To Thine Own Brand Be True
Marketing, Covid, Your Life Purpose & More
In my marketing classes at Fresno State University, I learned that nothing really happens in life until people buy something. It starts when people buy into something or feel that they need something.
The job of a good marketer is to intentionally reach more people who might need or want your product.
Right now with Covid, everything is going haywire. Companies and businesses are having to scramble to tell their patrons, clients, and fans that they are “doing business as usual,” not doing business, or doing business in a different way. This isn’t a political statement, but a necessary statement.
I am of the opinion that we are all essential, as we are human beings placed on Planet Earth. No job is more important than another, and don’t tell me that “closing down outdoor dining” is going to save anyone’s life when it is killing thousands of people’s livelihoods.
Ok, I got political. Back on point.
We all have had life experiences that have shaped who we are at the core of our being. Some of those experiences have been magnificent and joyful, while others have been traumatic and daunting.
In regards to the painful experiences you have had in your lifetime, you have lived through them and have gained resilience as a result. You may not recognize how much you have overcome in your life, but you have! Perhaps you have experienced childhood abuse. Perhaps you were once hospitalized from a serious injury accident, or maybe you went through a very painful divorce or an illness.
From that experience, you have gained some invisible (or visible) scars and may still have a few “wounds” to be healed, but you have lived to tell the tale. You are stronger. You have triumphed.
What does this have to do with your BRAND? A unique brand will have your story behind it.
People want to buy things from people who they feel are genuine, honest, and trustworthy. Your story is who you are, who you help, and what you can do for your client. In a nutshell, you can create your brand by sharing your story and crafting your message around it.
Here are some questions to ask yourself when you are considering your brand (as well as your services, products, and ideal clients):
1) What are some of your most difficult challenges in life thus far? How did you overcome those challenges?
2) What challenges have helped you become stronger and more capable of a person from having gone through them?
3) Do you feel compelled and passionate about helping others who are currently struggling with the same ones?
In identifying a painful life transition, relationship, or experience that has formulated who you are and how you recovered from it, you may have just tapped into your life purpose and your ideal business.
Your brand is a natural extension of you: all your pain and all your joy, all your stumbles and all your victorious returns.
You were first branded with an experience that is uniquely your own. Now brand your business by turning your past pain into a plan for helping others. There are masses of people in the world who are desperate for your message, and the time to reach them is now.
Remember, you choose how to brand your business. To Thine Own Brand Be True.
