We all have a personal brand \u2014 we just have to decide how big we want that personal brand to be and how to create it.<\/p>\n
If you have thoughts, ideas, a strong belief system, or any kind of value to add, then people want to know more about you, follow & work with you. When you put these out for people to discover, you are essentially building your brand, which\u00a0leads to countless opportunities, opens up a way to build your own community, and fetches great value for your work.<\/p>\n
When Bill Gates comes up with his\u00a0‘5 books to enjoy this summer’ list<\/a>\u00a0every year, some of us go through it, put the books in our must-read list, and\u00a0even gift to friends \u2014 this is an effect of personal branding that created trust, and\u00a0this doesn’t happen because of ads, billboards, or fancy websites.<\/p>\n If you focus on the word ‘personal’, in personal branding, you will see that you don’t have to be a big company to be known or heard. You can just be yourself – ‘Me, Inc’., and still have huge impacts similar to a large company.<\/p>\n It has been said many times & if you want another validation, we will say it again \u2014\u00a0emails work. For any industry and\u00a0any person when done right. And email can be much more effective than any social media, affiliates, or WhatsApp forwards.<\/p>\n Let me tell you why.<\/p>\n When someone signs up for your emails, they are permitting you to send them content, offers (& even cat GIFs). And once you have someone\u2019s permission, you also have their attention, and\u00a0this builds your relationship with them.<\/p>\n We know the attention span on social media platforms is as good as that of a goldfish. But you can always integrate social media strategy with your emails later on in your journey. So, let’s focus on\u00a0email marketing<\/a>\u00a0first.<\/p>\n Another reason email is so central to personal branding is its reach.<\/p>\n There are about 5.59 billion active email accounts<\/a>, and the number is only rising. The email has stood the test of time.<\/p>\n The term ‘subscriber list’ is nowadays more famous than \u2018growth hacks\u2019. But, unlike those hacks, a list actually helps increase your level of abundance & attract true fans. If you set it up a proper\u00a0landing page, website banner, or subscribe pop-ups, they could\u00a0fetch you emails day and night, and\u00a0you could be on your way to building ‘Me, Inc.’<\/p>\n Let\u2019s look at\u00a0an example of a good landing page.<\/strong><\/p>\n When you are building a personal brand and\u00a0plan to use the power of email marketing, the aim of your landing page should be to give people a snippet of who you are, what you believe in, and\u00a0what value can you add to the reader if they become a part of your community.<\/p>\n Here is an example of how Allison Malson uses a landing page that clearly defines what she does and what you will get access to if you click the button – \u2018Get Instant Access\u2019. This page uses a single CTA ( call-to-action), which is one of the key features of a good landing page. A single CTA is important so that you don\u2019t distract your audience with some other action.<\/p>\n The goal \u2014\u00a0folks should pass on their email address to you. Two tips for creating a good landing page:<\/p>\n Here are examples from two influential folks who use pop-ups and website banners to collect emails.<\/p>\n Two very clear elements from landing page, pop-ups or banners \u2014\u00a0clearly defining how you can help the audience (value proposal), and\u00a0if someone wants that help what do they need to do (CTA).<\/p>\n All of the prettiness and sexy copy won’t mean jack if people can’t discover you online. Hence next is SEO.<\/p>\n Optimizing your landing page for SEO signals will mean more visibility, more visitors, and thus more people willing to be part of your email list. And since building a personal brand is a marathon and not a sprint, it makes sense to invest in activities that will reap benefits in the long term.<\/p>\n So make your landing page SEO friendly. The good folks at\u00a0SEMrush<\/a>\u00a0have it all figured out about SEO. I suggest you take the\u00a07-day free trial<\/a>\u00a0and check out some amazing resources there.<\/p>\n And, don’t forget to put a great picture of yourself on your landing page. Everyone likes to put a face to the name.<\/p>\n Don\u2019t wait for your list to get huge\u00a0before\u00a0you send your first newsletter or email. Think about how you can engage your audience, and your list will grow. But even before that, think about how you can leverage all the platforms and software nerdy entrepreneurs built to help you store & nurture your list.<\/p>\nWhy email marketing?<\/h3>\n
A 5-Step Guide to Personal Branding Through Email<\/h2>\n
1. Build Your List<\/h3>\n
\n
Elements of Effective Pop-Ups and Website Banners for Email Collection<\/h4>\n
Don’t Forget SEO<\/h4>\n
2. Sharing Your Content: Choosing the Right Platform<\/h3>\n