Standing in the spotlight is hard for most of us. Even celebrities or people that are the focus of attention for a living tell stories of how they are actually introverts – but they step into that extraverted role for their job.
The number 1 fear of people is public speaking! Public speaking takes on many forms – it can be a traditional presentation, or talking on video, or having the courage to walk up to a group of strangers at a networking event and talk about what you do!
While standing in the spotlight takes courage – it is a must to Be the Face of Your Brand. That is what I'm focusing on today.
I'm Jennifer Roberts, the owner of Back Porch Communications, and today I'm talking about how you can be the Face of Your Brand and why you would even want to. This video is week 5 of our series on how to Be the Boss of Your Brand. Each week all the way until the end of 2021, we are talking about how you, as a leader of your business, no profit or even your personal brand, can step into Being the Boss of Your Brand.
Last week we talked about being a Trusted Guide for your customers. Someone they can rely on to help them through a problem they are facing. This week's topic is similar in that it requires us to reach out of our comfort zone and be the expert we know we are in our particular industry.
So let's start at the beginning. Should you be the face of your brand? How do you know if you are the right person to represent your organization?
Let's start by answering a few questions.
· Are you the top person at your company or organization – the CEO, President, Boss - you get the idea?
· Do you have a role in the organization as the communications, marketing, or public relations leader?
· Is your role in the organization one of external affairs, government relations, fundraising, or sales?
· Do you work in politics or at high levels of government?
If you answered yes to any of these – then you definitely have a job that requires you to Be the Face of Your Brand.
But honestly, this is a trick question. Because in today's workforce - everyone in an organization has a responsibility to represent their brand! The jobs I mentioned above likely have as part of their job description getting out into the community and promoting the organization. But if you want to increase your value to the company you work for, representing who you work for is important to those you naturally come in contact with daily. It could be even friends, family, people you bump into at the grocery store. Every team member must understand the mission, vision, and values of the place where they work.
Let's take a few moments to talk about those who do have a title that requires them to Be the Face of Your Brand and how you do that.
Network – getting out into the community where you live or your online community and meeting people who might benefit from what you do. How do you start networking?
Join community, civic, business, or networking groups. Choose ones that align with what you offer, meaning places your ideal client might hang out.
Think about a short – maybe 20-30 second statement to start the conversation going. As you prepare, think about what you do, who you serve, and what outcomes your customers get.
Speak in the Community – All kinds of groups are looking for public speakers. Think about what you offer and how you might share it for free with others. Research what is available in your community or how you can speak inside an online community if that is a better fit for your organization.
Create Content – Teach others about what you do using videos, social media, podcasts, blogs, or your website. Think about what your ideal client needs to know about working with you. Teach them about it. Giving helpful information for free creates know, like, and trust relationships with potential customers. Those relationships are essential to develop before people are willing to buy from you.
Be an Expert Source – Pitch your expertise to be on someone else's podcast. You could also pitch a journalist and be an expert in a news story. This takes some special skills and some relationship building on your part with podcasters and journalists, but it is an effective way to Be the Face of Your Brand as an industry expert.
The goal of Being the Face of Your Brand is to become the name others think of when they need what you do.
I just threw out a lot of big ways to step into the spotlight, and many of them might seem pretty scary. People often have questions running around in their heads that cause them NOT to step into the spotlight like:
What will people think of me if I say I'm an expert?
What if I mess up?
I don't like how I look and don't want people to focus on me?
These are just some of the many questions that keep us from stepping into the role of Being the Face of Your Brand. That's why next week, we are continuing our conversation on how to Be the Face of Your Brand. I will give you my four tips on how to show up in presentations and on video prepared and with confidence! There may be some people who are born with the hutzpah to jump into the limelight – but trust me – for the vast majority of us – it takes preparation and practice! I'm going to show you how to do both. That is coming up next week on the Be the Boss of Your Brand video series!
Stick with me for the rest of the year, and we'll dive into the specifics of how to Be the Boss of Your Brand each week.
You can find this series in a variety of places. Pick which one you like the most!
· Join the PR and Marketing for Small Business Owners and Nonprofits Facebook group to find a community of others who want to share their passion with the world just like you.
If you are interested in working together, I do have 1:1 spaces available right now. Book a 30-minute Zoom call on my calendar, and we can talk about taking your brand to the next level.