by Kent Keller
“Money is no object! Build me a profitable and recognizable brand that reaches the people I want it to reach!” – You
But money is an object and something that a lot of small business owners don’t put towards marketing and branding like, we feel, they should. So, in the meantime, here are some tips on how you can start on that journey to having a brand people won’t stop talking about on your own!
(THEN when you get to the point you want even more help, tag us in partner!)
Step 1: You are the Subject Matter Expert, so act like it!
The first thing anybody worth their salt is going to do is Google you and check your LinkedIn. LinkedIn is the #1 channel right now in B2B marketing and outreach; with long form content getting the most reach, by the way. When your potential client, partner, or employee land on your profile, you want them to be further reassured they’re making the right decision, not be sent running the other way.
But how do you create an inviting profile? Here are a some tips:
Have a clear, natural looking profile picture that is appropriate for your title and profession. Everyone uses their “official photo,” find one in a less sterile environment.
Have a visible and working link to your professional or company website.
Make sure your bio is engaging and concise. This isn’t the time to pen your autobiography Herbie Hancock. I’m talking who you are, what you do, how you help, and how to contact you.
Have a great win pinned in your profile. This can be your founder story, an impressive case study that shows your work and results, and some client testimonials never hurt nobody.
Step 2: Bend a knee to the King….which is Content.
There are a lot of opinions on this. Some are like mine, and correct, while others are wrong. Just kidding, there are a lot of ways to tackle this…but I have opinions. This isn’t your diary, so don’t make it so personal you’re just vlogging with a logo. If it’s just why you’re the best, all you do, and proving you’re the SME, it comes off like your aforementioned generic profile picture...sterile and inauthentic. So, what do you do? Well, until universal basic income is a thing you have to work within those rules of engagement to drive engagement.
The specifics vary based on your brand or personal strategy, experience, access to social media and marketing tools, budget, timeline, etc. But the skeleton outline, in my humble opinion, is pretty straightforward. You want to embed your personality into the content you push out, which should ultimately have the goal of building your authority as the SME in that area naturally.
“But you just said not to prove I know what I’m talking about!” No, I did not say that. I said don’t make it all about that. Tap your inner story teller and start with what you want the piece of content or series to ultimate teach or show. Then build something around that that would make people stick around for the what because the premise is amusing or entertaining.
Again, I come with tips don’t worry:
Case studies that a.) address common pain points for your prospects and b.) how you solved them with your stellar work, great attitude, and winning smile; or whatever.
Stories about your professional trial and tribulations. People don’t like doing this, but I want to know that I’m hiring the right person. A great way I know that is when others in their industry recognize them professionally for their great work; and winning smile or whatever.
This is where everyone panics and bucks...funny and humorous posts. Plot twist, the world is a depressing place sometimes and sometimes people get on social media with the intention of not learning or reading and just giggling. If they can giggle and learn more about you, we call that a “win-win” situation. *Make sure they are in line with what your target audience finds amusing and interesting.
Step 3: Engage with your audience for that Reputable Brand!
This is the other slice of the pie people forget, and it’s shockingly simple when you break it down. You want to grow your social media presence, yes? This can be used if you’re aiming to be the next Hawk Tuah girl, or because you have an amazing product or service you want to share and sell, or you have a non-profit that helps everyone, all the time, with everything.
Two of the three are noble, but we don’t judge, we just do social media really well. With great power comes great responsibility we’ve heard. Either way, all three require growth, otherwise known as “people” to follow you. Here’s the thing about people, online or in real life…they crave interaction.
If you just talk to your followers and then ghost them when they take the time to comment back, don’t be surprised when they stop commenting. You can, and should, do this with every post you write. Yes, every single one. Like or react to every comment with an emoji and respond in some earnest way the people that leave you comments. It’s the equivalent of you walking up to somebody, telling them something, they respond, then you just stare at them for a minute before turning around an walking away. Weird and inconsiderate, right?
Don’t post and then ghost, as we’ve been told they say. This is also an amazing way to create new partnerships, relationships, and friendships with people and organizations in your industry. It also turns a cold call into a warm introduction if you feel your product or service would benefit them. It also gives them a glimpse into the communication and customer service skills you offer when money or stakes isn’t already on the table.
Content is what gets you a seat at the table. It's on you to capitalize on the relationships you established and built from that introduction.
It’s hard to quantify ROI on truly organic, brand-centered social media growth. It takes time and people aren’t dumb, they can sense when you’re just copying the latest trend and trying to go viral. Now if you are consistently coming across their feed brining value, humor, information, and every so often an ask for something, they’re much more likely to stick around and invite others into the fold. If the options are 250,000 followers from your random viral video or 100,000 followers you slowly built with specific content for them, the latter will pay dividends.
You have the keys to the kingdom, go on! Get!
Kent Keller is a seasoned Brand Consultant, Social Media Manager, and Copywriter. He also acts as the Chief Executive Officer of OS Media Group. With over a decade of experience as a police officer and nearly five years as the Public Information Officer and Media Relations Manager for a prominent police agency, Kent brings a wealth of expertise to the proverbial table. His background, combined with his successes in developing numerous marketing campaigns and brand strategies, uniquely positions him to assist you in effectively engaging with your customers or community members.
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