media means that you understand how each different type of social media platform works, what its best used for, and understanding the different audiences for each. The video-sharing app TikTok, for example, is known for having a younger audience of mostly Gen Zers, as well as some millennials. 

Innovative new social media platforms like TikTok will always pop up, and like TikTok, some of the new social media platforms will quickly grow to a user base of around 1 billion monthly active users, which is huge. However, as Jonathan Goodman points out in Viralnomics, 

The biggest mistake that you can make is to attempt to keep up with new innovations before taking the time to understand why people use those innovations.”

So, going back to the example of TikTok, you must understand how TikTok works, who uses this social media platform, and why people use it. This understanding must be cultivated before you attempt to grow your presence on TikTok. The same goes for any social media platform you’re attempting to improve your social media presence on.

Don’t forget how crucial it is to learn how to improve your social media presence in order to grow your social media following and grow your business. As Goodman says in Viralnomics,

We work hard every day to ignore marketing so we can go home and put our feet up to relax. And when we do this, we go on social media. It’s a place where our subconscious takes over, it’s a place where we let our emotions dictate our actions, and it’s a place where we’re more open to persuasion than anywhere else.”

Investing in Yourself

I’ve learned from experience that one of the biggest mistakes that entrepreneurs, business owners and influencers make is not investing in themselves, and not reading enough books. In order to improve your social media presence and grow your business, you need to do so from both a top-down and bottom-up perspective.

What that means is you shouldn’t focus all of your energy on simply curating content. You’ll need fuel for that fire, which comes from acquiring more knowledge and more digital marketing skills. Acquiring more knowledge and more up-to-date skills is not only good for you, but it’s good for your business, too. 

Just as an artist shouldn’t perform a song on stage without knowing the lyrics and emotions they’re meant to evoke, you should not put out content if you don’t have a firm understanding of your market.

Try your best to seek out more valuable information through books, blogs, videos and online courses. I typically don’t suggest buying books that were published a decade ago, because you want the knowledge to be relevant to the modern economy and the modern consumer. 

The value of information online may have gone down in quality as a whole, but the silver lining is that much of it is free to consumers. And if cost is an issue for you, books are cheap. Most books are between $5 and $25, and many of them have insanely valuable information inside.

Woman reading books

Why You Need Books to Be Successful

Investing in yourself in the form of self-education is important, but how should you go about that process, specifically? Aside from online courses, a very effective way to do so is by reading books. 

Nowadays, not as many people are willing to sit down and take the time to read a book, which automatically gives you a competitive advantage if you get into the habit of reading every night. The fewer people who are reading books, the more unique insight you gain access to that your competition isn’t accessing.

A bonus tip I could give you is to order a paperback version of the book you’re buying instead of the eBook version. Sure, it might cost $5 – $10 more than the eBook version, but it’s nice to give your eyes a break from screen time. Reading in bed helps you fall asleep and get a better night’s sleep, because taking a break from screens before bed encourages a proper sleep cycle.

It goes without saying that reading books by business experts will help you grow your business. However, the caveat is that you need to read books by authors who practice what they preach. 

When it comes to authors whose books you should buy, you can trust those who have built a successful business themselves, have grown a huge social media following themselves, and have become a self-made multi-millionaire themselves.

That’s why people buy my books. I have millions of followers on social media, and I am a self-made multi-millionaire entrepreneur who understands business and became successful. I enjoy sharing my secrets with others who strive for greatness, and that’s why I’ve taken the time to write over a dozen books.

Dan Lok and his Unlock It book

Ready to Unlock The Secrets and Strategies for Growing Your Business and Growing Your Social Media?

Are you ready to unlock financial confidence, unlock the secrets to growing your business and social media presence, and become unstoppable? Are you willing to read a book that could lead to life-altering success? 

Success comes to those who take action. Reading a book by someone who has shared the closely-guarded secrets to their success, is an example of the right action to take if you want to be successful. Share on X

Success comes to those who take action. Reading a book by someone who has shared the closely-guarded secrets to their success, is a fantastic action to take if you want to be successful.

My new book, Unlock It, will provide you with more social media secrets and digital marketing secrets to grow your social media following and dramatically improve your online presence. Unlock It offers more than just social media secrets, though. This book will make it easier for you to understand how to grow your business in general, and how to start a business.

In Unlock It, you will learn specific systems and formulas that will allow you to unlock the key to success for yourself and your business. Unlock It will guide you to achieving wealth, success, and an impressive social media presence.

Do You Want the Key to My Secret Formula for Success?

It is my book Unlock It that I share the secrets, strategies, methods, formulas and systems that I personally used when I went from being a broke immigrant with no money, to becoming a self-made multi-millionaire and global social phenomenon with a social media presence that lead to millions of highly-engaged followers. In this book, I even share tips on how to put out content that your audience will resonate with. 

My book doesn’t solely focus on how to build a social media following or improve your social media presence. It of course touches on that, but there’s so much more to it than that. These skills I teach in my book are skills that are not taught in school or college. But these are skills that once you read about them and harness them, can help you become a powerful business magnate and social media influencer.

So, if you’re ready to unlock the secrets to growing your social media following, building your brand, and growing your business, click here to buy my book Unlock It for as little as $7.50. 

The price of my book may not always be this good of a deal, so take action now if you want to improve your social media presence, grow your business, and build a powerful brand.

Develop A Powerful Personal Brand With These 3 Secrets

To develop a powerful personal brand can be a daunting task, as many entrepreneurs and small business owners struggle with developing a brand for themselves. But branding is not only for companies, it defines who you are. Like everything else, your personal brand is unique.

What is a personal brand and why is it important?

A personal brand is a perception in someone’s mind. As I said earlier, when someone calls out your name, what would be their response? The truth is, you can determine what you want people to think and say about you.

Developing a brand is about taking control of your image, and that reflects who you are in many aspects. When someone calls out your name, it should give them an honest impression of your talents, values, and beliefs. 

Developing a powerful personal brand is crucial for entrepreneurs and small business owners. In fact, it’s important for everyone. Because our personal brand will not only boost our business – it helps drive them to success. 

For example, what makes you different? What are you known for? This means, what are your values? Are your values aligned with your mission and beliefs? And what kind of impression do you want to leave behind for the world?  

You are your brand, no matter what your current job is. Share on X

Branding is like a mental game. It acts as a magnet that pulls the matching pair together. So, if you want to be a successful entrepreneur, you must develop a powerful personal brand. 

If you don’t develop a powerful personal brand, it makes you no different than others in regards to your profession. 

The more you present yourself to the world, the higher your brand gains its credibility and recognition. So how do you develop a powerful personal brand? In this article, I will share 3 of my secrets to develop a powerful personal brand. 

1. Brand Around Your Talents, Values, And Beliefs.

People like to know the story around why you did it and what makes you do it. It can be because of a certain talent you have or a strong belief of a product that you’ve created. Either way, people are drawn into a combination of vulnerability and enthusiasm. Your beliefs are what drives your core values. 

 Everyone looks at your watch and it represents who you are, your values and your personal style. – Kobe Bryant

When I say value, it isn’t based upon your position at your company. Rather it’s based on what you can bring to the marketplace. What is the unique talent that you do exceptionally well that others can’t? When you establish your own target audience in your niche market. You’ll be able to develop a unique talent around your niche. So, why do you have to do this?

Because with your own target audience, it helps you narrow down your potential customers. Clients won’t just walk up to your doorstep. You need to put yourself out there and when you understand your audiences, it is easier to create value based on their problems.

But before you do that, ask yourself these questions. This is where you begin. 

  • Am I perceived as I want to be? 
  • How strong is my reputation in my industry?
  • What does my brand reflect most on my personality? My ability?
  • What makes me unique?
  • Does my website/blog reflect my brand?
  • Does my social media channel reflect my brand?

Asking yourself these questions is where you begin developing a powerful personal brand. Choose what you want to be known for and focus on being the best at it. If you’re looking to be a successful entrepreneur, being the best at what you do sets you apart from your competition. 

2. Develop A Powerful Signature Style

As I said in the beginning, branding is like a mental game. It’s like a magnet that pulls a matching pair together. So, when you develop a powerful personal brand, you need to stand out. Because being average makes you similar to everyone else and this is where you take control in developing what people think and say about you. 

When you think about a signature style, it can be varied. It can either make or break a personal brand. So, be careful when you decide on your style. If you can develop this well, it can be powerful and make you instantly recognizable. Think about your favorite brands. What makes them unique? This is crucial to know because your brand allows self-expression through your personality to the marketplace. 

You can visualize your style with these guides. But remember to be consistent with your style. 

  • Logos
  • Trademarks
  • Signs
  • Core visual elements
  • How you dress

Think of it this way, if you have a different color logo on your signs and your blog. People will find it hard to understand what you do. So, being consistent with your style is a surefire to success. 

Apart from that, develop your unique dress code. As I said earlier, you are in control of what people think and say about you. You want people to remember you for the right reasons. My mentees associate me with my red suit and my Bentley. Steve Jobs always dressed exactly the same and Obama only wears either a blue or a gray suit. 

My point here is, these may be their signature style. But when you call out their names, what is the first thing that comes to mind? Steve Jobs – Apple products. Dan Lok – Red suit and Bentley. On top of that, a powerful personal brand gives you an advantage in your professional and personal life. 

3. Create An Impression With An Elevator Pitch

An elevator pitch allows you to earn someone’s conversation. It is never an opportunity to close a deal. However, it’s an opportunity to get people’s attention. It acts as a quick introduction and with a short, snappy explanation, it explains how you can help your customers. 

So, where and when should you use your elevator pitch? You can leave an impression with an elevator pitch during a networking event, warm calls or conferences. You also use an elevator pitch with job interviews. Especially when someone asks you this question, “Tell me about yourself” or “What do you do?”

Instead of convincing someone to hire you, earn 30 seconds of conversation. Share on X

A compelling short stunning elevator pitch will uplift your value. Which means, people will instantly remember who you are. But never forget that when people who listen to your pitch, the first thing they think about is “Does that bring me value?” or “What’s in it for me?” Therefore, when you develop a powerful personal brand, it’s crucial to understand your audiences.

For example, at a networking event. Someone prompts an attention-grabbing question saying, “Isn’t it a daunting task to develop a personal brand for yourself?” And you answer, “ Yes, but you know what will make it less daunting? The founder of my company constantly creates educational content. They created a video training that cost less than a cup of coffee a day. And if you spend 30 days on coffee, you could discover the secrets to develop a powerful personal brand without feeling daunting.”

Or if someone asks, what do you do?. You can say, “I help companies scale their business by exponentially increasing their conversion rates.” While different types of questions have different impressions, it should also be memorable and punchy. 

What Should You Be Doing To Maintain Your Personal Branding?

Now that you’ve developed a powerful personal brand. What should you be doing to maintain your brand? Yes, it’s time to gain visibility. This is where you’re letting your audience know you exist. 

To gain visibility requires multiple processes. For example, creating a well-strategized plan across your social media platform. In order to establish a strong foundation, you need to be active in a couple of things.  

Here’s how you can market your brand through different channels. 

  • Client Referrals 
  • Direct Mail 
  • Networking
  • Joint ventures
  • Seminars
  • Public Relations
  • Warm Calling (if you have a product or service)
  • Internet (Social media platforms)

Don’t get overwhelmed by the number of platforms. To begin with, you can start with one. Decide which is your best channel according to your target audience. Now, let me give you an idea of what I do to promote and maintain my personal brand.  

Here’s what I do to maintain my personal brand. And this is strictly on personal branding. 

  • Give one interview per week. 52 interviews a year which includes TV, Radio, Podcast or print.
  • Conduct one interview per week with successful entrepreneurs.
  • Create and upload 200+ videos per year on YouTube.
  • Publish at least one new book per year.
  • Give away a minimum of 3,000 books a year.
  • Deliver at least 20 presentation or speeches a year.

Ensuring your brand is personalized, creates compelling and convincing content. Write valuable and educational content to your audience. You need to put value to the marketplace. Why? Because your brand and value is a self-expression through your personality. So, if you want to be a successful entrepreneur, position yourself by being the best at what you do.  

Why Entrepreneurs Fail At Developing A Personal Brand

As I said in the beginning, many entrepreneurs struggle to develop a powerful personal brand. So, whether it’s personal or business life, it defines who you are. In order to be successful in any business, having a powerful brand is crucial because branding elevates your success exponentially. 

Developing a powerful personal brand right is crucial for success. Share on X

Of course, it’s not an overnight success. You can’t get the world to know who you are in a day. But if you’re consistent, it’s a surefire to success. It takes time and effort to understand and learn how to develop a powerful personal brand effectively. 

Here’s why entrepreneurs fail at developing a personal brand.  

They Don’t Fully Believe In Themselves.

If you don’t believe in yourself, certainly, nobody will. If you want to develop a powerful personal brand, you must be clear and certain about who you are and what you can offer to the marketplace. Again, your value is on what you can bring to the marketplace. But keep this in mind, there’s a difference between confidence and arrogance. If you set yourself with confidence, you’ll overcome hurdles with grace.  

No Strategy 

Everything you do reflects on your brand. Therefore, having a good strategy is important in every area of business. If you want to stand out and be remembered. You need to put in the extra effort as it won’t magically appear for you. Think and plan out a couple of strategies before you execute. But don’t be afraid to fail. I failed in 13 businesses before i became a self-made millionaire. 

How you do anything is how you do everything – Dan Lok 

Unsure What Is Personal Branding 

Don’t get confused between professional and personal branding, because they are very different. Personal brand is a perception in someone’s mind. It is how people perceive you would be. Remember the first question you ask yourself? Am I perceived as I want to be? Talking to people and asking for honest opinions is the best way to do this.  

They’re Inconsistent With Their Content On Social Media

Have a narrow focus on your topics with your social media channels. When you’re consistent, it’s easier to recognize a voice. To ensure a powerful brand is achieved, you have to demonstrate consistency across your communication.  

Never Leverage On Social Media Platforms

In 2018, an estimate of 1.8 billion people worldwide purchased goods online.  And during the same year, global e-retail sales amounted to 2.8 trillion U.S. dollars. It’s projected to grow up to 4.8 trillion U.S. dollars by 2021. So, can you imagine the number of people purchasing a product through social media platforms? It’s significantly high. So, leveraging social media might be the key to your success.  

Not Investing In Themselves To Learn

I’ve seen many entrepreneurs make plenty of excuses. Such as, I’m too old to expose myself in social media. I’m not young enough to learn new things anymore. Well, let me tell you this. If you want to develop a powerful personal brand, you need to have a shift in mindset. The process of gradually developing into the person you wish to be is crucial. When you get constructive criticism, you can use that to grow. Regardless of how long it takes, your brand will grow much more quickly. 

If you want to grow your business, investing in yourself to learn new technology is essential. Unless you have the confidence to learn through my free 200+ video content. Engaging a mentor and gaining their secrets will bring you success quicker. 

 

Want To Develop A Powerful Personal Brand?

Making a name for yourself can be tough and frustrating. As I said in the beginning, it can be a daunting task. It requires time, effort and consistency. When you see other leaders making a name for themselves, you wonder, how did they have it all figured out? When you want to develop a powerful personal brand, you have to understand the most important aspect, which is trust. 

A brand is the set of expectations, memories, stories and relationships that, taken together, account for a consumer’s decision to choose one product or service over another. – Seth Godin

Whether it’s for personal or business. If they aren’t any trust, you’re not likely to achieve a personal brand for yourself. That’s why I told my team to prepare a special training video that consists of my secrets. Discover the secrets of my personal branding here. 

Back in my early days, when I was in high school, I was the invisible kid. No one wanted to talk to me and people didn’t think I could succeed in business. But now that I’m a business magnate, Internet celebrity and global educator with students and fans around the world, people want to know how I developed such a reputation. 

In today’s world of technology, opportunities for growth are more than before. So, to develop a powerful personal brand, be sure to stay focused and the brand stays with you. 

A personal brand is nothing more than your personal reputation. If you want to create a powerful reputation for yourself, create a compelling elevator pitch and develop the perception you want your audience to think and say about you. That drives your core values with the beliefs you have. 

And, if you’re a serious influencer, entrepreneur, and expert earning over $300,000 in revenue and want to take your business to the next level, read below. If you are an influencer and entrepreneur who wants to:

  • Scale their business to 7-figures and beyond using social media.
  • Generate a predictable and sustainable return on investment every month.
  • Build a 7-figure business that runs with or without them.

High-Ticket Influencer is the answer.

10 Insider Secrets For Creating A Personal Brand Based On Your Unique Superpower

Are you looking into creating a personal brand, but you don’t know where to start?

I see and hear a lot of bad advice when it comes to creating a personal brand. People who never actually built a successful or powerful personal brand themselves, want to tell you how to do it best.

It’s smarter to listen to people who practice what they preach. That’s why people ask me for advice on creating a personal brand, since I have credibility in the form of success and millions of social media followers.

Personal branding is important because ultimately, your personal brand will differentiate you from your competitors. When creating your personal brand, you want it to stand for something. The last thing you want to do is to be another boring realtor, another pushy sales agent, another coach who lacks that ‘X’ factor. You are unique, and you need to figure out your unique superpower and incorporate what makes you stand out into your branding. Your personal brand should be a reflection of your unique superpower.

I spent a lot of time building my personal brand. And that’s why today, I want to share 10 insider tips on creating a personal brand based on your superpower.

Why Should You Be Creating A Personal Brand?

A personal brand isn’t something you create after you already have millions of followers on social media. Instead, I like to think of your personal brand as your reputation and your image. If you asked others to describe you in three words, what would they say?

Would people say positive things about you and your brand? Would you like what people said? Or would it be negative?

Get some clarity on how you want others to see you. Figure out the three words you wish other people would use to describe you, and your brand. Those three words will become the base of your personal brand.

For example, the three words could be, “Diligent, “Honest”, and “Humorous”. It can be whatever you most desire to be known as.

Now, my personal recommendation is not to stop there. Next, you want to find out what your unique superpower is, and build your personal brand around that.

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Why Should Your Personal Brand Be Created Around Your Superpower?

What do superpowers have to do with creating a personal brand? If you’ve followed me for some time, you know that I love superheroes like Iron Man or Batman. Studying comics, I noticed one thing. Superhero characters often have longevity. People remember these characters. Some of these superhero characters have been around for decades. People like to follow the story of superheroes.

That’s why when you are creating a personal brand ,you want to model your brand story after a superhero story. Basically, you are creating a character. The character is you, but maybe not all of you.

In other words, perhaps you tell your audience certain stories from your past, such as things that shaped you, but you don’t tell them about your current private life. That’s perfectly okay. Your personal brand doesn’t need to be based on your full story, or include every little detail of your life. With personal branding, you just have to reveal enough of a story so that you are authentic and people can connect with you.

Focusing on your superpower also has another benefit. Instead of trying to be good at everything, you narrow it down to what you are best at. What you’re best at is your special gift – your unique superpower. You have positioned yourself as an expert on one particular subject.

If you claim to be an expert at everything, nobody will believe you, and nobody will like your brand. That’s why specializing in one thing or one niche creates a lot more credibility. If you position yourself as an expert in one niche subject or field of focus, your brand will garner more respect and attention.

I personally have been using this strategy, and it’s been working. I have positioned myself as an authority figure and established myself as an expert in certain niche fields related to business, copywriting, sales, and closing. That means that my personal brand won’t be for everyone. My brand is for certain kinds of people who are interested in learning what I am an expert at. P

art of developing my personal brand involved telling my story of how I became an expert at these things. I won’t be around forever, but the character of Dan Lok will live on.

Below are 10 insider secrets for creating a personal brand using your unique superpower:

1. Creating A Personal Brand by Discovering Your Superpower

The first thing you need when creating a personal brand based on your superpower is, of course, your superpower. I’m not talking about superhuman strength or the superpower of flying, though.

Your superpower is what you exceed at. You superpower is your special gift, skill, or talent – it’s something you are exceptionally good at.

It could be anything from public speaking to consulting to SEO copywriting. Your superpower is based on your primary skill that you are an expert at.

Focus on a superpower that you enjoy, which will also bring value to the marketplace. Then, communicate your superpower to your target audience.

What if you aren’t sure what your superpower is, exactly? Determining your strengths and weaknesses is an important task to further your growth. So you might want to dig deeper and get to know yourself.

Usually, your superpower feels effortless. It’s what you’re naturally the best at, without trying that hard. You are great at it, and it amazes others. Your superpower can be a skill or something you understand more clearly than others. It could be something you’re so good at, you’re are almost fearless. When you discover your superpower, you will notice because it will feel just right, and you’ll feel very confident doing it.

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2. Be Clear on What You Want to be Known For

Tying back to your reputation, what do you want others to say about you?

Maybe there are others that have a similar superpower to yours. For example, there are several motivational speakers out there, but what if your superpower is motivational speaking? How do you break through the noise and stand out from the crowd? You do this by creating a personal brand that is solid, unique, and powerful.

When you are clear on what you want to be known for, you don’t leave anything to chance. If you look at my personal brand, for example, what do people know me for? Possibly things like “Dan Lok is a millionaire”, or “Dan Lok is the King of Closing”,  or “Dan Lok is the boss in the Bentley”, or “Dan Lok wears a red suit.” Now, do you think any of that was by accident? No. I made very conscious choices about my personal brand and what I wanted to be known for.

So, what do you want to be known for? What do you want to be viewed as an expert in? Make sure you are clear on this. Then start to communicate it with your actions, words, and personal branding.

3. Creating A Personal Brand By Adding A Face To Your Business

Another reason why personal brands are so powerful is this: When you are creating a personal brand, you are adding a face to your company.  Your business isn’t just a logo or a product anymore. That’s important, because people don’t really connect with logos. They connect with humans beings they like and trust. That’s why adding a face to your personal brand can really help you.

Adding your face to your brand adds credibility and increases trust. Why? Because at the end of the day, people buy people. They don’t buy products as much as they buy people.

With a strong personal brand, it’s no problem if your product or career might change. You and your personal brand stay the same. You are so much more than a logo and that’s why you will stand out. If people are connected to your story and you ‘why’, they will follow you. Even if you change careers. They want to know what you as a character will do next.

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4. Creating A Personal Brand by Adding Your Backstory

All superheroes have on thing in common. They have a backstory, which tells their audience how they became superheroes in the first place.

There are three very powerful ways to tell your backstory:

The reluctant hero: In this story, the hero is an ordinary person. But something changes in their lives that makes them step up as a hero. In the beginning, they aren’t sure if they can do this though. Only when they find a reason – a strong ‘why’ – they fully pursue their story as a superhero.

An exceptional person who overcame serious obstacles. People aren’t interested in ordinary people. They love to watch people who are great at something and succeed, despite obstacles and challenges in their way. When you build your personal brand on such a story, people will want to follow you, because they are wondering, What will happen next? People also love underdog stories.

Us versus Them. This is another powerful story because people tend to naturally think in belief systems. It’s very powerful if you and your tribe have the same enemy. Use this tip only for good.

Now all you need to do is look back and see which of the three fits best with your story. Are you a reluctant hero who only found your true calling after something significant happened? Or have you always been on your path and overcame big obstacles to get where you are? Or maybe you want to create your personal brand on an us vs. them framework?

Decide which one you are, and start telling your story. Storytelling has infinite power when it comes to marketing. Maybe you heard of the saying, “facts tell and stories sell”?

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5. What Do You Stand For?

When you are creating a personal brand based on your superpower you also want to communicate what you are stand for.

If you look at popular superheroes, they all stand for something. People don’t care that much about what you do. They care about why you are doing it. So if you share your story and share why you are doing what you are doing – wouldn’t that add much more power to your personal brand?

Think about successful entrepreneurs or celebrities that you look up to. What do they stand for? What does Elon Musk stand for? Or what about Oprah?

This also ties back to your backstory and your ‘why’. Tell people what you stand for and why. Are you contributing to a good cause? You will be creating a powerful personal brand if you are. Even if others are doing similar things as you, you can find a way to be unique. Even if others have a similar ‘why’, nobody has the same unique backstory as you do. So when you link the two together you will stand for something and nobody else can do it the same way. You will be able to cut through the noise and stand out with your story.

6. Creating A Personal Brand Based On Your Parables

You might be wondering, what are parables? Simply put, parables are your stories. You have your main backstory but you also have other stories that you use to make a point or strengthen your personal brand. So, if you watch my YouTube videos, for example, you will see I have a few stories. I have my copywriting story about my first mentor who taught me the art of copywriting, I have a story about my mother, and a story on how I used to work in a supermarket, and so on.

You’ll want to create an inventory of stories that you can tell when you are making a certain point. You also want to continuously add more stories to your inventory. Because at the end of the day, marketing is storytelling. Never forget that facts tell and stories sell.

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7. Your Secret Language

When you are creating a personal brand, you also want to pay attention to how your target audience is speaking. Maybe they are using certain words and phrases that don’t make much sense to outsiders. But when you use the secret language they will feel connected to you much faster.

So, you might want to do some research on your target audience and see how they speak and what their lingo is. But since you are your personal brand, you want to make sure your secret language also makes sense to you.

You are unique and you want to show that by creating a personal brand. Don’t try to copy others. Don’t try to copy me. There is only one you in this world.

8. Create Your Own Technology

This is very closely linked to your secret language. When you are creating your personal brand you want to come up with your own technology or your own mechanism. What do I mean by this? This means you are creating a system that helps your customers solve a problem, and then you give it a name.

For example, if you are an accountant you most likely already have a system in place. You have some way of how you help your clients. Now all you need to do is give that system a name.

Maybe you hear of the book “S.P.I.N. Selling”. In this book, the author is teaching how to sell following a certain method. He came up with it and called it SPIN.

Now while there are many people that teach sales, he is the founder of the SPIN sale technology. He stands out from the crowd because nobody else uses this kind of technology.

Maybe what he teaches is very similar to other sales methods. But because of the technology, it is special. You could easily do the same for your superpower when creating a personal brand.

9. Creating a Personal Brand For Your Niche

When it comes to marketing and branding, you don’t want to appeal to everyone. Many people think it’s better for sales to try to relate to everyone, but it’s actually not. Trying to market to everyone is counterproductive. You become too vague and you end up selling to nobody. Why? Because consumers in the marketplace would rather buy from someone who specializes in solving the specific problem they’re looking to solve.

Take a look at your current customers – what kind of professions do they have? If a large chunk of your audience are realtors, start by marketing to realtors. If, however, a large part of your audience are entrepreneurs, market to them. You get the idea.

Nobody goes to get a specific surgery from a general practitioner.

It’s the same when creating a personal brand. Maybe there are several things you are good at. Still, you want to start narrow and very specific. If needed you can always go a bit broader later. As I said, your specific superpower also helps you to be more specific. You aren’t an expert in everything. You are the go-to person for one or two very specialized things.

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10. Creating a Personal Brand Based on Your Signature Style

When creating a personal brand, your signature style will play a role, too.

Remember my superheroes analogy? All superheroes have a signature style. They all have a special suit or outfit that they wear when they get into their hero persona. That’s also what I did with my red suit. I wear my red suit for special occasions, like when I’m on stage. People easily remember it and it became part of my personal brand identity.

Your signature style means more than the clothes you wear, though. Your signature style incorporates the color themes you use on Instagram, and the general feelings you evoke with your style. Is it luxurious? Sporty? Intellectual? Adventurous?

Your signature style also is formulated by the way you speak. Are you direct and authoritative? Or are you warm and bubbly? How about humorous and sassy? Choose a way to speak to your audience that matches your signature style and helps solidify it.

Again, you want to make very conscious choices about this. Base it off your unique superpower. I also suggest you make sure that your personal brand is congruent. Congruent in itself and congruent with your personality.

Ready To Supercharge Your Personal Brand?

You’ve probably learned a lot about creating a personal brand by reading this article. However, there is still much, much more to consider when it comes to building a powerful personal brand.

Since you are your personal brand, you should always be working on bettering yourself. If you become better, your personal brand becomes better, too. That’s why I always advocate for the importance of lifelong learning.

If you want to supercharge your personal brand and become a better version of yourself, now is the right time.

To celebrate the Lunar New Year, I’m offering a special discount in the Dan Lok Shop. Buy any two of my courses and get one for free. So, for example, you could get my Personal Branding Secrets, my YouTube Secrets and choose one more course for free. Use this package deal to educate yourself and create an even stronger personal brand.

Check out the special Buy 2 Get 1 Free store-wide discount HERE.