A strong personal brand provides many benefits to business owners—but one of the most valuable is that a strong personal brand allows you to effectively lock out the competition within your market. A well-built personal brand will establish a business owner as the leading expert in his (or her) market, will keep him at the forefront of customer’s minds, allows him to receive valuable media coverage, and inspires trust. Here’s how:
1) A strong personal brand establishes you as the leading expert in your market. Your customers want to work with an expert—that’s simply human nature. Think about it for a moment—if you had to choose a new doctor, and cost wasn’t an issue, who would you choose? Chances are, you’d look for the most well-respected, expert doctor in your area. The same goes for an accountant or a wealth manager. Expertise matters, and a strong personal brand will establish YOU as the expert in your market. This position in your market will ensure that you have a steady stream of new business—and it guarantees that your customers will be willing to pay premium rates for your services.
2) A strong personal brand puts you on the forefront of the minds of consumers in your market. An effective personal brand is memorable. It sticks in the minds of your customers and prospects, and ensures that when they think about your industry, it will be your name that springs to mind. Donald Trump, Oprah Winfrey, and the late Steve Jobs are great examples of individuals with memorable personal brands—and it’s not just because they have been successful. There are plenty of businessmen and women who have been equally (or more) successful, but remain virtually anonymous. Why? Because Oprah, Trump, and Jobs created a personal brand that was truly memorable.
3) A strong personal brand enables you to make headlines and reinforce your position. As a respected expert within your industry, you have the ability to generate valuable publicity. Your expert status provides the credibility necessary to get you on the radio or appearing on local TV. And one you’ve built a powerful brand, this becomes a recurring cycle—each media appearance further reinforces your credibility and further separates you from the competition in your market.
4) A strong personal brand inspires trust—and helps you close the deal. Your personal brand allows prospects to feel like they know you—even if you’ve never met. They’re familiar with your personality and are well aware of your expert status. As a result, you don’t have to convince them to trust you—your brand has done that work already. This implicit trust makes it much easier to close the deal… and it widens the gap between you and your competitors.
Your personal brand can become an incredible marketing tool. It can establish you as the leading expert within your market—and will have your competition constantly playing catch-up.
Contact me if you’d like to learn how to get started!