Brand building, Positioning and the Art of Garnering Influence
On the tale of personal branding and the incredible effect it had on my friend,
James Marcus’ professional development as he prepares for a career in diplomacy, I have thought deeply and had great conversations stemming from my last article about the necessity of positioning yourself well. As I stated last week it, it is wise to note that every person who develops a brand for themselves doesn’t always do so to exact a level of celebrity or notoriety – of course, some do. So how do you continue to distinguish yourself and delineate yourself from the traps of seeking status even when you thirst for influence?
Influencers
The term influencer, by definition, refers to a person with a substantial following in a distinct niche that actively engages with them; they hold the power to affect buying decisions because of the relationship they have with their following. The past few years the term influencer has gotten incredibly catchy, the successful influencer of today has become successful by harnessing the power of a personal brand and leveraging it well.
A lot of times we get confused with how this heavily connected world we are currently living in, operates. The waves with which things gain popularity, and the swiftness of that popularity waning, often makes those less connected feel like these things are not important. But regardless of how fickle a thing may seem to you, in the current ecosystem, they have become critical lifelines.
Influencer marketing
In a capitalist world, the birth of influencers was closely followed by the birth of influencer marketing. This segment of marketing involves brands and businesses collaborating with social media influencers to market their products and services or build brand recognition within a specific demographic.
While businesses inevitably need to spend time, effort and yes, money building out and curating their own brands and followings, both large and small businesses alike could take advantage of the followings that have already been curated by creators around Guyana. By working with those who have already gone through the labour of capturing the eyes of thousands of people, businesses give themselves access to a market that they may not have already, but also markets that are primed to purchase. One of the heftiest bills’ brands have is that of customer acquisition, and influencer marketing could very easily be the discount code they needed to lower the cost of new acquisitions.
As the saying goes, strike while the iron is hot, regardless of size, if you’re at the helm of any size business, across any industry, there is most likely a partnership with a creator that can work to your benefit—you just need to find it.