How to Build Your Brand!
Today, I was blessed to have the opportunity to speak in a conference call for the supplement company, 1st Phorm, that I work with. Below are some key points from the call that I touched on for growing your personal brand and becoming successful! :)
Brief intro:
My name is Ashley, 24 years old, live in small town in IL
Degree in Marketing/Advertising from UIUC (had big corporate job right out of college but it was not my passion so I turned to fitness and used my degree to help launch my own biz)
Personal trainer turned online health coach, nutrition counselor, and I own my own business: AshNordman.com and @passion2befit on IG
Been legionnaire for only 3ish months, but have quickly gotten friends and clients to start using 1st Phorm
How to create your own brand:
Dont make it about 1st Phorm (or any other brand), make it about YOU and YOUR brand
Show how 1st Phorm fits into the lifestyle that you wish to live (or whatever you are promoting), and that the company is a part of your everyday life
Focus LESS on just trying to be a Legionnaire/sales person that sells products and pushes things in people’s faces… it doesn’t work anymore, especially on social media
Make people buy into YOU first, and then they will buy into anything you sell/represent – for people to buy into you, you have to believe 100% in who you are and what you’re about
*but key here is you don’t have to know EVERYthing, we can all learn as we go.. it can be a group effort!
In order to stand out, you have to create an environment where people trust you, believe you, and relate to you
To do this, be interactive, throw yourself at people in a positive way, post about things with the only intention of helping others and don’t even focus on products! Just focus on fitness and making a relationship with people
DO NOT focus on trying to grow your account, become social media famous, etc, you will NATURALLY get people to follow you by just being you
Find a need that you can fulfill.. For me, I know that people could always use motivation, so when I first started my social media accounts I focused 100% on being a place that people could rely on for motivation, ALWAYS – that has been my mantra since day 1 and people trust that I will continuously do that now
The key to building a brand and making sales is relationship building.. if you can find a way to get a friend, you will then eventually get a sale/loyal follower :)
Don’t be a ‘follower’.. Pave your own path!
Be unique and be you! People relate to that.. If you are just “another fitness account” people will get bored and won’t trust you at all – see this all the time on IG
Don’t be desperate.. No risqué pics or attention-seeking posts.. Just post about your genuine interests and what you’re all about! – Like Jenna Fail’s video on 1st Phorm. People don’t want sexy, perfect, blah blah blah.. They want REAL
Talk to people like you would talk to anyone else, like your friends.. find commonalities and get to know them! :)
What has worked best for me with my business and with 1st Phorm:
Offer things for free!! Free coaching, free supplement plans, people love FREE
Be overly nice to every human alive.. You never want to burn bridges with anyone.. Fake it til you make it if you have to
BE OUTGOING
BE CONSISTENT - post daily, talk to people daily, do something DAILY to work towards your goals
BE CREATIVE - stand out, don’t do what everyone else does!
DIVE IN! I had no idea what I was doing a few months ago, but that is okay. I knew if I just dove in and hit the ground running, that I would create momentum for myself and for those who support me. I have learned from my past that: you can learn as you go, and if you mess up, who cares! Fail forward! You either win or you learn. I’ve also learned that if you don’t go ALL in when you commit to something, nobody will believe you!
DO NOT FOCUS ON THE END GOAL OF BEING SUCCESSFUL AND HAVING A LARGE FOLLOWING.. That will generate naturally! Plus, people will catch on quick if you are being thirsty.. Don’t be thirsty!!!
Use ENERGY and EXCITEMENT and PASSION! :)
Some extra/random tips:
Good times to post on social media: before work, lunch break, after work at 8-9pm
Show variety – but stick to a theme.. For me, I stick to fitness, but I show workout videos, recipes, transformation pics, supplements, etc
Have GOOD quality pictures with good lighting!
Put thought into what you post.. and what you type for captions!
There is MORE to this than likes and comments.. You have no idea who you are secretly impacting in a positive way, so don’t let anything discourage you!
