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Top five tips to growing your brand

Branding is relevant to everyone. We love some brands and despise others, which goes to say that we have an emotional response to every brand we come across. The same is true for personal brands; why is it that we are drawn to some people and steer clear of others? Whether you are interested in growing your personal or business brand, these tips will help you do just that.

1. Make your message clear

Defining your brand’s message is the first step. People are bombarded with information all day every day, so it’s really important to make your message concise, relevant and impactful. We are often too close to it and assume that we are being clear when in actual fact, our message creates confusion and disinterest.

2. Package your passion

Prepare and practice a one liner that expresses your passion for what you do and what your brand stands for. If it’s effective, people will be interested to hear more. This is especially useful when you are networking or meeting someone for the first time. You never know where your next big lead may come from, so always be prepared.

3. Choose your communication platforms

There are a variety of communication platforms these days ranging from websites, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and YouTube to online and print publications. Do your research and determine which platforms best suit your industry and brand building objectives. Set out a strategy to optimise your selected platforms consistently. A half-hearted attempt does more damage to your brand than not having them at all.

4. Be consistent and relevant

All brand communication needs to be consistent and relevant to your target market. If you are clear on what your message is, it makes this task much easier and quicker to achieve. In this fast paced and ever changing world, you need to make sure that you keep up to date with what your target market wants and values. You want to share information that creates interest and value to people, not simply just to sell them your product or service.

5. Be engaging

People want to engage with one another and with brands they like. They also want to get to know the person behind the brand. This is where building a strong personal brand that is authentic and aligned with the values of your company brand is important. Modern technology and online communication allows us to engage with others in ways we were never able to do before. However, online communication platforms must be just one of the many tools used to engage and interact with our target market and community.

Tracy Gold

Brand and communication strategist