Are you relying on Friendship Branding & Marketing to attract clients?
What do I mean by this?
I’m in a lot of Facebook Business groups, and I’m sure you might be too. They’re often where many of us started our online business journeys; we buy from and sell to each other. Which is great – the FB closed group economy is huge, and often we forge solid friendships within them.
But online friends aren’t always what we need when growing a business…..
Instagram is also an amazing marketplace, though it’s more public and doesn’t have the same type of intimate engagement that a closed FB group does.
Everyone knows everyone within these FB groups. Well, almost. Depending on the algorithms, and your engagement within the group, you do tend to see the same people in your feed.
I reckon I have a solid 80 women that I know, like and trust in these groups, which often have member overlaps. Many have become clients over the years – I love that. It’s like a global village economy.
And we might find clients through personal network & business relationships.
BUT, and there is a big BUT. They are a finite resource.
I see many people ONLY using social media as their lead generation. They rely on people already knowing, liking and trusting them; people they exchange comments with, laugh at funny memes or take up their promos on market days.
Or their clients appear through direct referrals.
Which means they often don’t have branding or any kind of professional visual identity. They rely on existing relationships to drive sales. So why bother with getting professional branding done, or do good looking videos, when your business friends and closed business circle really might not care?
Which is why I call it Friendship Branding & Marketing.
However…..
- What if you want to expand and grow your business into the wider world?
- What would a complete outsider think about your business if they found your website?
- Does your brand position to exactly where you want to be in the marketplace, to attract exactly the type of clients you enjoy working with?
- Are you showing up professionally and able to price your offerings accordingly?
- Would your branding entice someone to book you for a speaking engagement or invite you to become a Mastermind guest expert?
- Would you come across as an authority in your field? Or just a hobbyist?
A strong brand identity is built on a strong strategy that considers your brand attributes, competitive landscape, ideal customer persona, market positioning, short and longterm goals BEFORE any fancy logo is designed.
Once the strategy has been translated into branding, then you are in a perfect situation to generate leads from perfect strangers and convert them into clients.
Of course, we can maintain our FB group business relationships and lead generation, but with a professional brand identity, you open up ALL kinds new opportunities and leads.
Here’s what my VIP Expert client Mel Simon said:
After nearly 5 years in business hiding behind my crappy DIY brand, hiding away from the world, now I feel excited to share it!
I feel more confident in my business.
I wanted to be seen and known as a real professional, so I just went for it. And very happy that I did!
Want to work with me in 2020? You can book a free chat with me here to discuss you own business branding, visual strategy and backdrop needs.