Here is a common problem brand builders and business owners face.
Like the hare in Aesop’s tale, they launch their brand and marketing plan with pace and promise but quickly run out of steam and get side tracked. I see this happen on every platform and channel — social media, email marketing, blogs, you name it.
They go crazy on Instagram or email for the first few months and then … tumbleweeds.
Sound familiar?
People have all the best intentions (and motivations) in generating interest and building their brand reputation, but rarely do they keep at it over the long haul. I think I know the reason why.
At first they are motivated, but when that wears off and busyness creeps in there are no established habits or systems to sustain their brand building and marketing. This is why the following saying is so powerful.
“Motivation is what gets you started. Habit is what keeps you going.”
Success and achievement in building a brand is not a result of motivation, but rather a result of habit and routine … over an extended period of time. Those who win at the game of business are not people with just great ideas, but those with resolve and stamina.
Rather than being driven by motivation alone, find the activities that make a dent in building your brand, and do those things consistently … and to the best of your ability. When you establish great brand building habits and systems, motivation becomes less important.
“When you establish great brand building habits, motivation becomes less important.”
To give you an idea of the types of habits that may be good for your brand, here are some of the brand building habits I use on a regular basis. I also recommend some of these habits to my clients.
My top 8 brand building habits
- Email the people on my database.
- Grow my email list. I use offers and free resources as the magnet to encourage people to join my list (or my client’s list). I do this daily mainly through ads, strategically placed forms.
- Social media posting and commenting.
- Write articles. Helps to establish my reputation and knowledge. This is usually on a blog, medium and linkedin.
- Follow up past clients and customers.
- Meet with people of influence. Grow the network and build word of mouth referrals.
- Provide extra value and be helpful. I always go over and above and give some of my time and resources for free to current and other conscientious business builders. This foster a culture of generosity and camaraderie.
- Paid ads. I mostly use social media ads, as they are very cheap, highly targeted, and effective.
I know this list will not suit every situation and industry. That is not the point of this article. I don’t want you to simply copy this list. I’m encouraging you to think about your own brand and industry and fashion a list of brand building habits that will get attention, build reputation, and ultimately grow a strong loyal community of customers and clients.
I truly believe that if you establish a relevant list of brand building habits to suit your context, you will soon hit the tipping point and will have more than enough customers and clients.
Try it for 3 months, like really try it for 3 months with purpose and discipline, and see if it makes a difference.
Hope this is helpful.
Darryn
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PS. Why the bull? Simple, he’s going to stare you down until you establish some good brand building habits. He won’t look away until you do.