Personal Brand Development: Part 4
Using Knight’s advice, I began thinking about how I could ensure that I will be able to maintain a sense of longevity with my personal brand.
First, I thought about ways in which Instagram users can connect with their followers. Instagram stories have allowed people to post polls, which their followers can vote on. This is a great way for me to engage with my audience and ask questions about their interests and what content they would want to see me cover. In addition to polls, an Adweek.com article suggests using links, tags, and location in order to gain content exposure and encourage engagement with Instagram users (Pavlika, 2018). All of these tools can help someone spread their brand message and continue the conversation with various Instagram users.
In addition, asking questions in the captions of Instagram posts themselves is a great way to not only encourage comments on the post, but to also provide a platform for users to express their interests in their own words. For example, if I ever became an Instagram influencer who partners with certain brands and products, I could ask my users what products they like to use. That information could help strategically guide me to choose what companies would be appropriate for me to endorse and support considering my audience.
Next, I thought about the ways that bloggers can maintain contact with readers. Bloggers often send email updates to subscribers. I could make this option to connect available through a button on my blog that asks readers if they want to sign up for these emails. This is a great way to ensure that I would not be annoying or overwhelming readers with constant, unwanted contact. They would be opting in to continue the conversation with me.
Lastly, I thought about myself as the target of marketing and ads. What do I like to see? This led me to think of one of my favorite brands—Madewell. By favorite brand, I mean that almost everything I wear comes from this store and this store alone. I don’t just love the clothes; I love the company’s voice. So, I looked through my inbox, and I started to realize that I receive a lot of emails from the company. The taglines are simple, witty, and convey what they are trying to advertise in a way that doesn’t make them seem like salespeople. In fact, the emails are worded quite casually, which makes it seem like I am talking to a friend- not a large corporate company. I regularly click on the email links to shop, and I then receive emails that contain the type of content I want to see. Now that is a brand that I want to continue the conversation with!
I should aim to utilize integrated marketing methods that have the following traits:
- Short and witty taglines
- Regular surveys and polls
- An authentic voice that feels like a friend, not an advertiser.
