As a creative entrepreneur, it’s easy to fall into the trap of trading hours for dollars. This is especially true when you’re just getting started with marketing and haven’t discovered a lead generation system that works for you.
While setting up systems can be challenging, you have skills you can leverage to build a lucrative business. All you need to do is put your creative skills to work building your personal brand.
From Opera Singer to High Powered Publicist
Before you roll your eyes and click away, consider Victoria Kennedy’s story. Victoria is a trained, professional opera singer. Singing with the likes of Andrea Bocelli, she toured all over Europe singing in castles and cathedrals. She even had a #1 hit single topping the iTunes classical chart in Europe.
Did all of this happen to Victoria by chance? No. She realized early on that unless she figured out how to get people to buy her music, she’d be singing for change in the park. So, Victoria set to work figuring out the P.R. world.
This turned out to be a smart decision. Not only did Victoria build a name for herself in the opera world, but also when the bottom fell out of her music career, she was able to pivot without skipping a beat. In fact, Victoria built her brand new business to six figures in less than nine months.
That’s right. When the government refused to renew Victoria’s work visa, she was forced to leave her fairytale opera tour and her career as a performer. But Victoria reinvented herself as a P.R. expert and now she’s helping others build personal brands too!
How to Build Your Personal Brand
The greatest benefit to building your brand through digital marketing and online P.R. is that there are no gatekeepers. Scaling your online business is totally in your hands.
Here are Victoria’s top five tips for growing and sustaining a monetizable brand:
1. Build a loyal fanbase.
As a performer, Victoria learned the most important credibility factor is having a loyal group of true fans. Thanks to social media platforms like Tik Tok, Facebook, and Instagram, digital marketers can release their work directly to their customers whenever they want. At first, consistency is key. Create authentic content that you know speaks to your true fans and they will find you. Once your audience is built, the sky’s the limit.
2. Collaborate with others.
Find other entrepreneurs and marketers to collaborate with. Earned media is a great way to market yourself. Find podcast hosts and others with a ready-built platform who want to share your expertise with their audiences. This will expand your reach quickly.
3. Use e-commerce to monetize your brand.
Whether or not you’re in a product-based business, you can come up with merchandise to sell. Get creative and think about what your true fans might want to buy from you if you had an online store full. Figure out how to use social media to direct your fans to your e-comm store and you’ll literally make money while you sleep
4. Showcase your talent.
When you’re building a personal brand, that means you are the main attraction. So you’ll want to think of creative ways to showcase your talent. Sure, having a YouTube channel where you share testimonials and give prospects a front row seat to how you work is a great idea, but think outside the box too. Aim high and don’t give up on those big publicity dreams.
5. Get into top publications.
The final piece of the personal branding puzzle is at the core of publicity. Create some content, or better yet, find a talented publicist who can create content for you and get into some of the best publications in your industry. This is the fastest way to get featured where your customers are looking for you.
If you’re stuck trading hours for dollars, it’s time to invest in your personal brand. Victoria can show you how to grow a six-figure personal brand with a strategy that pays for itself.
