In 2001, I was hired at Nike while I was going to college. After a few years of working at the sports juggernaut, Nike, the hoopla of telling all my family and close friends wore off. However, I never got tired of telling anyone I was a Nike employee.
My prior knowledge of Nike’s brand was synonymous with superior athletes. Within a few years of working the security graveyard shift, I started to realize the multiple business components of the company as an industry perennial power. One of the main takeaways was their understanding their brand power.
However, that was years ago… and marketing has evolved so much in the last few decades, so enough nostalgia. Lol.
Yes, the marketing wheel never stops. But, unfortunately, understanding the marketing umbrella to capitalize isn’t an overnight process. From branding to promotion to conversion to brand loyalty, the details can be completely overwhelming. But this is a simple subject, branding your name.
For those looking into business options, here are a couple of resources for you:
When To Name Your Company After Yourself by Pia
Should You Self-Brand, or Establish a Company Brand? by Gary V
We live in the new digital era where everything is almost immediate. So naturally, no one likes to dig too much to find information, especially someone who’s in a hurry.
When you can’t find an individual or product or service, it’s like, “whhuuuuuuttttt?! Something’s wrong!”
Don’t be one of those companies.
If you have a business or don’t have one, consider the opportunity to own your domain name. Why?
Here are five reasons to do so:
- Show Professional Credibility – the best example is when companies have a great product/service. Selling it to families and friends is cool, but what about people outside that circle? What about people that don’t know you but want what you’re selling? Give them multiple reasons why you’re legit and credible. Even side hustles can be professional, so don’t take a shortcut.
- Protect Your Reputation – there’s all different stuff that can come up. Why risk it? Show them all the good stuff. The search engines will dig up anything connected to your name and the search query. Also, don’t give any competitors a reason to grab your low-hanging fruit.
- Show and Tell – show off your strengths for anyone looking to climb up the career ladder or wants/needs your product. Tell everyone what you can do. The days of driving around or window shopping at the local mall are fading away. Instead, they want to find out who you are, and one of the best ways to do that is an internet search. Project it to the whole world.
- Promote Yourself – while you’re telling everyone your value proposition, don’t forget to package it nice and pretty. This is one of the core fundamentals of marketing that doesn’t get the same attention as the other ones. Promote it with strategy. Don’t be shy. If you don’t promote yourself, who will? Look at this way, it’s hard to close the deal if your prospect doesn’t know you exist.
- Kill Perceptions – I truly believe 90% of people’s reality comes from their perceptions. In my experience, folks won’t ask you directly, so they’ll find other means to learn who you are without your knowledge. This is one of the best ways to kill a perception when using a Google search.
- Look Good – with all the points mentioned above; you have no other choice but to look good. So again, don’t be shy. Put up some good photos. As Deion Sanders would say, “when you look good, you get paid good.”
If you need some help, let me know.
Growing your brand is a never-ending job. This is the fun stuff!
Nathan A Webster, MBA
