19 Aug 2024
250
8 minutes
Is personal branding important for business growth?
Personal brand: importance for the growth of entrepreneurs' business (projects)
To begin with, I want you to understand that building an entrepreneur’s personal brand is a project like any other, and it requires careful preparation and implementation, and most importantly, consistency.
I often see mistakes in brand building that lead to business losses. It’s important to learn from these mistakes and avoid them in the future ↓.
How it all starts. Building a brand
- Idea, here I advise you to start with the concept and idea of your brand
- Strategy, I advise you to develop and describe a clear implementation strategy that includes the values and mission of your brand
- Implementation, bringing the strategy to life
Personal brand as a project
For me personally, this is a process that requires attention to detail, and you can’t go far without planning a budget and allocating resources, you need to prepare before the project starts. And I’m not talking about any big amounts or teams here – I’m talking about general preparation, what, who, how much I can allocate to the project.
Practical advice from MATVIEIEV
TOP Mistakes when building a brand:
- No clear strategy
- Poor understanding of your audience
- Ignoring feedback
- Inconsistency in communications
For successful brand development, pay attention to our product WOW Mentor. It will help you avoid common mistakes and create a truly strong brand.
People-Brands
Shall we talk about creating a unique concept?
A unique concept is a well-defined idea that will set your brand apart from others and make it recognisable and attractive to the target audience. It is a set of elements that include mission, values, visual style, tone of communication and unique selling proposition (USP).
In order to create a unique brand concept that will be attractive and memorable, it is important to start with a strong character and develop a harmonious and sustainable strategy.
Oleksandr Usyk, Serhiy Prytula, and Svyatoslav Vakarchuk are examples of Ukrainian brands that are always in the public eye. What do they have in common?
Oleksandr Usyk is a boxer known for his victories, charisma and unique style. He is recognised for his manner of communication, patriotic speeches and indomitable spirit. One of the most recent newsworthy events was Oleksandr Usyk’s decision to support Ukrainian athletes at the 2024 Olympics. He promised the boxers a cash reward if they win medals.
Serhiy Prytula is a TV presenter and public figure who is known for his sense of humour, openness and charitable work. He is recognised for his active involvement in social projects and events. One of his most famous projects is the Shelter Foundation. In the spring of 2022, he raised more than UAH 7 billion in aid for the needs of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
Svyatoslav Vakarchuk is a musician and politician who combines creativity with social activism. He is known for his emotional performances, profound lyrics and active role in public life. Today, Svyatoslav Vakarchuk is an officer in the moral and psychological support department of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. One of his tasks is to support the military at the front.
What do they have in common?
- The effect of recognition is more than just knowing a particular person. It’s the special traits, habits, and mannerisms that set them apart from others.
- Conversations and discussions are a constant source of information, even if they are not loud. In the professional sphere, it is enough to become known among colleagues.
- A recognisable atmosphere means associations with products, colours, and style. Usyk is associated with boxing victories and his charisma, Prytula with humour and charity, and Vakarchuk with music and social activism.
Creating a brand concept starts with a strong character. It is important to develop a thoughtful, harmonious and sustainable concept that will attract and be remembered. WOW Mentor, will help you build your brand with this in mind.
There is something about the brand that is difficult to describe immediately. It is perceived at the level of feelings.
Is it something like that? ?
‘Something’ is a clear and well-thought-out brand strategy and concept.
It is not visible and cannot be read immediately, but it attracts. It seems very harmonious and makes you want to watch it as if it were something beautiful. This is the concept you need to create for your brand. Thoughtful, beautiful and sustainable.
Creating a brand concept starts with a strong character. It is important to develop a thoughtful, harmonious and sustainable concept that will attract and be remembered.
To do this, you’ll need a WOW Mentor, to help you build your brand. Here’s what you’ll get:
- Ready-made templatesWe provide you with proven templates for developing a brand concept, creating an identity, and developing marketing strategies.
- Live feedbackYou will receive constant support from Vitaliy and his team. We are ready to answer all your questions and provide the necessary advice.
- Valuable contactsYou will be able to meet other entrepreneurs and experts in your field. This will help you expand your network and find new opportunities for cooperation.
- Systematic approachWe will provide you with a clear action plan that will help you build your brand step by step.
Strong character and world. Lessons from PIXAR to build a brand
PIXAR has a rule: a strong character and a detailed world are the keys to success. The same goes for the brand. Let’s take a look at how it works.
Strong Character
- Character: A strong character, like a brand, has a clearly defined character
- Features: Habits, traits and even flaws make him memorable and unique
- Emotional connection: The character's shortcomings can evoke sympathy and curiosity
The world of the character
- Thoughtful World: The character operates in a world with clear rules and details. For a brand, these are projects, content, and communication with users
- Values: Ideals guide the character through the story. For a brand, these are important values that engage the audience
Practical Tips
- Watch films and cartoons, analysing why a character is interesting
- Create your own brand concept filled with unique features and values
- Use current events to increase awareness (newsjacking)
Stages of brand concept development
Character as a Product
A character is a product, so there are formulas for creating a product that determine its success.
- The idea
It all starts with an idea. It’s important to articulate what your brand is about in 10 words. These words should accurately describe your brand and be unique
- Uniqueness.
Avoid words that have no specific meaning or that are used by everyone: brilliant, interesting, beautiful, etc. These words do not convey the uniqueness of your brand.
Concept development
Your idea is the outline, the core around which the brand concept will be built. By the end of the process, your concept will become clearer and more understandable.
Advice from MATVIEIEV:
TOP STOP WORDS:
A list of words that should NOT be used in the description: they say nothing, everyone uses them, they have no uniqueness.
Brilliant, Interesting, Beautiful, Thoughtful, Incredible, Diverse, Great, Incredible, Fresh, Outstanding, Extraordinary, Amazing, Grand, First Class, Unique, Wonderful, Impressive, Wonderful, Fascinating, Stunning, Fantastic, Best, Sensational, High Quality, Exemplary, Compelling, Genius, Stunning, Fascinating, Fascinating, Deep, Magical, Wonderful.
Concentrating energy for brand success
Energy and Focus
Energy is the same for everyone at the beginning. If you spray it on everything at once, there will be no result, just like with general practitioners: I know a little bit about everything, but I will refer you to a specialist. Our task is to focus energy on ourselves and our uniqueness. The 10 Words exercise will help direct the resource in the right direction.
Castdev
Castdev will help you find the right direction – the process of getting insights from users to create, test and optimise ideas. Test your idea on real people to see how they interact with your brand.
Common mistakes
- Relying only on personal feelings without communicating with potential customers.
- Believing that what interests you will interest others.
- Chaotic actions without a well-thought-out basis.
Practical advice from MATVIEIEV:
More practical tips from MATVIEIEV:
For additional support, use WOW Mentor.
Run a challenge. Talk to people for 4 hours and write down the insights you catch during the conversation. Ideally, conduct 10 interviews – more is better. After the challenge, your idea may change completely. This practice will help you take a different look at the future brand and feel ‘your’ people. Often, the reluctance to recognise a consumer is hidden behind a banal fear. This can be solved in a simple way – with a 4-hour challenge.
Basic interview questions
- How do you currently address your need? How much do you pay for it? Are you satisfied? Tell us more
- What does success mean to you? How will you know when your needs are fully met?
- What happens if you cannot meet your need?
- What inconveniences do you experience when meeting your needs? What do you have to cope with on a daily basis?
- Tell us about the last time you faced these challenges. Why was it difficult? Please explain in more detail
- What emotions did you feel at that moment? Describe them. Rate the strength of the emotion on a 10-point scale. What does 10 mean to you?
Additional Questions
- How often do you face this need? Has anything changed over time?
- Have you tried other ways to meet this need? What did you try and what was the result?
- How do you find out about new ways or products to solve your need?
- What annoys you most about meeting this need?
- What are your expectations of a product or service that helps to address this need?
I already wrote about CustDev and where to get contacts in How do you create a product that customers will love? | MATVIEIEV and here I have directly highlighted the platforms where to look for investors, use them: Where to find an investor for a startup | MATVIEIEV ?
