The Secret to Making Your Personal Brand Work for You (Even While You're Offline)

The point of building a personal brand is to intentionally create a reputation that will precede your messaging.

You want your desired audience to have heard of you BEFORE they hear from you.

However, you can use a very special technique to make this happen for yourself—it's easy, and you can start at any time.

"But wait," you might be thinking, "isn't building a personal brand a ton of work?

Don't I have to be constantly creating content, networking, and putting myself out there?"

Well, yes and no.

While consistency and effort are key to building a strong personal brand, one powerful strategy can help you accelerate the process without adding more to your plate.

The secret?

Leveraging other people's audiences.

Here's how it works:

1. Identify influencers, thought leaders, and publications in your industry that already have the attention of your ideal audience.

2. Contact these entities and offer to provide value to their audience through guest content, interviews, or collaborations.

3. When your content is featured on these platforms, you gain instant exposure to a whole new group of people who are likely to be interested in what you share.

4. As these people discover you and your ideas, they associate you with the credibility and authority of the platform where they found you.

In other words, your reputation begins to precede you.

Let's look at a couple of examples.

Example 1: The Strategic Partnership

Imagine you're a CMO who wants to build your personal brand and gain more exposure for your company.

You could spend all your time and resources trying to reach new audiences on your own, but that can be a slow and difficult process.

Instead, consider forming a strategic partnership with another company or a trusted voice in your industry. One that already has a large and engaged following.

This could take many forms, such as:

• - Co-hosting a webinar or virtual event
• - Collaborating on a research report or white paper
• - Cross-promoting each other's content or products
• - Partnering on a charitable initiative or social impact project

The key is to find a partner who shares your values and whose audience aligns with your target market. 

That's a major credibility boost that can open doors for you long after the events go live, from speaking invitations to new business opportunities.

At Level Up Executive Branding, we've seen this firsthand.

• One of our clients, a managing partner of a boutique consulting firm, saw a 200% increase in inquiries after just four months of consistency on LinkedIn.
• Another client, a tech founder, was approached by a major VC because of her thought leadership content. That one connection turned into a game-changing investment.

Example 2: The Podcast Interview

Podcasts are another fantastic way to borrow someone else's audience and grow your brand. Let's say you're a start-up founder who wants to build a movement around your message and attract more visibility for your company. 

 You could start your podcast from scratch, but I don't recommend that because building an audience that way takes a lot more time and effort.

Instead, you could contact established business podcasts and offer to be a guest. 

This is something Mark Cuban Companies and Seth Godin 🌔 do regularly while promoting a new initiative.

You will get to share your story and insights with their listeners and form a relationship with the host, who may be willing to promote you to their network or even introduce you to potential investors or partners.

Does this mean you should stop creating your content or building your platform? 

Absolutely not! You’re building these all together. 

By incorporating this "audience borrowing" strategy into your personal branding efforts, you can accelerate your reach and impact much faster than you could on your own.

Like any marketing strategy, it requires patience, persistence, and a willingness to experiment.

The key is to focus on authenticity over originality.

Share your real experiences, honest opinions, and hard-won wisdom consistently.

The good news is that you don't have to figure it out alone.

At Level Up Executive Branding, we take the content creation burden off your shoulders. 

We work with you to capture your unique voice and perspective, and then we create engaging, valuable content that resonates with your audience.

We turn your insights into engaging content that drives revenue.

The daily posts, weekly articles, monthly thought leadership pieces, audience building, and outreach to potential collaborators like podcast hosts.

All you have to do is show up and be yourself.

You get a consistent stream of content that establishes your expertise, builds your brand, and attracts opportunities and partners.

So, don't let the digital learning curve hold you back.

Partner with a team to help you turn your insights into impact and help you see results faster and more efficiently.

It's a simple but powerful approach that can work wonders for your brand – and the best part is that you can start this week. 

Reach out to me here on LinkedIn or email dashley@thrivoo.com or set up a call HERE

ABOUT THE CREATOR OF WILDFIRE

Deborrah Ashley is a marketing strategist and corporate trainer for organizations, founders, companies, and accelerators. She is also the author of "InSIDER- How To Leverage LinkedIn To Stand Out As The Industry Leader".

She partners with time-strapped founders and executive leaders to turn their insights into engaging content that:

- shapes brand perception,

- deepens relationships, and

- transforms how prospective clients, talent, and partners think about and experience their company online.

She spent a 20-year career launching new products & ventures across a dozen categories for large companies, smaller organizations, and venture-backed startups.

Deborrah’s insights have been featured in Oprah Magazine, The New York Times, and Black Enterprise Magazine.

She is frequently tapped to speak on content and social strategy.