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#ContentWritingChat Recap: How to Build a Brand That Will Stand Out in 2018 with Rochelle Moulton

by | Dec 1, 2017 | ContentWritingChat

#ContentWritingChat Recap: How to Build a Brand That Will Stand Out in 2018 with Rochelle Moulton

There’s no denying that it takes time to truly build a brand that will stand out from the crowd, especially if you’re in a saturated niche.

Fortunately, our latest #ContentWritingChat has some tips that are going to help your brand shine. And this is advice you’ll want to implement in the coming year!

Whether you’re building your own personal brand or you are part of another company’s brand, these tips will still be beneficial for you. So, if you want to learn how to build a brand that people truly love, keep reading for this week’s recap!

#ContentWritingChat Recap: How to Build a Brand That Will Stand Out in 2018 with Rochelle Moulton

Our guest host this week was Rochelle Moulton. She’s an entrepreneur and a personal brand strategist. She joined us for Tuesday’s #ContentWritingChat to share her advice on branding and it’s definitely worth a read! Let’s dive in!

Q1: What does it mean to have a personal brand or a brand for your business? Have you built one?

To kick off the chat, we asked everyone to share what it means to have a brand. We also wanted to know if they’ve worked to build a brand themselves! Here’s what a few of our chat participants had to say:

Rochelle said that having a personal brand is consistently presenting yourself and your ideas so your “sweet spot” audience knows you. Your brand also needs to be authentic. If it’s not, people are going to see right through you.

Lexie knows a brand is essentially the identity of the person or company that it represents. She feels your brand shows what’s important and that consistency is key.

Sarah said that having a personal brand showcases what your business is and how you’re able to help your customers.

When building a personal brand, you need to be transparent, genuine, and honest. Julia said that people will need to be able to relate to your brand and should want to invest in it. That’s all part of helping you attract the right people.

As Brittany said, your brand is your personality, your vision, and your mission. It’s all about what you do, why you do it, and how you do it. She knows that your brand helps people get to know and understand you.

Your brand is the foundation of giving your company a voice, identity, value, and awareness.

And remember, we all have a personal brand, whether you realize it or not! It’s better to be smart and actually manage your brand’s reputation.

Q2: What are some key elements you will need in order to build a brand that will stand out?

To build a brand that truly shines, there are a few key elements you’ll need to get started! Here’s what you need to know:

As Rochelle said, it’s important to have clarity on who your ideal audience is. You need to know who you want to reach in order to create the content that will resonate with them. She also said that having a compelling point of view will help you stand out from others.

And don’t forget that consistency is essential as well! It’s going to help you establish your brand and build trust with your audience.

A unique message is going to help differentiate you from the others in your niche.

Zala said you need to figure out who you are, what your unique offering is, how you can serve your audience, and ways you can educate, entertain, and help the right people.

Cheval knows that it’s important to figure out your why. That’s essential because your purpose is what will keep you going when times are tough.

Besides knowing your why and the mission behind your brand, you also need to know who you’re trying to reach. Without a clear idea of who your target audience is, how can you expect to reach them?

Know your why. Be consistent. Be genuine and authentic. These are all important things to keep in mind when you build your brand.

Both Kristen and Danielle know that authenticity is a must!

Authenticity, emotional connection, and value are just a few of the elements Varun feels every successful brand needs to have.

Don’t forget you need a unique voice, a valuable message, strong motivation, and the ability and willingness to share a well-crafted story.

Tamara shared a great tip about analyzing your competitors. You can learn a lot from the areas they may be lacking in. You can use this as your opportunity to step up to the plate.

Q3: How important is content creation when you build a brand? How can it help your brand stand out?

What role does content play when you’re building a brand online? Does it really make a difference? (That answer would be ABSOLUTELY!) These are some reasons why the content you produce is essential for your brand:

Rochelle knows that both content creation and content curation are essential when it comes to building your brand.

The content you publish online can build trust and loyalty, while also boosting engagement with your audience.

As Lexie said, content can also help you connect with your audience. She knows a brand is nothing if there aren’t people who believe in it.

Jason said the content you crate shows your views and opinions on things. This can help you connect with your audience on a deeper level, which can also attract new people to your brand.

Content speaks directly to your customers. It tells them who you are and what you’re all about.

Don’t worry about what everyone else is doing with their content. As Jade said, put your thoughts out there and see what people think. Don’t be afraid to share your unique point of view, but make sure you’re also engaging with the responses you get.

Even Julia knows the benefits of content creation! It’s been her top priority when growing Express Writers.

Q4: How do you include your personality or a company’s personality in the content you create online?

If you want to build a brand that stands out, one of the key aspects to consider is personality. Your personality is what will attract and resonate with your target audience. But how do you express that through the content you share? Check out these tips:

Rochelle knows that adding personality can be a scary thing, but she encourages people to experiment. Take cues from what others are doing and try seeing what works for you.

Language, voice, and tone need to be consistent with your brand and should be reflected in your content. Always keep that in mind when you’re creating. Kristen also suggests thinking of three words to describe your brand. Those words can help guide you when writing content, designing graphics, and more.

Cheval’s advice is to speak from you heart. As he said, it takes time to develop your voice, so don’t rush it.

It helps to have guidelines for branding if you have a team working alongside you. As Varun said, those guidelines can help your teammates maintain tone and voice when creating content.

Jade’s advice is to be yourself. If you try to be like everyone else in your industry, you’re just going to blend in.

Don’t forget to engage with others! It shows them the human side of your brand. Don’t let them think you’re some sort of robot.

A helpful piece of advice from Shelly: not everyone is going to like you. You need to focus on resonating with the right people, which are the ones in your target audience. It’s okay to repel the ones who aren’t the best fit for you.

Be yourself. If you aren’t true to who you are, people are going to see right through a false facade.

Zala had some kind words to share about the Express Writers team, which we couldn’t appreciate more! We like to make sure our team is visible and an active part of our brand.

Q5: How can brands use storytelling in 2018 to ensure they stand out from the crowd?

Storytelling has become a crucial element in helping brands connect with their target audience. If you’re wondering how you can better use storytelling in 2018, take a look at this advice:

Rochelle suggests writing how-to content, sharing mistakes or light bulb moments, talking about client experiences, and more. These are all great ideas to implement.

Sarah suggests showing others how you and your audience work together to fulfill their needs. They want to know how you and your offering will benefit them.

To showcase the benefits you can provide to your target audience, sharing client success stories is a great way to get started.

Immerse yourself in your brand and live your story. As Zala said, it’s important to take about your successes and your failures. That’s relatable and it’s what draws people into your story.

Andrea knows that video marketing is where it’s at. If you aren’t already using video to tell your story, 2018 is the time to do it.

Brian said that a well-crafted story gives you a foundation for all your marketing and sales content. You want to be consistent to stand out and become easily recognizable by your audience. He also pointed out that you might not get things right the first time, so don’t be afraid to make tweaks.

Q6: How can you tell if your brand is resonating with the right audience? Are there metrics you can track?

Once you’ve started building your brand, you obviously need to make sure it’s attracting and speaking to the right people. How do you do this? Here are some handy tips to help you find out:

There are a variety of metrics you may want to track. Rochelle suggests looking at social media engagement stats, new client stats, etc.

Ask yourself who is engaging with your content and what they have to say about it. This will help you determine if your content is working or not.

Both Sarah and Lexie know that conversions are key. It’s important to keep your end goal in mind and create the content that’s going to help you get there. Plus, conversions can be a number of things, not just sales.

You can look at social media engagement, page views, duration on page, and support tickets from customers.

Are people sharing your posts? How much time are they spending on your site? Are they leaving comments, and if so, what are they saying? These are just a few things you’ll want to ask yourself.

You can even look at your subscribers to see if they represent your target audience. If they do, you’re on the right path. If not, you have some work to do!

Q7: Your brand just isn’t working for you anymore. What should you do if you think it’s time to re-brand?

How do you handle a re-brand if you think it’s the right step for you? Check out this advice:

Rochelle said to use this as an opportunity to better hone your niche and your message. You want to get clear on who you’re targeting and what you’re providing.

Before you dive head first into a re-brand, ask yourself what isn’t working for you. This will help you determine where you need to begin your work.

As Lexie said, you can’t change anything without first knowing what the problem is. From there, you can make tweaks until you find what works for you.

Tamara also suggests reviewing your strategy to see what’s not working and why. This is always the best place to start.

Sarah’s advice is to do your research. You can even ask your audience for feedback since they’re the ones you need to resonate with.

If you have a team working with you, get their help as well. Figure out who you are, who you serve, and why.

Gaby shared some great questions you should ask yourself if you’re facing the possibility of a re-brand.

Sometimes a refresh is all you need! Don’t immediately jump into a re-brand. Take time to figure out what’s really in your best interests.

Zachary suggests figuring out why things are no longer working and what has changed. Sometimes a change in your strategy is all you really need.

As Julia said, you want to be very careful about moving forward with a re-brand. It can get tricky and it’s a lot of work to take on.

Q8: Is there any final branding advice you’d like to share with us?

To close out the chat, we asked everyone to share a final piece of branding advice that we could all takeaway from this week’s chat. Here are some of the responses:

Be genuine and focus on how you can transform your audience.

Be yourself. Be unique. Be authentic.

If it’s not broke, don’t fix it! Sarah said you shouldn’t be afraid to go for a facelift when it comes to your brand, but a full makeover isn’t always necessary.

Cheval said to make sure your brand emulates your core values. He also encourages you to focus on producing quality content on a regular basis.

As Brittany mentioned, your brand is more than your logo. It’s your identity.

Holding a focus group with your target audience is a great way to get feedback!

Be consistent, be patient, and never give up!

Want to join the next #ContentWritingChat? You can hang out with us on Twitter every Tuesday at 10 AM Central Time! Just be sure to follow @ExpWriters and @writingchat for all the latest!

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Tags: branding | personal branding