Bill J Clarke is an entrepreneur from York, England who has spent the last few years honing in on his craft of being able to create elite branding and marketing campaigns for his clients. He has worked with clients from freelancers getting their first customer, all the way up to 7-figure businesses looking to expand into new markets. Most recently, Bill has gone into business with Matthew J Phillips and Sam Wright with their latest venture Organic Clients Features – an agency helping coaches and consultants to build authority in their industries and further grow their income through online press publications.
Today, Bill wants to share how entrepreneurs and influencers are able to distinguish their brands from their competition, grow their audiences online and ultimately scale their businesses while changing the world.
Let’s start with a common misconception. Something that a lot of entrepreneurs, especially those in their first year or so, are focusing too much on. This is causing a large number of entrepreneurs to be doing ‘busy work’ yet not growing their businesses. This leaves them treading water in the same spot while thinking they’re winning the swimming race. It’s a misconception about branding. Now, branding doesn’t just refer to your logo or what font you use, it encompasses everything you do as an entrepreneur; your content, your offers, your website, your business model, you as an individual and the list goes on.
Branding is by far the most important aspect of your business. It helps you stand out from the crowd, it helps you define your business and stay competitive. Yet too many entrepreneurs get a logo and a website and think they’re sorted for branding. Bill goes on to say that his personal branding is something he is investing in heavily throughout 2021 and beyond.
Just last week, he has already spent more on developing his personal brand, than he used to get as a full months salary from his previous job. Excessive? You may think so but Bill knows that building a personal brand will help his long term goes of living a life of ultimate freedom.
How can other entrepreneurs and influencers build their brands online? How can they develop them to the point where their competition is so far behind they just look like a dot in the rear-view mirror? Bill has a couple of tips he’d like tho share for anyone reading – coaches, consultants, agency owners, influencers, online business owners – you will all benefit from this.
Before buying the Rolex’s, Bill suggests doing a deep audit into yourself and your business. What key values do you stand for? What makes you different? What other aspects of your history do you bring into your business? Why should your customers choose you over your competitors? Focus on these key questions to build up an idea of your brand. Remember, a brand can’t relate to your competitors or your idols, they must be true to the business and the entrepreneur.
The next vital step to building a brand for longevity and success is to gain credibility in the industry. Bill suggests doing this by getting featured in online press publications such as Yahoo, Forbes, IMDB and more. This means that a brand now has well-established companies singing their praise which boosts authority and reduces any doubts of legitimacy from any prospects.
If you are unable to invest just a couple hundred dollars with this strategy and are starting with zero budget, one tip Bill gives for those just starting out is to consistently create high-quality content, and to get customer testimonials by delivering an amazing service or product.
Branding helps in so many areas of your life and business. Invest in yourself and reap the rewards in the long term.