Goal: Position yourself clearly and confidently
Your brand is a promise to your audience and to your customers. It’s mental shorthand; a story people tell themselves about what you do and why it matters to them.
Your brand lives in the mind of your audience. It’s the feeling they get when they see your name or hear your voice.
“People don’t buy goods and services. They buy relationships, stories and magic.”
Seth Godin, author of This is Marketing
So what’s the story you’re telling and selling? And more importantly is it clear and compelling?
Exercise 1: Pick your three brand words
Choose three words that capture your energy, style and tone. Not vague words like “authentic” or “real”. Go specific. Words like:
Warm, rebellious, precise
Gentle, intellectual, irreverent
Quiet, bold, sharp
This is how you sound. It should influence how you write, film, design and even price your product.
Exercise 2: Answer key positioning questions
Use these prompts to shape your positioning:
What problem do you solve?
Who do you solve it for?
What makes your approach distinctive?
Why do people trust you to solve it?
The good news is that you’re not necessarily trying to be better than everyone else. You’re trying to be distinctive and relevant to the people you’re looking to serve.
Exercise 3: Write your one-line brand statement
Use this format:
I help [specific audience] achieve [desirable outcome] by [your distinctive method or approach].
Examples:
I help new parents reclaim energy and confidence through 10-minute movement routines.
I help first-time founders grow their audience without feeling fake.
I help creatives find focus in a world full of distraction.
This is your brand foundation and it tells your audience:
- Who you are
- Who you’re for
- Why they should care
Why it matters
If you don’t define your brand, others will define it for you and they’ll do it badly. By the end of today, you should be able to answer this question in a sentence: “What do you want to be known for?” That’s your personal brand.
Next up:
Simplify your decision. Commit to one real thing