Learning how to brand yourself is a key building block in growing a successful network marketing business. Commonly, distributors rely on company branding (it’s already done for you and generally looks pretty great), but that’s a big mistake. The only thing that sets YOU apart from the masses is YOU. Branding yourself gives you a unique angle that nobody else will have and it will help those people that belong in your tribe to find you.
If you just joined us, we’re demystifying attraction marketing this week. Attraction marketing is a ‘must-do’ if you’re trying to build a network marketing business. (Unless you love having tons of parties, harassing your friends and family and tracking down every person from your past life that is still alive and kicking…trying to get them all to sign up for your business.)
THERE IS A BETTER WAY: ATTRACTION MARKETING!
(Helping the right people find you—the folks that already want what you have to offer.)
How to Brand Yourself
There are FOUR distinct areas to look at when attracting those people. To help you easily remember each section, think of it like this: To attract the right people to your business, you need to be at your BEST.
B = BUILD Your Brand (and therefore the RIGHT audience)
E= ENGAGE with those people that are finding you (Your IDEAL customers)
S=SELL to those people the solution to their deepest pain (When it’s a right fit, your solution sells itself)
T=do it TODAY and every day. (Consistency is important)
Today, let’s talk about BUILDING your brand (and attracting the right audience).
Don’t Be Another McDonalds
It’s true that it’s EASIER to just brand your company. A good network marketing company puts everything in place for you to step right into it and market them. You don’t have to spend effort thinking about it. It’s already done.
The problem: It’s the same stuff the thousands of other distributors in your company are using. Think McDonalds. What sets one apart from another? Nothing. If you owned a McDonalds, how could you convince people craving hamburgers that YOUR McDonald’s Big Mac is better then the McDonalds down the street? You couldn’t.
But what if you were a burger restaurant set up next to McDonalds? Maybe you’re joint is called The Smokin’ Patty. You advertise handcrafted, pit fired hamburgers. Will you steal McDonald’s customers? Maybe a few, but probably not many. Instead, you will be attracting the EXACT customer that you’re hoping to serve. The ones that like their beef fresh and locally sourced or that have their choice of grilled onions or chipotle relish. If your brand is strong, the people that find you will gladly pay you what you’re asking for the burger of your dreams.
And just like that, your TRIBE is built. Filled with people that value what you have to offer.
How Do You Brand Something That’s Already Branded?
You might wonder how you can brand yourself if you’re selling products for a company that already has a brand. It’s easier than you think.
Say you sell protein shakes and health products. Just like all the other distributors in your company. BUT YOU brand yourself where your passion lies. Maybe you’re a single mom with young kids and it’s important for you to give them healthy snacks or stay at home to raise them while making a good wage. Maybe you have a child with health issues and you focus on that issue and build a tribe around helping parents with similar issues through your products.
Does that limit your ability to attract people to focus on certain aspects and brand yourself that way?
NO!
People like to buy from PEOPLE, not companies. Our world CRAVES human connection. Be a real person within a company and you’ll attract people outside your niche. But those connections will be more authentic and you’ll be able to address their deeper needs.
Even if you think your network marketing company is the best, the fact is, companies come and go. A quick Google search will uncover dozens of network marketing companies that are no longer around. Even some that looked like they had it made. Take Equinox International for example. They were founded in 1991 and by 1996 were #1 on Inc Magazine’s list of fastest-growing private companies in the United States. By 2001, they were out of business.
If you’ve branded YOU instead of a company, YOU don’t have to go down if the company you’re with does.
Steps To Brand Yourself
Figure out who you are (and who you want to be).
Take the example above of the single mom selling protein shakes, think about your unique set of skills, passions, knowledge, focus. What makes you uniquely you? Use that to your advantage to set yourself apart from everyone else not only in your company but in other companies selling similar things.
Think about your WHY. Why are you doing this? What are your hopes, dreams, goals? How do you want to share those things with your ideal customers?
Establish a LOOK.
Think about those people you’re hoping to attract and how they fit in with who you are and decide how you will present yourself to the world. Starbucks has a much different look and Folgers Coffee Company. And they attract a totally different customer. There’s probably not much overlap. That’s because they each really know who they are and what they want to look like and who they want to attract in the process.
Come up with a Tag Line.
A brand tagline is something small and catchy that sums up your company’s unique angle. Try to make it easy to remember. Something to help your customers think of you, and actually imagine you in their minds.
Here are some examples:
Rice Krispies: Snap, Crackle, Pop
KFC: We Do Chicken Right.
Meow Mix: Tastes So Good, Cats Ask for It by Name
Nike: Just do it.
Apple: Think Different.
CA Milk Processor Board: Got Milk?
BMW: Designed for Driving Pleasure
The one we use here at Creating Health from Scratch: DIY Health and Wealth.
Don’t Hide.
Show up and show who you are. Be real and transparent (as it applies to your business—you don’t have to air all your dirty laundry). People like to connect to real people. Ones that admit they don’t know everything.
Find Your Voice.
Be authentic. Don’t write like everyone else. Talk to your customers how they want to be spoken to. Find that sweet spot in your communication and stick with it.
Decide where you will use that voice—email, social media, blogging, etc.
Be Consistent.
Write your entire brand down and work on making it consistent. How you look, how you market, how you speak, who you’re speaking to.
Show up when you say you’re going to and help people grow to trust you.
Look like your brand so people begin to recognize you.
There’s More…
This is just the first part of the equation of being your BEST.
B = Branding.
Tomorrow we’ll take about E in BEST. How to Engage that audience you’re working so hard on attracting.
Here’s Part 1 of Demystifying Attraction Marketing, in case you missed it. If you’re ready for Part 3 E: Engaging Your Audience?