A Sneak Peek For My Favorite Peeps
I’m so excited to be working on a fabulous new identity for Rock The Status Quo! It carries the same theme of the peacock and our slogan, “we make brands more vibrant and visible online” – but with the help of my graphic designer, it will embody those ideas more beautifully than ever before.
After all, what’s more vibrant and visible than a peacock? Talk about brilliantly colored!
My favorite part of having this iconic animal as part of my brand is how people reach out to me all the time when they see something with a peacock on it. They’ll be out shopping, then send me a photo of the item, telling me how it reminded them of me. I love that!!
Isn’t that what a brand is all about – helping your business stick in the mind of your audience? Being remembered when they need you?
Here is a sneak peek at the new logo (left), and the back of my still-in-development business card (below).
Aren’t they gorgeous?
Social media images, letterhead, new business proposal covers, website changes – all kinds of other changes will be rolled out to launch the new look as we finish each project. It’s so fun!
I’m also in the middle of developing a new speaker website for my personal brand as an author and speaker, and can’t wait to show it to you, too. I’m hoping for lots of feedback!
In the meanwhile, some very cool things are happening with my book, Above The Noise (Motivational Press). I’m doing my best to wrap it up FAST so it is published in early summer. Here’s a little preview.
Brand Clarity & Trust
If you want to create a brand that truly rises above the noise online to stand out and build a strong platform of visibility and influence, you absolutely must first have clarity around what that brand is.
Who is your competition?
What makes you different than them?
Why should anyone care about that difference?
What do your target customers truly want?
What is the who, what and why behind your brand – the passion driving it?
THESE are what matters.
Without total clarity around these questions, how can you possibly develop the kind of messaging, awareness and reputation that sticks? You just can’t.
The second chapter of Above The Noise is devoted to helping you find that clarity, followed by chapters that show you where to apply that clarity where it matters the most. It’s not about what’s trendy and hot, when it comes to marketing and public relations tactics; it’s about WHAT WORKS.
The first chapter is about Digital PR – what it is, and how it applies to building online visibility using organic (unpaid) tactics. Each chapter builds on this premise.
It’s about matching your clarity to the right audience, at the right time and place. It’s about being easily found when they want you, and being valuable when they didn’t even know you existed. Making a great first impression, then building on that from a foundation of trust until they are ready to commit to a purchase.
Trust is Earned by Serious Hard Work; It Rarely Comes Easily
So what are YOU doing to earn it?
When it comes to building trust, sometimes the starting point is far less complex than you’d imagine, but it does require focus in the right areas. It requires strategy and attention to detail.
- It’s answering when someone complains (or compliments you) online.
- It’s building customer reviews on some of today’s most powerful review platforms – Yelp, Google Reviews, LinkedIn, Glassdoor and Amazon – and knowing how to monitor and respond to them.
- It’s sharing honest answers to tough questions, or the ones that aren’t being asked, and not being afraid to give away a little knowledge to showcase your expertise.
- It’s about being there. Being in the thick of where the conversations are happening around your industry and your product or service.
- It’s caring about reputation and giving value.
I’m working my tail off to create a book that helps you through this process, with matching free online resources to simplify it while helping you put it into action immediately. I’ll even have a forum on the book’s website to help book readers learn from each other.
Building your business and marketing it online is about being smart, not just jumping on board with every digital tactic that people are talking about. Above The Noise won’t showcase them all, of course, but it gives you a damn good start on the core tactics that make the biggest difference.
It just might include some things you’ve not thought of, or that you know are important but weren’t sure exactly how to do. At the very least, it will inspire you to build something stronger and more visible than you had before.
I can’t wait to hear what you think. Stay tuned – I’ll be sending out a free chapter for your feedback soon.