The Personal Branding Podcast - Brands On Brands

This week’s Freestyle Friday reminds you that leading a successful business means talking to your customers and really hearing out their wants and desires, rather than keeping them at arm’s length. If you fail to keep in touch with your customer base you can risk them moving away to a different product or service without warning. Don’t let yourself get locked out of the loop from the people who keep your business thriving! In this episode, Brandon emphasizes why you should communicate with your customers to hear what they really want, explains how you can make it easier for them to contact you, and reminds you that it may be necessary to take it slow. The Finer Details of This Episode: If you haven’t already, do leave a star rating and review on Apple Podcasts to keep Brands on Brands on Brands on the charts. Unless you’re regularly in contact with your customers and listening to what they have to say, you won’t be able to keep ahead of where they wish to spend their money. Make sure that your customers have an easy way to get a hold of you through your own website and through social media. Patience is essential because marketing is a long-term game that doesn’t always show immediate results. Don’t be discouraged by slow growth! Take the time to get to know what your customers really want.  Quotes: “You have to be able to talk to your customers, hear what they need and answer those needs.” “I value what you guys say and I’m building my business around your feedback and your comments.” “The Google search algorithm is not gonna find you if you aren’t consistent and [don’t] have a lot of content.” Links:   Visit Brandon’s website at www.BrandsOnBrandsOnBrands.com Join the Brand Growth Now Community on Facebook at www.brandonbrands.com/community And please leave a rating and review on iTunes!

What brings value to your customer and makes them choose you instead of the competition? And before you say your product or service, remember that every company out there offers a product or service as a baseline. You need to find something around your product—your customer service, your message, your whole vibe—that will make you stand out in a sea of similar services. What’s unique about your company? What inspired you to start it in the first place? In this episode, Brandon explains why having a “quality” product isn’t nearly enough in today’s market, lists the myriad of other ways you can stand out from your competitors, and breaks down how you can figure out your strongest selling point. The Finer Details of This Episode: Saying you have a quality product or service doesn’t mean much in a market flooded with them; find something specific to say about your materials or awards. Being the most convenient option may attract customers more than a low price point can. Innovation can be tricky if you’ve been around for a while, but it can take many forms. Do an audit and figure out where you have an advantage over your competitors. What’s the emotional truth behind your business that resonates with your customers’ deeper desires?  Quotes: “Don’t just say you’re high quality, come up with examples that explain why.” “There might be ways to innovate in your space beyond your actual physical product.” “You need to hone in and find out what sets you apart. That’s how you get to your brand truth.” “There’s always little things you could be doing to take advantage of being a little bit more nimble than the big guys.”   Links: Visit Brandon’s website at www.BrandsOnBrandsOnBrands.com Sign up for coaching at www.BrandsOnBrandsOnBrands.com/apply Join the Brand Growth Community on Facebook at www.brandonbrands.com/community And please leave a rating and review on iTunes!

Dan Gingiss is a social media consultant, Forbes contributor and an acclaimed keynote speaker. He has spent the last two decades helping numerous companies—from McDonald’s to Discover—optimize the service experience they provide customers with and, more recently, their social media engagement. Dan is the author of Winning at Social Customer Care: How Top Brands Create Engaging Experiences on Social Media, and co-hosts the customer experience podcast Experience This! with Joey Coleman. In this episode, Dan impresses the importance of social media engagement, describes how he went from corporate to entrepreneurial work, and discusses some of the best customer service experiences other brands have treated him to. The Finer Details of This Episode: Why putting yourself in your customer’s shoes is essential for creating a good website experience. How effective social media interaction can turn complaining customers into big-time advocates for your brand. It doesn’t matter how big or small your company is, there are always ways to engage with your customers. The key areas business owners should work on to improve their customer relations right now. Why crafting the best possible customer service experience became one of Dan’s biggest passions. How Dan transitioned from full-time corporate work to his current social media consulting career. The reason customer relationships make branding more important than selling in the long run of your company’s success. Why Dan feels targeted advertising makes far better use of your time and money than mass reach. Dan relates two memorable times when brands went above and beyond to deliver the best possible customer experiences.  Quotes: “What social [media] did to change the game is it gave the consumer a voice to say ‘No, I don’t want to hear that. Here’s what I want to hear instead’.” “You can’t just have a megaphone in social media. You’ve got to make it a two-way conversation.” “Put yourself in your customer’s shoes and deliver to them what they want.” “Every time you’re asking your customer to click twice, figure out how to have them click once.” “You don’t have to be everywhere. You only have to be where your customers are.” “No other company has the human beings that you have who are creating that experience.” “You can have a personal brand and a professional brand at the same time, and they can be related but not the same.   Mentions: Chewy, Hyatt,    Guest Links:Dan’s homepage - https://www.dangingiss.com/ Experience This! Podcast - https://www.dangingiss.com/podcast Dan on Twitter - https://twitter.com/dgingiss   Visit Brandon’s website at www.BrandsOnBrandsOnBrands.com Join the Brand Growth Community on Facebook at www.brandonbrands.com/community And please leave a rating and review on iTunes!

This week’s Freestyle Friday is focusing on the marketing tactics you should use to build up your word-of-mouth businesses. Focus not on the people who find your content passable or “meh,” but those who genuinely love it, since they often end up being your top referrers. Forge strong personal connections with these customers that makes them want to spread the word about what you have to offer. In this episode, Brandon breaks down why direct referrals bring in a lot more customers, explains how you can reach out to and strengthen your relationships with top referrers, and asks you to consider the best kinds of customers who can bring in more business for you. The Finer Details of This Episode: Why Brandon sees a silver lining his first three-star rating on Apple Podcasts. The “95:5” ratio that word-of-mouth referrals are capable of. The reason Brandon talks to his clients about referrals even before they get into logos or websites. Don’t be apprehensive about asking your most loyal customers how they heard of you, or who told them about you. Make a point of rewarding the customers who do bring you referrals—it incentivizes them to bring in more. Brandon’s challenge: this weekend, take a minute to write down a list of 10 types of people who would be effective at bringing in new business for you. Figuring out your niche is key to discerning who will bring you the best referrals. Do more than send your top referrers a thank you message; have a conversation with them.  Quotes: “Your referrals are gonna drive your business.” “The majority of your business will be because of happy customers.” “Bring some value and some way back to the people that are pushing you to the customers that are coming in the doors.” “You just gotta wrap your mind around what people would say about you when you’re not in the room.” “I’m trying to help every single person I encounter in one way, shape or form.” “What is that framework that you are telling people that makes them think of you?” Links:   Visit Brandon’s website at www.BrandsOnBrandsOnBrands.com Join the Brand Growth Now Community on Facebook at www.brandonbrands.com/community And please leave a rating and review on iTunes!

Building a brand from scratch without the benefit of a research firm or big budgets may be difficult—after all, any minute an entrepreneur spends on building their brand is a minute taken away from improving their product or service—but it’s not impossible. You can make your enterprise stand out by focusing on three key components for building a brand that matters: brand truth, brand image and brand love. In this episode, Brandon discusses what each of these main brand components mean to both you and your customers and how you can use them to improve your marketing strategy. If you want to really polish your image on Instagram, sign up at 6 Minute Grams on Brandon’s site to view an exclusive video session where he’ll coach you through the essentials of making your IG brand pop and draw attention. The Finer Details of This Episode: What does it really mean to build a brand, and why should you try thinking of a brand as a person. How having a strong customer community can actually build a brand for you. Looking for the sensitive points in your current marketing strategy that will allow you to amplify your image and convey a certain message.  Quotes: “What are you trying to accomplish and what’s that mission?” “It could be that you have a story to tell but you’re not telling it everywhere you’re looking.” Links:   6 Minute Grams - https://www.brandonbrands.com/6minutegrams Visit Brandon’s website at www.BrandsOnBrandsOnBrands.com Sign up for coaching at www.BrandsOnBrandsOnBrands.com/apply Join the Brand Growth Community on Facebook at www.brandonbrands.com/community And please leave a rating and review on iTunes!

Chris DiVecchio is a fitness trainer, a lifestyle specialist, and a health and wellness expert. He founded Premier Mind & Body, a wellness and coaching company based out of Los Angeles, and is the author of 5x2 Method: Revealing the Power of Your Senses. Chris believes that the 23 hours a day we’re outside the gym are just as important to your health and fitness, if not more so, than the 1 hour we spend training. In this episode, Chris discusses how he started a training business in his own backyard, explains how he dealt with the biggest curveball thrown his way, and reveals how he helped a client win a $1.2 million weight loss bet. The Finer Details of This Episode: How Chris’ early life experiences influenced him to enter the world of bodybuilding . Why Chris moved away from the “grip it and rip it” method of weight training to one that emphasized the mind-body connection. What he did to transform his backyard startup into a booming business. When Chris realized that it’s the time we spend outside the gym that has the biggest impact on our health. Where does Chris think his entrepreneurial spirit comes from? Chris reveals the first customers that really put their faith in what he had to offer. What Chris is really excited about right now and what he has planned for the near future. Why he believes brand personality and identity are even more important to your company’s success than selling. What Chris hopes his customers will say about him when referring new clients. The biggest loss he’s dealt with in the course of creating his business and how he made the most of it. How Chris stands out from the crowd and stays relevant. Why he feels boundaries between him and clients are important and what he does to avoid self-indulgence. What Chris loves the most about his chosen career.  Quotes: “I believe so much in my own philosophies and my own principles. It’s my own approach that I’ve applied to my own life.” “80% of my clientele I work with right now are C-level executives who have spent the majority of their lives building their success and wealth at the expense of their health and wellness.” “It’s not always about doing more; sometimes it’s about doing less.” “If I can think it, it’s possible. Let’s do this, let’s find a way.” “You can’t force transformation down somebody’s throat. People have to be ready for that.” “I’ve turned what turned out to be one of the biggest losses into the biggest win.” “The outside gets fixed when the inside gets fixed.” Mentions: Aesthetic Revolution, Gary Vaynerchuk, Jim Kwik, Nike Guest Links:Chris’ homepage - https://www.chrisdivecchio.com/ Emergency 7 - https://www.emergency7.com/product-launch-sales-page25207804 Chris on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/chrisdivecchio/   Visit Brandon’s website at www.BrandsOnBrandsOnBrands.com Join the Brand Growth Community on Facebook at www.brandonbrands.com/community And please leave a rating and review on iTunes!

When Brandon left his corporate job to become an entrepreneur, he quickly realized he needed to start investing in himself to grow fast enough to succeed. He needed to learn from others that came before him. Networking is key to that, which is why for this Freestyle Friday Brandon’s diving into the fascinating world of Masterminds. In this episode, Brandon recounts his experiences attending Masterminds, and networking events, and reveals what you’ll get out of his own upcoming Mastermind. The Finer Details of This Episode: Why anyone looking to market their business should work with a marketing coach as a first step. Breaking down what Masterminds are and how they’ve benefitted Brandon over the course of his marketing career. How Masterminds is the ideal alternative to the styles of networking Brandon ordinarily dislikes. To sign up for Brandon’s own upcoming Mastermind, join our Brand Growth Now Facebook community or apply directly at http://www.BrandsOnBrandsOnBrands.com/apply.  Quotes: “No matter how you got here I’m glad your path somehow led you to me.” “It’s essential to have a tribe of people that you can trust and lean on.” “I wanted to give back in a way that was similar to what I got.” “Get out there, conquer your dreams, build your brands.” Links:   Visit Brandon’s website at www.BrandsOnBrandsOnBrands.com Join the Brand Growth Now Community on Facebook at www.brandonbrands.com/community And please leave a rating and review on iTunes!

What moves the needle for your business? Today we discuss what marketing tasks to prioritize if you want your business to grow and move forward. This includes the adjustments and strategies that will make your brand pop just a little bit more than they did before because, if executed correctly, you’ll stand out more to the part of the crowd that will really like what you have to say. This means leaning into your strengths, attending to where you’re weakest, and ensuring you have a community to reach out to. In this episode, Brandon discusses five key areas that will move the needle on your business if you put the right kind of focus into them, and explains why simply putting the word out about your business should be the last thing you prioritize. The Finer Details of This Episode: Looking at the traditional “funnel” approach to marketing and how it’s limited when it comes to working with small businesses. Why advocacy is where Brandon always starts when he works with a new client. How over-delivering can be key to getting you and your customer off on the right foot. Figure out what you want to be known for and stand out from the crowd, then from there seek out the tools that will allow you to distinguish yourself. Find common ground between your customers and use that to build a community around your business. What are you best at right now? Whether it be events, videos or podcasting, lean into that talent for all it’s worth. Patch the “bottom of your bucket” by figuring out where your marketing is weakest and doing what you need to do so that it reaches people. Lastly, and of least priority, includes broader reach tactics to scale your business awareness Quotes: “A lot of times the things to focus on aren’t the first thing on the list.” “You have to create the experience and the script for them to be able to share your story appropriately.” “Treating your customers as a community is an important step.” “How do you get as many people as possible for the lowest possible cost?” Links: Visit Brandon’s website at www.BrandsOnBrandsOnBrands.com Sign up for coaching at www.BrandsOnBrandsOnBrands.com/apply Join the Brand Growth Community on Facebook at www.brandonbrands.com/community And please leave a rating and review on iTunes!

Neal Schaffer is a global keynote speaker, university educator, consultant and owner of media agency PDCA Social. He works with brands to craft effective social media strategies that allow them to reach their audiences without intruding on their online experience. Neal is also the author of Maximize Your Social: A One-Stop Guide to Building a Social Media Strategy for Marketing and Business Success, and his upcoming book The Age of Influence is set to release in February 2020. In this episode, Neal describes how working in Asia shaped his approach to marketing, argues that “organic” social media ads aren’t as effective as we think they are, and explains what entrepreneurs can take away from influencers. The Finer Details of This Episode: Neal describes when and how his interest in marketing really took off. How Neal’s experience in Asia gave him a very holistic perspective on business. Why Neal’s customers are where he finds inspiration for the content he writes. YouTube streamers and influencers: the Dot Com boom of today. The topics in Neal’s upcoming book he believes are most relevant to his readers’ success. Why mastering Facebook ads is kind of like Jon Snow learning to ride a dragon. Important lessons about influencers that entrepreneurs can take away from this episode. Neal’s favorite examples of companies working well in tandem with influencers. Looking for better ways to connect with customers without interrupting their social media experiences. Why Neal views branding as “eternal” and essential to your company’s long-term success.  Quotes: “I like to add value. I like to help people. That’s sort of my core DNA.” “Don’t ask me what I want to talk about. It’s all about what your customers want to hear.” “Social media should be as much of a collaboration as it is about marketing.” “Now it’s really about breaking down those barriers and making the audience part of your brand.” Mentions: Volkswagen, Origins, Amazon, Apple     Guest Links:Neal’s homepage - https://nealschaffer.com/   Visit Brandon’s website at www.BrandsOnBrandsOnBrands.com Join the Brand Growth Community on Facebook at www.brandonbrands.com/community And please leave a rating and review on iTunes!

Brandon’s discussion with Jenn Herman this past Monday (check out episode #020!) has him thinking about the ways we can make social media work for us rather than the other way around. Many startups and entrepreneurs believe they have to build up a base of followers before getting them willing to invest in your product or service, when in fact you’re bound to get more success convincing people to purchase first, then building a community around them that increases word of mouth. In this episode, Brandon describes what separates a buyer from a social media follower and explains how you can build your reputation through each successful sale. The Finer Details of This Episode: Thanking everybody who was kind enough to leave a review for Brands on Brands on Brands in the last week. Why you should approach social media in terms of accruing buyers rather than followers, and what differentiates the two. Building your reputation one person at a time so you eventually have a community of people willing to buy why you’re selling. What the major priorities should be for your business and where you can find the highest ROI.  Quotes: “There’s so much information out there, but also there’s enough that you can drown in it and not know what to do first versus second.” “A follower does not necessarily equal a buyer.” “Instead of converting followers into customers you’re converting customers into followers.” Links: Visit Brandon’s website at www.BrandsOnBrandsOnBrands.com Join the Brand Growth Community on Facebook at www.brandonbrands.com/community And please leave a rating and review on iTunes!