Mess or Message? Why Your Rock Star Social Brand May Be Confusing!

Submitted by Lisa Steadman on May 16, 2011 - 9:33 am

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In the last two weeks, I’ve been on a speaking tour and talking to a lot of entrepreneurs about their businesses. Specifically, I’ve been hearing from a lot of women in business who are truly brilliant, and yet…

They’re still breaking even, or worse – they’re broke.

The truth is, it doesn’t matter how brilliant you are if you are not monetizing that brilliance in big and bold ways. While the big and bold ways you take your brilliance to the bank will differ depending on your industry, niche, business model, and goals, one thing remains the same.

No one gets into business to be broke or break even.

That includes YOU. If you and your brilliance are in a state of being broke or breaking even, don’t despair. There IS a better way. It’s time to stop treating your business like a hobby and start monetizing your big ideas.

Stumped on how to take your brilliance to the bank? Over the next few weeks, I’ll reveal the top 3 hurdles I see entrepreneurs struggle to master when it comes to monetizing their brilliance.

Here’s the first hurdle:

1. You’re not a clear as you think you are
If you’re not making all the money your business deserves, it’s not a sign that you’re a failure. You just need to go back and revisit what’s happening in your business. You may think you’re clear about who you are and what you offer, but if people aren’t clamoring for your products, services, special offers, and programs, now is an excellent time to go back to the drawing board. Ask yourself these questions:

•    Am I telling my story in a compelling way?
Now would be a good time to rewrite your story, including some of the more painful pieces that you may have pushed out of the picture but actually serve your clients. For example, I never used to talk about my branding background in corporate America. I felt like my experience of building my own rockstar social brand as the Queen of Breakups was enough. It wasn’t until I shared ALL of my story, including my painful breakup with corporate America, my ex boyfriend, and my struggles with physical pain that I started magnetizing my audience in bigger, bolder ways. What part of your story are you not telling? How can you transform your mess into your message so that the masses know why they need you, care about you, and want to follow you?

•    Am I trying to appeal to everyone?
Be honest — Are you trying to appeal to every person on the planet? I so, you will most likely appeal to none. So many entrepreneurs are afraid to claim their brilliance because they fear that there won’t be enough fans, clients, and customers for them. The truth is, until you’re willing to get uber specific about who you serve and how you help them, you cannot separate yourself from your competition, celebrate your unique distinctions, and magnetically attract the absolutely perfect client for you and to you. Who cares if you don’t magnetize EVERYONE? There’s plenty to go around and the sooner you celebrate that fact, the easier it will be to attract your ideal customer.

•    Have I connected the energy of my business to the language I use?
Regardless of what industry you’re in, energetics are a big piece of the puzzle. Once you know how you want your fans, customers, and clients to feel, you can create an energetic language that will magnetically attract your ideal fans and customers, AND discover your unique hook that will reel those ideal customers to you.

Let me give you an example. One of my rock star clients Kelly Lynn Adams came to me because she wanted to own her expertise in bigger, bolder ways, get more clients, and learn how to stand out in a crowded marketplace of coaches and entrepreneurs. At first, Kelly’s distinction was that she was a life and business coach who sells Arbonne and loves being a Jersey Girl. Now, this is all really great, but it’s convoluted in terms of positioning, and nobody quite knew what Kelly offered.

As we started working together, it became clear that Kelly’s mission is to empower women to live their best lives and enjoy a fulfilling career, all while embodying their gutsy, gorgeous, and going for it selves. Do you see how we’re getting clearer?

Kelly liked Gutsy, Glam, and Going For It as a tagline, but she wanted a deeper, more personal distinction, as she also wanted to work with some of the brilliant reality TV stars coming out of New Jersey these days.

That’s when we co-created this distinction: Kelly Lynn Adams, The Juicy Jersey Girl Guru: Gutsy, Girlie, and Going For It!

Do you see how getting that clear and specific is a total bull’s-eye for Kelly and letsher potential fans, clients, and customers know if she’s the right coach to work with?

First, were incorporating all aspects of Kelly’s story, including being a rough and tumble Jersey Girl who’s also a girlie girl who loves makeup and glam AND takes action to make her dreams come true.

Second, we’re creating such a distinction that not everyone is going to resonate with The Juicy Jersey Girl Guru. And that’s fantastic. By creating her distinction, we draw a line in the sand and allow Kelly’s fan base to decide if they are in or out.

And third, we then created hot topics and an energetic language that magnetizes the RIGHT customers to Kelly. For example, one of her recent blog posts was “Business Lessons I Learned on a Stripper Pole.” Now, that’s not a message all women in business can get away with. But The Juicy Jersey Girl Guru? She can rock that topic like nobody’s business! And she did, garnering over 100 LIKES on Facebook in the first 48 hours she posted it.

Because of these distinctions and this work, Kelly will only magnetically attract people who get and appreciate her unique distinction. The same is true for you. Be willing to get distinct, stand out, and draw the same line in the sand for your potential fans, clients, and customers.

Share your thoughts on how overcoming this hurdle will help YOU take your Brilliance to the Bank! Post a comment here or share on social media.

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