Are People Talking About You

SPEAKER_01 0:24

Well, hello, friends, it's Kimberly. It's episode three hundred and forty-four, and I'm so glad that you are here today. Today is an important episode, and I want to start it out by asking you this. Are people actually talking about your brand? Like, are they sharing your brand with other people? Are they talking about it, how amazing it is, or recommending it? That's the question today. I really want you to sit on this for a moment and think about how remarkable your brand really is, right? Last week we talked about what actually your brand is. Today we're talking about its remarkability, which means are people wanting to remark about it? Are they wanting to talk about it? And we're going to go into that. I'm going to talk about Seth Godin, who is a marketing expert who's written many books like This Is Marketing and Purple Cow, these others. We're going to talk about those to really get you thinking about how remarkable your brand is and how to make it remarkable. If you're new here, welcome. I'm so glad that you found this podcast. I have no doubt it's going to help you along your business journey, whether you're in the idea stage, starting or growing, or maybe thinking about starting a podcast or building a podcast now. This is for you. I want you to be able to turn what you know and love into a successful business. I've been doing this for 25 years and it's meant the world to me to have my own businesses. And so now I'm passing on everything that I've learned and everything that's going on today in the business world with you each week on this podcast. So if you're new, make sure you hit follow or subscribe right now. You don't want to miss out on any future episodes. And if you've been listening a while, I'm so thankful that you are here. If you find value in this podcast, would you be so kind to write a review? All you have to do, like if you're an Apple Podcast, is hit five stars. And then if you have a second to write a written review, that would mean the world to me. Okay, on to the episode. So, how do you make your brand remarkable? What do you do? Like, I want you to think about it right now. What do you do to make your brand remarkable? Make it stand out, make it something that people want to talk about, right? I think this is a big question for a lot of you. Again, we talked about last week about what actually is your brand, that it's not just your logos, your colors, your fonts, it's your reputation, it's what people think of you. Today we're kind of delving deeper into the remarkability of your brand, what makes it special? Why is it worth talking about? And I think it really is a haha moment. If you look in the mirror and say to yourself, is this brand remarkable? Are people talking about it? Is it providing something remarkable enough? Now we can get caught in the trap where we think ours has to be, our business has to be completely different. Like our product has to be totally different. We have to be totally different. And yes, you have to stand out, but what it's really more of is creating something that really makes a difference, that is doing something in a way that either makes people happy, that gets results faster, that really does something that others aren't actually completing on, right? A lot of times you don't even have to have anything that different. It's just the fact that you're a business of integrity and you actually do the work that you've said you're gonna do, and you do it in a way, and your reviews that you have actually match the experience that people have, right? I mean, I've had stuff worked on around my house, and y'all, people are not reliable. We had someone come and work on something in our house, which I'm not going to discuss right now because I don't want to out them publicly like this. I believe you should do it in private, but at the same time, this person did not follow up on things that were promised at all and did not take ownership, did not apologize for things that went wrong, for delays and for other mistakes of the others in the business. And it's not good. This would be an unremarkable brand. This would be one I would tell people do not hire. Right. So we never want to be that. We want to be a remarkable brand. Now, I don't know if y'all are familiar with Seth Godin. He is an author. He's been, gosh, an entrepreneur, marketing expert. He's got like 20 bestsellers, including This Is Marketing, Purple Cow, Tribes, and Lynchpin. He's super interesting. If you ever have a chance to listen to his stuff, like I've listened to his audiobooks, I have a couple of his books here. This is Marketing is actually fantastic if you're a new business owner. But today is kind of on the concept of what he was talking about in the Purple Cow. And that book's great. It's an older book, but he talks about driving past a field of cows. And after a while, you stop seeing the cows, right? They all kind of blend together like perfectly fine, perfectly good cows. But if you saw a purple cow in the middle of a field, you would slam on your brakes and you'd be like, what the heck is happening right now? You would roll down the window, you would pull out your phone and take a picture, right? You would call somebody and say, you aren't even going to believe this. And you would send that to someone that you know. That's the goal. That is the goal, y'all, to create a brand or do something that people go, oh my gosh, I know exactly who you need to call, or I know exactly who to send you to, or you have to hear about this brand or that, right? I think that's what's so cool is that we each actually have this opportunity. Like you have this opportunity today to be that type of business. You just have to make sure that you are being yourself, first of all, and of a high level integrity, but providing what you promise, right? So I'm gonna give you five things that you can do. You can take these away today. I know it's a lot. If you're on a walk or driving, you may want to take notes, but I think these will help you think through this. This is gonna give you a great picture of how you create a remarkable brand. So the first one is pick a lane that's narrow enough to own. Most people, like I said, try to be remarkable by being more, like more content, more product offerings, more options, more everything, right? But remarkable comes from being more focused. And I know it's kind of counterintuitive because we want to offer everything. When I had my online gift boutiques, I literally wanted to sell every pattern of every backpack and every blanket and every bag and all the stuff. And even in my business here, I got tempted for a while. Like, I'm gonna offer this course and that course and this program and that program. And it gets a little overwhelming. And I think being known for something with a few variations is all perfectly good. But when you start trying to do all the things, it starts getting kind of crazy. That's why I've always stuck with doing my podcasts, right? I could be doing all sorts of things for marketing my business and for helping people. I could have gone all in on TikTok, all in on LinkedIn, all in on Instagram, all in on Facebook ads, all in on local events and all this stuff. And you know what? There's only so many hours in the day. And I have already decided how much time I'm putting into this business for this phase of my life, which is a whole nother topic for y'all to remember that you have to think about your life goals right now and what you actually want to make time for outside of your personal goals and happiness, right? So, anyways, when you are thinking about your niche and who you want to serve, really get focused maybe on one or two simple offerings, right? Like I had Anna Lisa Garcia on a couple of weeks ago talking about her candle brand, Ambitious Vibes. And she started out with six cents. Y'all, how many candle and lotion companies and all that do you know that have more than six cents? There's a lot. I was looking at a company that sells all kinds of, it was actually dupe perfumes. Dupes for the really expensive perfumes. I won't say which ones I was looking at because I feel bad that I'm like looking up for dupes, but I was like, I just can't right now. I just can't spend$240 on a perfume right now. I just, I don't know. I just in my conscience, I couldn't do it. Now if it was a very special occasion, but if I'm just buying it for myself, I kind of feel bad. I should wait till it's some really awesome occasion. I can have someone gift it to me, right? But they had 80 million cents. And I'm like, I can't, like, I can't focus right now. Like, what am I doing? You know, and I'm sure they've grown into that and maybe they've earned that spot, right? Where they can have all those cents and all those dupes, and that's totally fine. But for us, with our small businesses, we need to focus. So for you, I want you to pick a lane that's narrow enough for you to own, right? It's like I always talk about this because it's a good real life example. When my son started his power washing business, he just started power washing driveways and sidewalks. That's it. Like that's all he was doing. And people were asking him to do all other kinds of stuff. Oh, can you help us pick up leaves? Can you help us do this and that and this and that? And can you do our pool deck? And he uh he tried one and he ruined something. And he was like, you know what? I'm just sticking to what I know. And then eventually went to fence staining and was making fantastic money around here on the side doing that and doing fence staining. So he expanded right later, but he wasn't trying to be the end-all be all solution for every single uh thing that people needed in their yard or their house. Like he just was zoning in on one thing, and that's what you have to do. It's like for me, when I started building this business, I started helping women, like everything I've been saying talks to women, right? I don't explicitly say that a lot of times, but you can tell that I'm speaking to women. And I especially this podcast is called She's Just Getting Started. But I started with helping people begin their business, people in their early phases. Now I can help people in the middle of their business, right? I'm probably not the best person if you want a multi-million dollar business because I haven't done that. And I wouldn't feel right like coaching you on that because I haven't actually done that. But I've started businesses, built businesses and multi-six figures, right? And so that's great. I can help people in that. But for some reason I really felt called and I felt good in my skin helping people in the early stage of business, like it felt comfortable. So you have to ask yourself, what am I qualified to do and what I feel comfortable doing? And that's picking a lane narrow enough to own. That's number one. Okay. Number two, have a point of view. Not just a topic, but what is your point of view, right? Anyone can talk about branding or talk about business, but what makes your brand remarkable? Like for me, is my take on it, right? Just like I told you a minute ago that my take is really zoning in on, you know, something that you can do and not having, you know, all the solutions, not trying to be all things to all people. That is actually a take that I have. I also have a take if many of you who have been listening for a long time know that I believe in imperfect action. That is my take. Things do not need to be perfect when you start. And if you wait until they are perfect, you will never ever start, or you will just not get going. It will take forever. You'll spend a lot of money. And so my take is no, you start imperfectly and you start simple, right? So you have to have your opinion. You do. You have to have your opinion on how things should be. And Seth Godin says that idea itself has to be worth spreading. And your point of view is the idea. Your point of view is the idea, right? So a lot of you out there tell me, you like you feel something pulling at you, like a tug at your soul that is what you want to do or how you want to share it or what you want to offer. That's you. That's the idea. Your remarkable lives in that. Okay. So today ask yourself, what is that point of view that I have? What do I believe about it? And it may not be anything that you've thought is remarkable. I don't think that my stance is like, oh my gosh, the most innovative and remarkable stance ever. I've never, never heard anyone say to start simple or start imperfectly, right? But I talk about it all the time. So y'all know I also talk about my faith. I'm a Christian. And in the beginning, I didn't talk about that at all. And once I started like dropping that every now and then, I was getting DMs and messages and saying, I'm so glad someone of faith is standing up, right? And you may be here listening today and you're not someone of faith, or you don't believe in God. And that's totally fine. But you know, if you've been here, you've probably heard me talk about it. So that's what would make me different, possibly than other people, right? So have a point of view, not just a topic, not just an offering, but what's your point of view? Okay. So that's number two. And that especially helps, by the way, your point of view when you're doing social media and all kinds of things, or if you're doing a podcast like me. Okay, number three, be consistent long enough to be known for something. You need to be consistent long enough to be known for something. I think this is fabulous right here, because I think some people show up inconsistently. Y'all know I've been here for six plus years. I still can't even believe that. But this consistency, even within just a few months of people hearing me drop episodes every week, they understand what I'm about. I'm not afraid to talk about it. You know my energy, you know my vibe. For some of you, it may be too much. Maybe I laugh weird, maybe I have a country accent. I don't know. Some people say I do, some people say I don't. Maybe it just comes out in a few words. Whatever it is, you've got the vibe. You get it, right? And so being remarkable doesn't come from just one great post or one viral moment. It comes from repetition and consistency with the same message, the same values, the same voice, so that the people can predict what you stand for. It's like when you go to Chick-fil-A, we know what they stand for, right? We know what to expect. And when it doesn't happen, you're like, wait, you know, the line was backed up and it wasn't moving, and I sat there for 20 minutes. I mean, that never happens. I go zipping through the line, right? And the way they treat you and all the things, it's always consistent. Right? So when you think about what someone would say about your brand, what might they say based on what you have been sharing and what you have been doing? Do they say you're reliable? Are you not reliable? I mean, just like the person that was working on my house, not reliable. Didn't follow up. That's the reputation. Okay. So you got to be consistent. You got to show up. So let me review real quick before we go to number four. Number one was pick a lane narrow enough to own. Number two, have a point of view and don't be scared to share it. You don't have to be like creating controversy. I'm just saying you have to have your angle of what you believe, right? Number three is to be consistent long enough to be known for something, right? Maybe you show up all the time on social media. Maybe it's a podcast like me. Maybe you show up locally at events. Number four, make it easy to share. Is it easy to share your information? Now, that can be as easy as someone could share my podcast, right? Someone could share an Instagram profile, right? But also too, maybe are there taglines or things that you say? Like, I'll tell people when I'm, you know, excited about what they're doing. Oh, you're just getting started, you know, and it's a joke because the podcast is she's just getting started, right? And I'm not saying that that is what they're going to share with people, but they remember this podcast name. She's just getting started. It actually is sticky because people remember it that it's for women and it's for helping people get going and get moving and beginning a new awesome season of their life, right? When there's so much ahead, right? There's optimism to it. There's a feel, right? But maybe you have an exact sentence, something that you always say, like Nike, just do it, right? They have a tagline. People know it. I don't know if they share, just do it, but people do refer to it, right? So make it easy to share, whether it be your language that you use, uh a podcast or something that they can easily share and go, oh, just go to her Instagram. Here it is, here. I mean, that's good enough. People do that to me. Like they're going to be referring someone else to me, and they're like, oh, here's her Instagram handle. She's amazing, or she's on YouTube. She's amazing. That's what they'll tell me, and they'll send it to me. And so that's how people have shared other businesses with me, right? Or clothes or anything that I would want, stuff for my home, right? So just have some way that you're showing up somewhere, or you have a really good tagline that make it easy for people to remember and share. Okay. Number five. Stop trying to get approval and start optimizing for resonance. Okay. Let me say that again. And I'll say it a little bit better this time. Stop optimizing for approval, meaning you're trying to people please what you're doing and try to make it all this, but start optimizing for resonance. Like we want to resonate with people. Okay. If you've been saying vague stuff that's totally broad and you're totally generic, you're not memorable. You're playing it safe. You're just not resonating. You're invisible. Approval seeking makes your brand blah. You're not there for approval. You're there to resonate with people. Okay? You want everyone to be like, yes. I feel seen. This is amazing. This is exactly what I'm hoping for. I have people tell me that. Like, are you in my head? Are you like invisible next to me? You are in my head. And it's literally one of the best compliments I can get because that means I make them feel seen and I make them feel understood. And it requires courage. It requires specificity. And that's what remarkable brands are made of, right? Not ones where you're just blah. You're just like a beige color that's blending in. You're not the purple cow. Okay. With everything in me, y'all, I believe this. You already have something remarkable inside of you. That tug you feel toward that business you haven't launched or that prop platform that you keep circling circling back to, like you've had this idea, that thing that won't leave you alone. That is not ordinary. That's your specific angle, your lived experience, your voice on something that the world already has maybe a hundred versions of, but nobody has your version. You have a certain angle, you have a certain feel, you have a certain opinion. Okay. You don't find a purple cow in like a crowded field. You actually have to create one because they're not actually there. You have to create it. You can be the purple cow if you will just let other people see it. I think a lot of you hide. I do it too. We hide ourselves from everyone out there because we're worried about what other people think. But don't you realize this is what shows off your uniqueness this is what helps you become the purple cow, become different, become seen as totally different, right? So I want you to think about it today. Let's just review the five again, real quick. Pick a lane narrow enough to own, have a point of view, be consistent, make it easier, memorable to share, and start optimizing for resonance. You need to be resonating with your people. Help them feel seen. One thing you could do today if you wanted to was ask is ask somebody you know who knows about your business or your work and have them just describe what you do in a sentence. Don't prompt them, don't guide them, don't give them any hints. Just say, I just need you to answer something for me really quick. I'm not going to say anything. You just tell me real quick, what do you think that I do? Okay. And what they say back is your brand. And you can decide is this the remarks that I want people making? Or do I need to like step it up and become more remarkable? So then when they say something about my business, it does sound remarkable. And people can't help but share it with more people. Okay. Friends, this was for you. I'm so proud of you. Again, make sure you subscribe. I don't want you to miss out on any future episodes. Also, too, are you on Instagram? If you are, come join me. Start with Kimberly Brock. I'm so happy to have you here. I'm so excited for your future. And I'm so honored to be a small part of your journey. That's it. Okay, y'all have a great day.

SPEAKER_00 22:28

Bye now. Now, this episode may be over, but our relationship does not have to end here. Head on over to Kimberlybrock.com, and yes, you can get more valuable information for your journey. And you know what? You don't need to go through this alone. I would love to help you. Thank you so much and have a great day. Bye.