Growing your brand after laying down foundational work can be much easier.
In part one of this series, we considered how to use small meetings and opportunities for learning to define and plan for a new personal brand. In part two, larger meetings and networking events both online and offline contributed to a personal brand being built. In this part three, we will take a look at how brands can expand and grow in these uncertain times through collaboration, iteration, and team expansion. Here are five strategies for growing an established personal brand using both online and offline brand-building:
1) Hire a team.
There comes a certain point where a brand has grown as much as it can with only one person working on it at a time. Hiring a first team member can be scary, but consider how much exponential growth can happen from outsourcing some tasks. Whether you hire a team member who has expertise in tasks you struggle through or whether you outsource tasks that you dread and procrastinate on consistently, bringing on another set of hands (or more!) can be just the thing to catapult your established brand into a whole new level of success and growth. The availability of capable and experienced options has grown dramatically this year, too, thanks to a proliferation of remote work options.
2) Collaborate with others.
Brands collaborating with each other can boost each others’ reach drastically. Whether you find a brand in your same industry to team up with, or creatively join hands with a brand that is more unexpected, this working together can have the effect of supercharging both brands. Look for ways to work together safely in-person, or explore options for virtual collaborations with brands across the globe. The less overlap in your audiences, the better chance both brands can grow quickly.
3) Revisit growth strategies.
As with any successful venture, there comes a time when it is appropriate to revisit strategies that both are and are not working for your personal brand. Consider how you can give a boost to the more successful strategies. Are hosting Twitter chats working well for your brand? Perhaps you should host them more often. Also keep in mind that it may be time to ditch strategies that are working less well and re-evaluate. Never be so precious with an idea that it holds back your brand.
4) Plan for a better future.
Although it can be easy to forget, the difficulties of the current world landscape will not last forever. Hopefully this current crisis will be over sooner rather than later, and established brands should be planning for their strategies on the other side. Not only will it give your team a morale boost, but your brand will be competitively placed to grow quickly as things shift and change once again.
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5) Circle back to mentors.
End how you began: with your trusted mentors. Continue to check in with the people and brands you look up to throughout your growth process. Not only will they continue to have useful insights into your brand’s work, but it will help them feel appreciated and valued, which is a key component in any mentor-mentee relationship. Value those who helped your brand at the beginning, and they will continue to be your best advocates and ambassadors.
Using this three-part series will hopefully help you to first develop, then build, then grow any personal brand during these uncertain times. Use this time to build and grow the work you want to be doing because others definitely are and you do not want to be left behind the curve. Safely implementing in-person strategies and effectively leveraging online strategies is possible, even now.
