Marketing A Brand With Success

A client told me many years ago when I was developing my first ever website and I felt extremely vulnerable, “Ivy, it’s not permanent. You can always change it.”

Change. Growth.

We hear these words all the time when we talk about scaling or sales or finance - but these also directly relate to marketing.?

There’s a lot of fear around putting ourselves and our companies out there. Will we say the right thing? Are we ready? Is our messaging direct and saying what we want people to hear? Are the right people seeing our work? Are we showing up with consistent and relevant content?

Your marketing efforts will evolve right along with your company.?

It’s easy to think of marketing as things like running an ad in a magazine, or putting up a billboard or sharing a post on social media. And that is all correct. But marketing is also writing a book, speaking at an event, getting interviewed on a podcast. And that means from the CEO to the mid-level manager to the intern - anyone and everyone representing your company - is a piece of your marketing puzzle. Ensure that your entire team knows and understands your brand inside and out.?

The word authentic is overused these days, but it’s a really good word. And it’s just a fact that authentic people and businesses find more success. When we are genuine, which is a great synonym for authentic, we truly connect with our audience. This can mean showing what highlights you, as well as sharing mistakes and the learning curves that come with it.?

You’ve seen my garden and cooking photos all over social media. I’ve shared family events like weddings and anniversary trips. And even my Pickleball adventures! But you also see blogs like this, quotes to motivate and inspire you, interviews with amazing people, videos with actionable tips. My goal at Slater Success is to show my whole brand, which is very much the skills I teach, but it’s also myself and my team, my network, my family, my joy. Everything works in tandem.?

Leaders of great brands feel like friends. Lunch with Sara Blakely? A makeover from Bobbi Brown? These are just a few personal examples of women I believe have created big brands, yet have cultivated an approachable personal brand.?

As you plan for 2023, look at your marketing. Nothing will ever be perfect, but it can always be better. Always be improving. Be bold, play big. Try something new. Show up with consistency and listen to your audience.?

I leave you with this quote from Brian Chesky, Co-Founder and CEO of Airbnb: "Build something 100 people love, not something 1 million people kind of like."