30 days branding

Day 3: Become a Trusted Leader By Showing Your Sharing Skills

October 13, 2021 By SAMPLE OF BUSINESS PLAN

Day 3: Become a Trusted Leader By Showing Your Sharing Skills

Today you’re going to be continuing on with your mantra of being a giver in your niche by doing something for your followers that most marketers won’t do.

Most marketers share only their opinion, their knowledge, and their website links. They would never dare let their readers know that they actually go out and learn from other experts, much less share that outside expertise with a backlink to someone else’s site.

Many marketers see the journey of becoming a leader in their niche as stepping all over the competition. Just think how many “competition CRUSHER” courses there are and how we’re taught to DOMINATE over everyone else.

To be a giver and sharer seems pretty weak in their eyes! You’re supposed to MILK your customers, not cater to their needs. You’re only supposed to link out to people you have a JV in place with, not just any expert – especially those who might know more than you do!

Right?

Wrong! That’s what I like to call sleaze marketing. It’s selfish. They’re not in it to help their followers – they’re just in it to hog the attention of the target audience and squeeze money from their wallets.

That’s not you! You’re genuinely in this because you want to help people – whether it’s with their diet, their skin problems, their emotional well-being, or their finances.

My Personal “Real Life” Example of a Sharer

I am THE most persnickety person when it comes to choosing a doctor. My kids still see the man who was MY pediatrician as a child. Why? Because he’s a giver and he’s not afraid to showcase differing opinions.

Let me give you an example of this:

There was a time when the chickenpox vaccine was highly encouraged. Then suddenly, it wasn’t recommended. Then later, it was highly encouraged again.

I am a worrywart, so I was nervous about all the back and forth research. I didn’t know what information was relevant or whose opinion to trust.

My doctor never once gave JUST his opinion on this debate. He sat down and talked to me about it, citing research AND giving me opposing viewpoints on the discussion so that I could make up my own mind.

Ultimately, I relied on his advice because:

a.) I knew he was out there “knowing his stuff” so to speak. He clearly showed he had researched this topic, and knew all of the up-to-date information. I always wonder how many doctors stop their quest for learning – not mine!

b.) He wasn’t intimidated to share opposing viewpoints. This made me trust his opinion because he clearly discussed those options and backed it up with why he didn’t feel the same. He wasn’t “hiding” anything from me, in other words.

c.) He even wrote down the name of independent studies I could go online and read more about.

WOW! In other words, he wasn’t arrogant enough to think that only his $0.02 mattered to me.

I appreciated that! And I love it when I go online searching for information, too.

Other Reasons Why This Method of Sharing Is Popular

By popular, I don’t mean popular with marketers – I mean popular with your audience.

They love it because, in addition to those three reasons I mentioned before, it:

a.) Makes your blog a one-stop-shop. If they KNOW that you took the time to scour the ‘net and do the research for them, they will be SO grateful. I know this for a fact because I see complaints by newcomers to marketing who get overwhelmed when people tell them to go “Google” a topic to understand it.

Many people have no idea how to search for real information. They might Google a word and get frustrated when they find thin affiliate sites or ad sites or eBook sites. They want someone to guide them, to help them navigate through the thousands or millions of search results Google provides – not hard sell them or corner them into only knowing one viewpoint.

b.) They trust you to get the best information out there and to be fair. Having a slant or opinion doesn’t mean you have to slam the door on opposing opinions.

When your readers truly trust you, they know you’ll give a fair and balanced viewpoint of the topic at hand. You can say one side is wrong over another, but they’ll trust you to back it up with reasons why.

Sharing Information on Both Sides of the Coin

This is the task I want you to do for your readers today. You’re going to do the following (don’t do it yet!):

1. Come up with a statement or question for your niche where you debate it on a single blog post. Pick a side and back up your reasons for doing so.
2. Explain what the debate is and why it’s important.
3. Give both sides of the argument.
4. Provide multiple OUTSIDE references to both sides in a variety of media formats.
5. Explain what happens if the advice you offer is ignored.
6. Talk about how they can make the changes you suggest.
Now before you go doing this on your own, read on – I have some helpful information that can make sharing a positive experience for both you AND your audience!

The Different Learning Styles of Your Readers

The first thing you need to know is that not everyone absorbs information the same way. And I’m not just talking about the fact that some people prefer video to text or vice versa.

What I’m talking about is the way your audience comes to your virtual classroom ready to learn – what questions they need to be addressed right off the bat, or what expectations they want you to meet for complete satisfaction.

I’ve been reading a lot on how to be a guide for others in a niche. One book my own mentor sent me a long time ago which I only recently cracked open was called Hold On, You Lost Me!

It taught me how to connect to people based on various learning styles. Here’s some of what I gleaned that’s relevant to this exercise:

a.) Some people come to you wondering why.
There will be those who land on your blog who want to know why this information is important. Why is it relevant to their lives? Why is it valuable to know?
So it’s not enough to just give a statement and tell your opinion. You have to explain why it is they need to know this – don’t expect them to “get it” because there will be some who won’t see its relevance.
You’re not only going to explain why it’s important based on your opinion but why it’s vital for them to know based on other people’s insights.
b.) Some people come to you wondering what.
What is this blog post teaching them? What data is there to back up your statement – facts, please!? What do other people (experts) think about this?
c.) Some people come to you wondering how.
How will this specifically better their lives? How can they implement your advice into their day? How can they overcome any obstacles they run into?
d.) Some people come to you wondering if.
Oh boy, this is me. I’m a big “if” person. Primarily, it stems from laziness. When someone’s teaching me something new, I always want to know IF I’ll really be missing out if I ignore the advice.

I also want to know what could happen IF I mess up the advice, or IF I do implement it, IF it will improve my life.

I like to get evidence of IF this information is true or false. I like to know what will happen IF I FrankenTiff the information (alter it to fit me). I like to know IF there’s more information out there for me to form my opinion on.

All of these are obstacles that consumers bring to the table to force you to overcome in an effort to reach them on an emotional and logical level. If you provide information in all of these styles, you reach a wider target audience.

I’m going to show you how to create the perfect debate blog post where you teach in a variety of methods and media to strengthen your message and position you as the highest source of information in your niche.

Now I’m about to show you how to let this type of creation unfold. But I’m going to show you my preferred method of doing it – creating the content and then adding to it after you’re finished.

I do mine kind of like a painting. I create the main framework of the piece, then add details. You can choose to do it differently, detailing as you go if you want to. Everyone’s unique in his or her preferences.

Step 1: Pick Your Debate Topic

I know some of you get nervous when considering a discussion where people might disagree with you. But that’s what gets discussions going, it’s what helps showcase your expertise, and it helps you squash any false information out there!

Almost every niche has a problem. What’s your niche’s problem? I’m going to show a few examples so you can get an idea of how to develop your topic. And I want you to choose a question or statement to title your blog post with that you will prove or disprove!

1. Internet Marketing

This is my niche, so let’s start there and we’ll move on to non-marketing niches in a moment. Brainstorm a list of issues people face in your niche. For me, it might look like this:

a. Lack of money
b. Lack of time
c. Don’t know who to trust
d. Don’t understand something

So I will go through and think of a debatable concept for each of these issues. It might look something like this (and these correspond with the above list topics):

a. Newbies Getting Poor Advice on Use of Free Platforms

I see this happening all the time – someone will ask if it’s okay to start off on Squidoo, for example – and some forum participants will warn them away from it, telling them if they don’t have a domain and hosting, don’t even try. I know they’re wrong, so I could debate it.

b. Are You Letting Lack of Time Be Your Excuse for Failure?

This is another thing I see quite often. People complaining they don’t have time to work on their business. I think they’re full of it! I think it’s a combination of fear, procrastination, and perfectionism. I know this because I see many who hold full-time jobs, care for multiple ill people, have zero time for themselves, but STILL manage to spend a few minutes hardcore working on their business.

c. Are You Being Naïve Because You’re Desperate to Make Money?

I sort of already talked about this with my list, but there are so many people who continue making poor buying decisions and taking zero responsibility for their actions, blaming scummy product owners when I’m ready to tell them it’s partly their fault too! This is bound to cause a stir, but I can back up my opinions.

d. You’re Using Confusion as Your Crutch But I Won’t Allow That Anymore!

This suits my tone for my blog – blunt – yours may need to be gentler. This is something I see quite a bit – something that bugs me. So I’m going to deliver a kick in the rear. In fact, I’ll post it on my blog later.

2. Beauty Tips

I saw a few of these in the challenge. Let’s think of a few issues your audience might be dealing with:

a. Don’t know how to apply make-up correctly
b. Can’t afford good makeup
c. Have bad skin
d. Never feel satisfied because they don’t look like models

What’s something debatable you could do about these topics?

a. Are You Still Stuck in the 80s Wearing Cake-Up Instead of Make-Up?

Thanks to the forum trolls who taught me the phrase cake-up! You could discuss how too many women overapply make-up when they should be striving for a fresh look.

b. Quit Crying About the Cost of Make-Up When You Can Get By With Less!

You could teach them how to have a couple of choice pieces, or which brand they could afford that’s good (and why), etc.

c. The Worst Thing You Can Do for Bad Skin Is Try to Conceal It!

Piling on make-up clogs pores doesn’t help you heal, etc. You could talk about how they’re emotional about their bad skin, be empathetic, but then boost their confidence with some tips.

d. Is Your Self Esteem Faltering Because Vogue Is Putting Pressure on You?

Talk about the airbrushing, giving real-life examples of scandals – Julia Roberts is one, for example). Show real and airbrushed versions.

3. Cooking

I saw a lot of cooking niches as well – some for passion (French food) and some for dietary reasons. So let’s choose the healthy cooking niche to use as an example. Problems the reader might have:

a. Healthy food is too expensive
b. Healthy food doesn’t taste good
c. Fat and sugar are bad for you
d. I don’t know how to cook many meals

Now let’s turn those into some debate-style blog posts:

a. Are You a Hypocrite When It Comes to Spending Money on Food?

I would let them know it’s not going to fly complaining that healthy food is too expensive when they’re used to spending money on fast food. Healthy food fills you up longer, and you can have it for leftovers. They’re not making any effort to shop around and find specials or freeze or can foods for later use when they’re bought on sale.

b. Healthy food doesn’t taste good

Only if you keep your meal repertoire to a bare minimum! They should be willing to taste new foods, explore different styles of cooking and seasoning, and they may discover that it’s all you need.

c. Fat and sugar are NOT bad for you

This would be great right now – Denmark just introduced a fat tax – even on avocados – you know, the one with the GOOD fats? But your first reaction to this title is, “Of course they are!”

I would also talk about how the news is stirring debate about diet sodas and sweets, which leave the body wanting more calories – when having moderation could be healthier for you.

d. I don’t know how to cook many meals

What an excuse! You could talk about fast and easy (yet healthy) ways to prepare meals, like broiling meat or using a new kitchen appliance and technique that adds flavor but reduces calories.

What you want to do is make people want to join in on the discussion – for or against you! And you want to evoke an emotional response for them.

You also want to take a stand one way or the other, so they know your viewpoint. Ever heard that saying, “If you stand for nothing, you’ll fall for anything?” I personally like to follow people who have an opinion on something.

You don’t want to be vanilla – you want to be exciting, flavorful – someone who attracts a crowd because they’re INTERESTING!

I’m assuming you know your niche well enough to know what problems they’re needing you to guide them through. If not, you need to go back to square one and learn about your niche!

It’s not as easy as conducting a quick Google search – you need to be in the hearts and minds of your target audience.

Step 2: Explain What the Debate Is and Why It’s Important

Remember those people coming to your blog with different expectations and learning styles. You want to cover all bases, so for those who complain about the length of a blog post, let it go.

Just because YOU like to skim, doesn’t mean others do. And even if they skim, so what? The information is there in case they see text that makes them want to slow down and dig in. Don’t cater to people’s impatience just because you’re worried they’ll click out.

We’re moving into content now. Don’t worry about being a perfectionist. This is “from the heart” information, backed with supporting information.

I’m going to show you an example here that is NON-marketing and actually write my OWN niche example on my blog so you can see both. Let’s use the example from the health niche – Fat and Sugar Are NOT Bad for You.

If I was in this niche, this is how I would address the second step – what and why:

“For a long time now, we’ve been taught all sorts of wrong information about how to eat healthily – most notably that fat and sugar are bad and should be avoided at all costs when you’re trying to lose weight.

I believe that those who teach this method of dieting are absolutely wrong – and once I explain why it might help put your mind at ease and make the implementation of better nutritional choices less of a struggle for you.”

The first paragraph tells the reader what the debate is. The second addresses why they might want to know this information. You’ll add more answers to these questions throughout the blog post.

Step 3: Give Both Sides of the Story

It’s important that you show both sides of a story. That doesn’t mean you support both sides – it means you tell your readers, “Here’s what they’re saying. Here’s what I believe.”

“Some say that fat and sugar are what’s ruining our nation. You have news media coming out to the public every day with new changes in our nutritional advice and suggested restrictions – it’s enough to drive you crazy!

I get it – I understand they’re looking at what ingredients aren’t chock full of vitamins or those which, when eaten in abundance, put your body on overdrive, struggling to burn off calories.

They’re looking at the huge increase in weight-related illnesses, such as diabetes, and looking for someone to point the finger at. It’s putting a strain on our healthcare system and it could be threatening the longevity of mankind if things continue as they’re going.

But my way of thinking is that fat and sugar aren’t our enemies – our mindset is. Those people bashing fat and sugar don’t consider the fact that moderation exists – that it’s perfectly possible for someone to indulge in these ingredients (even on a daily basis) and continue to be healthy and happy.

Being denied foods only make us want them more. We’re raised with threats that if we don’t finish our plates, we don’t get dessert – they’re dangled in front of us like carrots on a stick. We’re told that while dieting, fat and sugar are completely forbidden.”

If this were my niche, I might be even more specific, but I’m just showing you an example for now. Now it’s time to pull in the multi-media resources that prove you’re a researcher and a sharer of good, solid free information, helping people make up their minds!

Step 4: Provide Multiple OUTSIDE References for Both Sides

This is the part you might choose to do as you write your initial blog post. I like to get my thoughts down first, uninterrupted – and then go out and gather specific resources to back up my blog post with – not just MY opinion, but those of the opposing viewpoint, too.

How do you find them? Google! You’re going to search for things by using the left sidebar in Google that lets you choose from blog sources, news, and maybe even images! I might start with the opposing viewpoint like this:

I find Harvard articles, Men’s Health magazine content, Web MD advice, and forum discussions about it. I ignore Yahoo Answers as an expert source. You might also be in a niche where a magazine at the grocery store acts as a perfect resource. Or maybe you see a news report on TV.

So below, I’m going to paste what I have written for this example so far and put the new additions in bold for you so you can see how I did it.

Top highly revered experts are shaming people into a situation where they’re told if they eat these foods, they’re addicts – and they now have to go into stringent detox situations.

Look at Oprah’s poster boy for good health, Dr. Mehmet Oz on ABC News calling people who like donuts “addicts:”

http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/dr-mehmet-oz-beat-fat-sugar-addiction-detox/story?id=12823912

I believe that those who teach this method of dieting are absolutely wrong – yes, even Dr. Oz, and once I explain why, it might help put your mind at ease and make the implementation of better nutritional choices less of a struggle for you.

Some say that fat and sugar are what’s ruining our nation. You have news media coming out to the public every day with new changes in our nutritional advice and suggested restrictions – it’s enough to drive you crazy!

Take coffee for instance. There’s been so much back and forth dialogue about whether coffee is good or bad for you, it’s like watching a tennis tournament!

On Web MD, they have an article about whether coffee is good or bad for you, confusing consumers even more. First, they tell us all of the good things coffee provides for our bodies – and state research that shows the more you drink, the healthier you are when it comes to diabetes risk!

But then…they hit you with this information:

“Regular coffee, of course, also contains caffeine. Caffeine can raise blood pressure, as well as blood levels of the fight-or-flight chemical epinephrine…”

Okay, so which is it – do I drink it or not? Consumers are left worrying regardless of which decision they choose. And what about fat? Some experts completely ignore the fact that there are indeed GOOD fats!

Luckily some research is clear on this, but only consumers lucky enough to stumble on it get the facts. Harvard School of Public Health tries to guide people in their article, “The Bottom Line: Choose Healthy Fats, Limit Saturated Fat, and Avoid Trans Fat.”

They REALLY put a kink in dieters’ nutritional label reading plans when they say this:

“…dietary cholesterol isn’t nearly the villain it’s been portrayed to be. Cholesterol in the bloodstream is what’s most important. And the biggest influence on blood cholesterol level is the mix of fats in your diet—not the amount of cholesterol you eat from food.”

And all those victims of high cholesterol who pick up packages and see how much cholesterol is in a product feel defeated at the confusing information – once again.

I get it – I understand they’re looking at what ingredients aren’t chock full of vitamins or those which, when eaten in abundance, put your body on overdrive, struggling to burn off calories.

They’re looking at the huge increase in weight-related illnesses, such as diabetes, and looking for someone to point the finger at.

It’s putting a strain on our healthcare system and it could be threatening the longevity of mankind if things continue as they’re going, as shown in this graphic shared by the National Institutes of Health and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

It’s perfectly possible for someone to learn good habits that enable them to add lots of fresh fruit and vegetables and grains into their diets and still indulge in some foods for the sheer sake of enjoyment, as the LiveStrong.com website assures dieters in this passage:

“The guidelines recommend you increase your intake of fruits and vegetables and add more whole-grain products. If you increase your fruit and vegetable intake daily, you’re on the road to improving your health and your weight.

Make whole grains, vegetables, and fruits the foundation of your diet. Then add on the other food groups in smaller portions–proteins, dairy, fats, and sweets. Make moderation a part of your eating–enjoy all foods in moderation.”

See that last part I underlined? It’s important – but dieting fanatics like to either go hardcore and cut out all fats and sugars or not a diet at all. And THAT is where failure and obesity is growing at an alarming rate.

The Huffington Post had a great article by Marcia Reynolds called “10 Steps Toward Making Peace With Food” that really stressed the problem with guilty eating messages coming from the media.

She says, “the diet food industry perpetuates the “good food-bad food = good girl-bad girl” concept through commercials like the one for Fiber One Brownies where a woman finally gets behind the velvet rope and into the forbidden world of something that now tastes great.

Men and women alike have hopped onto a harmful artificial sugar bandwagon because of the shame in indulging in REAL sweets from time to time (and even in moderation). And what’s this doing to their bodies? Harming them!

The reason is, artificial sweeteners do NOT turn on a satiety signal in our bodies that make us feel satisfied and “fed” to be blunt! This was reported by the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

CBS News reported in a very straight-to-the-point fashion, “Sorry, soda lovers – even diet drinks can make you fat!”

WOW! Here you’ve been tolerating Diet Coke because a real Coke makes you feel guilty, and now you know why the pounds aren’t coming off like you thought they would.

“Artificial sweeteners could have the effect of triggering appetite but unlike regular sugars, they don’t deliver something that will squelch the appetite,” said Sharon Fowler, an obesity researcher at UT Health Science Center at San Diego.”

Step 5: Explain What Happens if the Advice You Offer Is Ignored

The article is taking shape now. The debate topic is clear. You’ve presented the sides and chosen one to support. And you’ve pulled in a variety of multi-media resources with quotes and references to prove the points and images to break up the text.

By the way, with the Dr. Oz story, I would probably not only include a link but embed the video on my blog, too.

Now it’s time to add a portion that explains what life will be like if they don’t heed your advice. So I might add the following personalized story and then conclude with the “if” scenario.

“I struggled with diet guilt and shame for years, my weight creeping up on me every year at a rate of 10 pounds per year until I finally put the brakes on it.

I grew up with a diet mentality – even women who were thin were always dieting, so it seemed normal to deprive and binge and hide and cry about food.

Once I went to a nutritionist who taught balance and elimination of guilt, I no longer felt the need to stuff myself with sweets (because I knew I’d be “dieting” again shortly).

I grew a mindset that it’s there if I want it, and when I want it, I’ll have it – and oddly enough, I no longer over-indulge. The panic to eat it is gone. My weight has slowly been coming off, effortlessly.

True, it’s not as fast or as much as it would be with a strict fad diet regimen, but I can honestly say I’m happier and healthier than before when I was thinner and fluctuating with my weight on the diet yo-yo train.

This is the nutritionist I saw – Jennifer Pereira – and what I love is the way she legalized food so that I no longer felt like a criminal when it came to eating.

One funny story that happened when I was seeing her for help is the shame I felt one morning having to tell her I ate a piece of cake for breakfast. She threatened to make me have cake every morning until I no longer felt guilty for eating it. I nervously laughed but eventually, the lessons paid off.

If I had continued on with my shame and guilt of eating fats and sugars, I would have continued watching my weight spiral out of control. You might be on the same self-destructive path.

If you give yourself permission, you might see a short-term spike in indulging, but it should level off as you become more comfortable with the idea that there are no bad foods.”

Step 6: Talk About How They Can Make Changes You Suggest

It’s fine to debate a point of view and encourage people to change their way of thinking, but if you don’t give them any insight on exactly how they can do that, they may leave your site confused and let down.

I like to end with some concrete steps they can implement to fix the situation or alter their way of thinking, like this:

“I want you to start practicing moderation and reintroduce the enjoyment of food – not denigrate it and bury yourself in shame about it.

So here are six steps you can take to change your mindset over the course of the next few months – it won’t happen in a day or a week – you have to practice it and live it for it to become a part of you:

1. Stop saying, “No” to foods. It’s very uncomfortable right at first, but if you wake up and want cake, cut a piece of cake. Initially, you’ll feel guilt, but over time, it will go away.
2. Eat foods in any order that you want. Dinner for breakfast, breakfast for dinner – stop putting rules on what foods can be eaten, and when.
3. Make sure you watch your hunger levels. Right at first, you may eat faster because you’re indulging in something formerly forbidden. But as that guilt subsides, you can relax and eat a bit slower, savoring each bite. Don’t eat until you’re full – eat until the hunger is just gone. This is also uncomfortable at first, but it goes away over time.
4. Be okay with throwing away food. Eventually, you’ll learn to plate smaller portions, knowing it’s perfectly acceptable to go back for seconds. But right now, you’ll plate more because you’re used to eating until full, not until “no longer hungry.”
5. Instead of focusing on foods to give up, focus on foods to add! Make this a wonderful time of discovery for yourself. Teach yourself how to cook in new styles, and see if you like exotic fruits and vegetables you can buy at a farmer’s market.
6. Ignore guilt talk from well-meaning, yet harmful individuals. Everyone’s dieting – and those who aren’t are “weird.” They’ll try to talk you out of having cheesecake or drinking a full-calorie soda. They’ll think it’s odd when you take 2 bites of the cheesecake and smile as you put your fork down because you can have another cheesecake tomorrow if you want – there’s no NEED to finish it.”
I know that once you embrace a more relaxed, moderate state of mind when it comes to eating, you’ll notice your peace with food results in a healthier and more satisfied you.”
So that’s one example of a “sharing blog post,” where not only do you come across as an expert, with a personal touch, but you’ve also shown yourself to be a researcher, willing to showcase the debate without making your readers go all over the place to find this out on their own.
Right now you’re going to create the same kind of post for your blog (or to put on a free blog). Go back to page 3 to see the summary of steps if you need to.
Remember not to just hyperlink to resources. Extract quotes from them to share right on your blog. Don’t copy the entire page someone wrote – that’s content theft. But quoting and linking back is a form of sharing information.
Include quotes, summaries, images, videos, or whatever means you can to help support the issue.
This may seem tedious to you the first time you do it. But over time, you’ll begin sharing with this type of system in a way that feels comfortable for you – and your readers will see the value and thank you for your contributions and guidance.

Day 1: Who Do You Want Your Brand to Be?

June 23, 2020 By SAMPLE OF BUSINESS PLAN

Day 1: Who Do You Want Your Brand to Be?

Welcome to the official Day 1 of the 30 Day Branding Challenge!

Before We Get Started

Let me alleviate some pressure for you. Please don’t stress or worry if you don’t stay on schedule perfectly for this challenge. I don’t care if it takes you 30 days or 42 days to get through.

Time management isn’t the purpose of this, is it? So if you want to take 2 days for one task, DO that! Being your own boss means YOU make the rules, not me. So read the PDFs and communicate in the blog posts and go at your own pace.

Also, as we go through the tasks – if there’s something like video marketing, and you have no webcam or video capabilities, please “FrankenTiff” the challenge to fit your needs.

That means you could double up on another task for now, instead of charging money for some video tool when the bills are due. I don’t want anyone putting themselves in financial strain over this.

Tips: Always be responsive when your team members ask you to help them. Remember that their success means success for you. Be sure to check in with members of your downline on a regular basis. Find out how they are doing and ask if there’s anything you can do to help. If your team members do not feel supported, your success rates will suffer.

The Purpose of a Brand

Why have a brand at all? You might be earning money already with no brand in place, so why not just scale upon how many websites you have and how many articles you post online?

A brand helps you effortlessly create more income because you generate a loyal base of customers who do your advertising for you.

For example, I can go to almost any PLR thread in the Warrior Forum where someone’s asking where to find good PLR – and there’s almost always at least a few people saying “Tiffany Dow’s PLR Mini Mart!”

I didn’t pay them or promise to JV with them. They’re promoting my store because they know my store is associated with quality.

One of the branding books I read stated that your goal is to create a rabid fan base. That means they’d go Honey Badger in your defense, and I have that. It means they talk about you to their friends and family – who have no clue who you are (I have that, too).

And if you process everything in terms of dollars and cents, then it also means whenever you promote something to them – a product or service – they often buy without even knowing what it is – because YOU promoted it. (I’m lucky enough to have that as well).

What Branding Journey Are You On?

There are four scenarios of branding that I can see:

1. Those who are building a brand from scratch with no direction.
You have to decide what it is you want to be a brand for – a niche, a product, a strategy, a service, or whatever.

Some of you are brand new to Internet marketing – soaking up information and have no clue what you want to pursue. This course isn’t about helping you find a niche. That’s a course all its own.

What I CAN say to you about that dilemma is, do something you don’t mind working on day after day. It needs to be something where, as far as branding goes, you can share YOUR story.

You want to be able to talk about things you feel or love about this niche. For me, for example, I wanted to teach other marketers who a.) didn’t have all the steps to get going online and b.) hated unethical scumbags – because I went through that myself!

Know what does NOT resonate with you. I found that little “green funeral” niche I thought could be a moneymaker. But talking about death day in and day out was depressing for me. So weed out boring or uncomfortable topics for yourself.

It doesn’t have to be something you’re already an expert in – let’s remove that insecurity right now.

You have a blank piece of paper before you – what do you want to create your brand to be?

The good news for you is, you’re at the foundation level in this challenge, so you don’t have to backtrack from mistakes you made earlier. You get a clean slate right away.

I do always suggest that you pursue services to others first, then your own products, then affiliate marketing and ads (in that order).

2. Those who are trying to figure out how to brand a business when they’re affiliated.
I know of one specific person who does tons of affiliate sites. He primarily promotes tangible items on Amazon, but across a wide range of niches – like toys for kids, exercise equipment for health enthusiasts, etc.
So he’s wondering how to brand himself when the audience is so huge, and the products are not his. There’s a solution for this.
Being an affiliate still enables you to brand yourself and many people don’t realize that. If I wanted to do nothing BUT affiliate marketing, in the IM niche, for example, then I would make my entire online presence one that reviews products.
You all saw how that went over for me – people loved my product reviews. Even though they were harsh, I sold a lot of products and had people asking me to tear their products apart.
With tangibles, you could be the consumer’s advocate for online purchases. You could have individual sites you brand, like a brand where you STOP Moms and Dads from buying trendy toys just because companies are pushing them and HELP parents buy the perfect toy for their child instead.
For something like this, you’d have to relate to parents – tell your story about how you bought the Lalaloopsy doll because your kid screamed “I want one!” with the commercials and then when you got it, they wouldn’t play with it because it was too hard and lost parts.
Or, you could have one mass site where you were the “go-to gift guide guru” and have categories where you let people read reviews – real, raw review stuff – and make a buying decision there.

3. Those who are trying to reinvent themselves away from what they were, and into something new.
Maybe you’ve been online awhile and never considered branding, so you’re about to now try to herd all of your “stuff” into one brand.
You might be all over the board – you have products in IM, you promote Amazon tangibles, and you have a video YouTube channel where you are personal and show your cooking tips for fun.
To a degree, I’m reinventing myself – I’m a combination of reinventing and the next one – reinforcing. I sure don’t want to be the Ghostwriter to the gurus anymore because I quit ghostwriting. And I’m not teaching Squidoo because it changes too fast.
I hear some people saying I’m the PLR go-to person but I don’t want to be pigeon-holed into that, either. I only do PLR less than half my time in business.
One reason I want you to embrace the reinventing mode is that you can do it at any time on here. Look at how long Kelly Felix was The Rich Jerk. And then suddenly he became the “Bring the Fresh guy!
Of course, the haters (like me) called him out on it, but he pushed back, proved me wrong, made me apologize, and there he sits on his tomato themed website. I’m happy for him!
So if you discover after this 30 days that you found a new direction to brand yourself with, go for it! Online, everything’s flexible and fluid and you control your destination. BUT, they also realize that many marketers flit around and their brand never takes off because they keep changing and it has no time to develop roots.

4. Those who are reinforcing the brand they have already been building from something small into something huge.

Maybe you’ve had a little bit of success and you want to scale it up big time. But you’re scared to put yourself out there as THE best.

For me, I already have a little momentum going for what I have planned with my long-term branding, but I haven’t ever really pushed it out there hardcore.

These people need to start being unafraid to brag about themselves. The only thing wrong with bragging about yourself is your purpose for doing it. Bragging to make people jealous isn’t branding.

Bragging because you’re excited or you want to motivate others is self-promotion – and that’s a GOOD thing!

Tips: Get paid to review some of the new products that are out on the market today. This is a great way for companies to determine if their new products are a hit or miss as they will pay good money to get an opinion on them. Get the word out on these products and pull in the cash.

WHO Are YOU?

It’s time to figure out who you want your brand to be – notice I didn’t say “what” you want it to be – because people don’t form relationships with things – they form them with real people.

I think most of what we’ve been taught (me too) are a bunch of rules and guidelines that SUCK!

All the specific SEO rules, the keyword density, the “you must hard sell to someone 7 times before they buy” nonsense … what a crock!

I never use a keyword guideline for my blog and yet I rank high whenever I review a product, or a person, for example.

When I write articles or blog posts – I don’t check to see how often I used a keyword. Ever.

How many times have you had an emotional “buying” response to a 3rd person Ezine article that told you the table of contents of the latest Internet Marketing product being sold online, what it costs, and where to get it?

Now compare that to someone who gives you a real review, pointing out things they like and dislike about the product creator’s ethics, how they actually implemented the concept – and showed you results.

You’re not going to buy the product because it says it will make you a certain amount of money. You’re going to buy it because someone you TRUST said that while it wasn’t perfect, it did help them and they tell you exactly how.

I just relay my message in the best way that’s my own style. So first I want to help you figure out who you are because not everyone knows how to go from wanting to be personal online to actually projecting that.

Write down 5-10 words that describe you and how you want your audience to instantly think of your brand.

I’ll go first:

1. Opinionated
2. Sensitive
3. Blunt
4. Nurturing
5. Ethical
6. Thorough
7. Real
8. Marketer
9. PLR Provider
10. Leader

Now, what if you’re shy? Would shy be a good word to put on that list? It could – depending on how you want to brand yourself!

For instance:

You could teach shy guys how to get dates. Or help shy people learn to give speeches. So when you first brainstorm, don’t knock off any adjectives.

Even if you chose the word “ugly,” you might be able to parlay that into a brand, too. Substitute ugly for shy in the dating niche and you have a whole audience waiting for you.

Again, the rich JERK did this with much success. He turned a negative word into a lucrative brand that people loved because it was different.

Group those words now – into similar categories. So I might have:

Opinionated
Blunt
Thorough
Real

Marketer
PLR Provider
Leader

Nurturing
Ethical
Sensitive

The first words in the above list are kind of harsh but I like that element about me. I think it weeds out the kind of thin-skinned people I do NOT want following me. And it attracts those who prefer realness to having someone paint rainbows and unicorns for them.

That’s important for you to do – being real with your list of words. You don’t want to create a “people pleaser” list. Your goal is to have the freedom to be YOU. So for me, I don’t want anyone who can’t handle my bluntness following me – because then I get bogged down in whines and grumpiness.

The second column for me offers insight into what it is that I do. And the third is what I HOPE my audience (like you guys) really sees because it’s what I feel I am all about. I truly care and want to hold your hand through the tough times to help you succeed.

Remember that this is a list of what you feel at your core. So if you’re an affiliate, for example – you need to be more than just top keywords and profit volume.

What makes you want to promote certain things? What’s your reason, other than just money because that’s a given? If you don’t have one – find one. Because it’s not “giving” to just promote anything for a quick buck. It’s transparent and nobody will flock to that.

Tips: Before you get started, determine the worth of your time. What is the least amount of money you would be willing to work for per hour? You won’t make a lot of money if you settle for a really low hourly rate. No one will pay you more if you’re willing to accept less.

Personal Versus Product Branding

There are personal brands (like me branding my name online) and product brands for the actual name of an item.

But there’s still a piece of relationship building required for the sale. For example, you may love the product brand Honda because you like the car quality. But you don’t just go buy a Honda from anyone.

You find a Honda dealer who treats you with respect, isn’t pushy, and gives off the vibe you want when making a big-ticket purchase.

You might choose a specific grocery shopping place because you like how the cashiers know your name or smile when bagging your groceries – even if the place down the road has items a bit cheaper.

I will actually be working on two things eventually. First, I’m going to brand ME – my name – a phrase or thought that will be associated with the name Tiffany Dow.

Then later I’ll brand my PLR store. I want the PLR Mini Mart to be its own brand. It can still be under my umbrella, but it’ll be its own brand.

This is what Richard Branson does with his Virgin line. He’s known for music, airlines, space tourism, cell phones – a myriad of totally unrelated products! And yet he also gets his name out there as the umbrella holder.

You can do this as an affiliate or as a product owner. Personally, I recommend a PERSONAL website for YOU and then individual brand sites for your non-related topics.

Tips: Remember to check every resource you have available and use it to your disposal. If you have friends that are web designers you might want to have them help you with your site. People who are experienced in the field have knowledge of what online viewers are looking for, don’t be shy to ask for advice when it could pay off greatly in the long run.

Sizing Up Competition for Your Brand

It’s not enough to determine how YOU want to be seen as we did in the list exercise. You also have to determine where you fit in for your niche audience. I love it when people say, “I can’t do PLR because there are already too many other PLR providers.”

Oh really? Okay, so I guess the fact that there’s a McDonalds, Five Guys Burgers, Burger King, Kincaids, In N Out, Wendys, and Jack in the Box is kind of ridiculous since we only needed one burger joint.

Every person and product is DIFFERENT. It’s why there’s not ONE eBay guide, but DOZENS of them!

Why didn’t I simply tell you to go buy one branding book?

I wrote my own because I want it to have MY own slant on it. I wanted to teach people in my way. Specifically, for branding – I see people either not doing it at all or doing it all wrong.

I wanted a course for marketers and solo entrepreneurs, not just out of work people looking to brand themselves into a job, like one book teaches. And not just by using logos like other resources say to do.

My overall brand is being blunt, real, honest, and ethical. I saw a big lack of ethics in marketing and I wanted to fill that gap – but not with the happy go lucky motivational “everything’s roses” attitude I see from some people.

Because it’s not always positive! There are bad things that need to be addressed in a stern manner, so my brand is being built to handle that crowd looking for truth in all its glory.

What I want you to do in this exercise now is figure out what you bring to the table that others don’t bring enough of – and what you DON’T bring to the table that others DO.

You’re literally going to go out onto some competitor sites and critique them to see where you want to make yourself preferable over others.

So jot this down on paper:

I am more ______________. (do this a few times until you run out).
I won’t/don’t _________________. (until you exhaust it).

Here’s my list so you can see how it’s done:

I am more ethical than some marketers.
I am more honest about what’s possible and methods.
I am more in tune with my audience than some other marketers.

I won’t lead people into scummy tactics for greed.
I won’t back down from saying what I feel because of peer pressure.
I won’t let myself get scared of learning new things I can share with others.

I say these things because it’s what I see on other people’s websites. I see people promoting products that are obvious crap. I see them lying about what they achieved. I see zero comments on their blog – big-name marketers with zero comments? They’re not interacting with their people.

LOOK for things like that when you go sleuthing. Become a prospective customer of theirs – what would you like and dislike in comparison to your brand?

I also see people always trying to game Google to make money – there’s no security in getting rich quick schemes. I see people playing nicely nice to each other because they’re hoping for a JV with someone. Behind their back, they’re rude about each other.

And there are tons of people who stay in their comfort zone when they need to move forward for the sake of those who are following them. I can’t think of a totally non-changing niche, really. There’s always something new to learn.

This isn’t all you need to know. You need to know how you can improve.

Tips: Writing some frequently asked questions can often be helpful. For all questions or issues on the site, you should have a good response that helps to alleviate any concerns the customer may have. You can word your questions so that your replies promote your products as solutions.

What Do You Need to Work On to Be THE Best?

There will be things your competitors know that you don’t. If you plan to be a brand leader, then it’s your responsibility to implement some continuing education into your plans.

A leader strives to know it all. They may NOT know it all right upfront, but they always embrace learning.

There will be ways they’re better than you that have nothing to do with learning. They might have a more aesthetically pleasing website. They might be better at SEO. They might write better than you do.

Perhaps their webinar was amazing and you wish YOU could do that.

You can.

You have to be willing to spy on your competitors (or call it “learn from” if it makes you feel better) and see where your brand falters in comparison.

So now make this list:

I am good at ________________.
I need to improve on _________________.

For example, let’s look at my list:

I am good at relationship building.
I am good at product creation.
I am good at writing.
I am good at listening to my customers.

I need to improve on professionalism. (My site design isn’t professional enough for me).
I need to improve on focus/organization. (I’m all over the place with where I want to go).
I need to improve on technical prowess. (Like SEO for competitive keywords).

Figure out what’s missing in your niche when it comes to leadership. What do you see people complaining about? What promises are being broken? Don’t just go to product or competitor sites – go to Yahoo Answers and Forums and Review pages and see what people are loving and not loving.

Why did they buy from one person or site? It’s not all about positioning yourself for what’s lacking in the industry – it’s about implementing what’s working, too.

Tips: Once you’ve gotten a customer to buy from you, you need to remind them to come back by sending out a newsletter. Customers have already shown interest in your store by buying from it. You should remind them about you often to ensure that they come back. You can also tell them about new deals and merchandise.

Being You Versus Being a Pen Name

There are some reasons why you may not want to brand “you” as in your real name. That’s okay – it’s not a deal-breaker.

It’s okay to either use a pen name that you make up or promote a brand phrase like “The Rich Jerk” or “30 Minute Chef” for example.

There are even ways around putting yourself on video, which we’ll learn later. They might take more effort but it’s doable.

Now if you’re JUST shy and it isn’t a stalker or career reason, then please get over it and brand YOU. I only offer this pen name option to those who truly need it – not anyone who doesn’t feel like being uncomfortable.

It’s going to be better to let people get to know the real you, whenever possible.

If I Said One Sentence About You What Would It Be?

You were probably hoping for some perfect formula where, by the end of this PDF, you had the 5 words or less brand phrase that fit you perfectly. Something like:

“The Ethical Marketing Guru!”

Um, no. Relationship building to ME means that you let others brand you to a degree. You don’t want to shove a sleek “catchphrase” down their throats.

In every branding book I read, I learned one major thing:

You can’t SAY a brand, you have to LIVE it.

So this course will be on projecting that IDEAL you that you want your brand to be about. It’s about making your name (or product or site) synonymous with the words and phrases you hope to be connected with – and there may be several!

You’ll understand more as this process unfolds. But right now, let’s create a sentence that you would HOPE to see someone write about your brand/you.

Here’s mine:

“Tiffany Dow is opinionated and blunt, but she’s really nurturing and only teaches people ethical marketing strategies.”

That’s what I want to be known for. The first part weeds out my Non-Audience. And the second shares what I’m really all about with my brand.

When I started reading these branding books, I realized my main theme – ethics – invades all of our marketing aspects, including:

· Pricing (Having unemployed people put $4,999 on a credit card for your course? UGH!)

· Product creation (Intentionally leaving things out of your eBook? You suck!)

· Teaching (Showing them strategies you KNOW will only last a few weeks before all their sites get shut down? BOO!)

· Promotions (“You promote me and I’ll promote you – I don’t care about my list!” BLECH!)

· Communication (“Buy my product and if you need me, too bad – contact my “help desk” and hope the system answers you, but never expect a personal reply.” Sigh.)

Tips: In order to make your home-business venture profitable, you need ingenuity and ambition. If you have the land, consider building an office space on your property. This is beneficial in the sense that you will not have customers entering your personal space and the local government may have stipulations requiring it. It also helps you prevent your work life and home life from melding into one unit.

What’s Your Brand?

Your brand has to fulfill you at your core. This is what they mean when they talk about purpose and passion. If you stick to the “traffic and profits” mindset, you’ll betray yourself when it comes to developing a satisfying career.

It may mean you say yes to something and no to other things. You may have to let a few sites go so that you can focus and organize your brand.

Your brand needs to be loved.

Not just known.

Loved.

That means you become lovable to your audience – and that’s what we’re going to be doing – helping you create that rabid fan base.

The Dummies Guide to Branding says, “Brands are promises.” So what’s your promise?

Mine is to always be honest and ethical with you and care about your success.

I don’t just say it – I live it. Write yours down on a piece of paper. Pretend I’m your customer. What would you fill in here?

“I promise to _______________________________.”

What we’re going to do is reinforce that promise all over the ‘net. We’re going to live it, show it, and share it. You are going to develop or change your consumer’s perception of you.

Don’t worry if the thought of not having a tidy little phrase makes you anxious. We’re going to use phrases and concepts to boost your brand. It will come from those lists you made and through the tasks we complete over these 30 days.

Remember that your brand isn’t yours to own – it’s in the minds of consumers. You might even have a crappy brand if you treat them poorly. But I know you won’t do that.

Branding isn’t skin deep. Some people brand like that saying about putting lipstick on a pig – superficially. Think up a phrase, pay for a logo and they’re good to go!

We’re going into DEEP water here with our branding challenge.- into the hearts of consumers.

If you WANT to develop a logo with website theme and advertising banners to align with your brand, you can certainly do that. That’s not the crux of this course.

I’m more about teaching you how to create a culture with your brand – how to share your values to attract people and lead them with consistency and positive behaviors.

If you do already have a brand out there with a list, perhaps – how about emailing them or posting a blog and asking what they think of you? Scary, isn’t it? But do it anyway.

I’m going to do it today. Ask them how you compare with others in that niche, how you change their lives if at all, whether or not they trust you. Ask them to be blunt and honest. Tell them why.

Coming up, we’re going to establish you as an expert in your niche. We’ll increase your visibility as a brand with a sturdy reputation. We’re going to set you apart from your competitors.

This is where the “getting real” part comes into play – where you move out of your comfort zone. Are you ready?

Day 1: Who Do You Want Your Brand to Be?