10 Steps To Build A Profitable Brand
Written by Sabah Ali on Sep 13th 2019
“Build your brand…”
“It’s all about branding…”
“People buy into your brand…”
We’ve all heard it dozens of times already, branding is important. Super important, but the majority of us draw a blank face when we try to ‘brand’ ourselves or the businesses we run.
Whether you are a business owner or an employee of a fortune 500 company, branding yourself is what differentiates you from the thousands of people that may be doing the same thing you are.
For context, branding is the FEELING somebody receives when they think of your name, product, service, or organization. Logos, websites, flyers, and brand colors all play into successful branding, but those things are not a brand on it’s own.
Now that we have covered the basics. Where does one begin in creating an unforgettable brand?
The core foundation of any successful business is a well defined brand. Not just sales, marketing, teams, and advertising… but an actual BRAND.
These 10 steps are the simplest way that anyone can implement to see a drastic change within their business.
Whether you have been in the game for 10 years or are just starting out, these 10 steps can and should be rinsed and repeated..
Step 1: Identify Your Industry
Before you do anything else, take the time to determine what niche, industry, or segment you want to brand you or your business as. This can be anything from being in the fitness/health industry to the credit/financial industry.
Now, this sounds like a no brainer, but many people skip this part and go straight into determining their products.
Whatever that may be, take the time to be CLEAR in what area you are in.
Questions to ask yourself:
What is my area of expertise?
What am I super passionate about?
What am I good at?
Step 2: Establish Brand Message
This should be the overall message your brand holds and what you want the consumers to feel about your brand. The foundation of a great band message incorporates values, beliefs, mission, and the end result you wish your customers to experience.
This should include the ‘why’ the ‘what’ and the ‘how’.
The brand message is super important as every piece of marketing content you create should match your message.
Questions to ask yourself:
How do I want my audience to feel?
What are my core values?
What makes me different?
Step 3: Determine Your Client
You can’t brand yourself properly until you know WHO you are specifically branding yourself for. Your ideal client is going to be the exact person that needs the feeling that you are providing with your products and services. Therefore, it is important to know who that is down to a T.
Now, I know what you are thinking… I can help EVERYONE! Stop. That is the number 1 mistake I see people making, they target everyone.
Your ideal client should be 1 person; hand picked that you pay all your attention to. When it comes to marketing and advertising, this is super important and will make you a lot more revenue.
Questions to ask yourself:
Who do I want to work with?
Who would benefit from my expertise?
Can I get them a result?
Step 4: Craft Your Storyline
Facts tell. Stories Sell.
Consumers make 90% of their decisions emotionally and about 10% logistically, therefore we are seeking a way to trigger an emotion within our ideal client. The best vehicle to do that is to share a story, it will immediately create an emotional connection with your consumer.
Take the time to craft out your brand storyline, while focusing on the main parts of identifying the ‘old’, ‘transformation’, and ‘new’ stories.
Pro tip: Paint a picture of what your potential client’s life would look like if they work with you.
Questions to ask yourself:
What key moments got me to where I am at?
What specific emotions will my client relate to?
How will this spark a ‘omg moment’ within them?
Step 5: Discover ‘Problem’ & ‘Solution’
What is the problem you are going to solve for the market and how are you going to solve that problem?
That is the million dollar question. Literally. Every great business has a solution for their consumers pain point, whether that is a fishing pole for a fisherman or a weekend getaway for young parents.
Find the hole within your industry where people are struggling with and start to develop a proven method, product, or service that fixes that problem.
Never assume you know what that is…
Questions to ask yourself:
What are the problems I have solved in the past?
Do I have a result driven solution?
How big is the demand within my industry?
Step 6: Conduct Market Research
Once again, never assume you know the problem in the industry.
This is where you need to take the time to connect and talk with your audience. Some great ways to discover their pain points are by creating surveys, researching your competitors products, simply talking to your ideal client, and ultimately identifying the problem.
Do not skip this step. Your offer is not going to sell if there is no demand in the market for the solution you are trying to sell.
Questions to ask your ICA:
What is the main thing you’re struggling with?
What would make your life/business easier?
What is holding you back from fixing that?
Step 7: Develop Core Offer
Identify the best way to deliver the solution to your client.
This can be an array of things from courses and digital products to events and services. Now, there is probably more than 1 way to deliver your solution, but pick a core offer that will generate the most sales when you are initially starting.
Two things to consider when developing your offer:
Find the most efficient way to deliver the solution to the client so they will get results.
Find the most efficient way to scale your business when you start increasing sales.
This will save you headaches in the long run when it comes time to expanding your business to take on more clients or deliver more products.
Questions to ask yourself:
What will generate the most sales?
Will this get my client results?
Is this scalable?
Step 8: Create A Content Strategy
Whether it is paid advertisement, organic content, or an email list… you need a strategy.
Building rapport with your potential client is the first step in the marketing process. No one wants to get bombarded by a straight ‘buy my product’ the first time they come across your brand. After they get an idea of who you are, what your business does, take the time to educate them on your process.
Content strategies will vary based on where you’re currently at in your business. You will develop different content pieces to warm traffic vs what you would say to cold traffic.
Pro Tip: You can never go wrong with a 5 step email sequence.
Questions to ask yourself:
What is the best way to reach my audience?
What type of content will build trust with them?
How can I persuade them to follow me vs my competitor?
Step 9: Make The Sale
This is the fun part! Watch the money flow in…
After doing the above 8 steps, it will be so much easier to generate revenue for your business. The transaction process can be as simple as taking payment on a landing page or getting on a call with your potential client.
This step will also tell you if you need to adjust your offer, price, or messaging if traffic isn’t converting as you had hoped. Remember, sales is all about numbers, follow up, testing, and trying.
Therefore, don’t throw in the towel if someone says no or abandons their cart!
Questions to ask yourself:
What are objections my ICA keep having?
What are my conversion rates?
Is it time to scale?
Step 10: Leverage The Media
The media is the fastest way to skyrocket your brand and business.
Being seen on major networks like ABC, NBC, CBS, and FOX scream CREDIBILITY! Which in result makes the process of someone on the edge wanting to work with you or buy your product a lot smoother.
Therefore, what is a juicy story you can pitch to these stations? A key factor in getting featured on these publications is to focus it on the audience watching. Identify a topic that is super relevant in the news already and craft a pitch based on a perspective you can provide.
Questions to ask your ICA:
What is relevant in the news that I can relate to?
How will their audience benefit from the feature?
What story will make it a no brainer for them to say yes?
In summary, applying these 10 steps in your business will cut the learning curve for you, taking you from confused and frustrated to confident and clear with your brand. Many of your favorite brands today didn’t establish themselves overnight, but they did take one step at a time to develop the icons they are today.
Sabah Ali
Sabah Ali helps people clarify their message to attain new clients by personal branding and organic strategies. She is an expert at understanding consumer psychology and teaching others how to get clients by simple strategies. If you're interested in starting your own business or getting more clients, reach out and request a free strategy session today!
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