??? Put Personal Connection at the Core of Your Brand

My career, much like the origins of Brand to Fan Show, began in Sports. It's no secret that both my career--and the thesis on the Brand to Fan approach--have gone far beyond the sports industry. Over the past 8 years, I have tested this idea of building for fans, not followers, across industries from B2B and B2C into healthcare, higher ed, tourism, and beyond.

When thinking about my contemporaries who have sports and entertainment in their background, I tried to narrow my network to a specific type of person. This person would also have moved beyond "fun industries" to use their talents and passion for doing good on behalf of their own clients while embarking on a similar journey as I have in building their own personal brand as a business.

With all that in mind, it didn't take but a couple of moments for me to know exactly who I wanted to introduce y’all to next on the Brand to Fan Show.?

Episode 6 features Dana Snyder , the founder and CEO of Positive Equation | Dana Snyder , is a must-listen for anyone looking to transform their online experience and create lasting fandom using their personal stories.

Dana shares her expertise in digital marketing for non-profits and her passion for helping organizations make an impact by telling impactful stories about their people. She also discusses the importance of personal connection and how building a personal brand can create fandom for life.

She makes the case for a podcast as a professional development strategy, reveals the myths surrounding paid ad space, and shares how to strike a balance between personal and business branding. Dana is a super sharp strategy mind with fabulous experience from stops at OMNIGON Communications, LLC , DKC , and even behind the scenes at American Idol!

Dana's "Stay Visible" Content Mix for Organic & Paid Social:

1. Showcase your thought leadership, ideally through video
2. Showcase your impact and your value with clients, audiences or industry
3. Curate social proof, like podcast interviews and articles to show your credibility

What Are You a Fan Of?

I am about to have a baby, so I am a fan of this incredible website called Rebelstork . It's female-owned and is re-selling either used or open-box baby items. And so, for instance, strollers, and infant car seats are bananas expensive, and I'm sure you remember this from your time having little ones. But it was crazy. We were looking at things that were over $1,000 [retail].

We got our car seat and our stroller brand new for $350. The email that they send out afterward explains her story of her being a mom and the expenses, starting from a place where she had all these goods in her garage, to now she has multiple warehouses for this incredible mission. I know I'm part of a welcome sequence, but it still felt special. To the fact that I took a screenshot of the email and shared it, and then they engaged with me on social. And now I am telling you this whole story!

What Is Your Favorite Piece of Fanwear You Own?

I'm a big University of Central Florida fan – Go Knights! – and had a jersey that I wore for entirely too long. It was from when Kevin Smith played for UCF, which was way back in the day when I was a freshman in 2007. I wore it so much that both of the armpits got holes in them. But I wore that jersey by wearing a black shirt under it. Both of the armpits definitely had holes, and I just continue to wear it forever. I do think I actually got rid of it, finally.?

Don't miss this insightful and inspiring conversation with one of the leading voices in digital marketing for non-profits. If you'd rather watch our conversation, it's available now on YouTube, as well!

Enjoying the Brand to Fan Show? Please give a Rating & Review on?Apple Podcasts?and share an episode with a colleague!

Catch up with past episodes featuring?Jay Baer,?Brian Fanzo,?Farren Benjamin,?Tim Hayden,?and Jake McKee on?Apple,?Spotify,?Amazon,?Google?and?YouTube.

Huge thanks to my team!

Audio production by Bryan Griggs of Griggs Production

Producers: Kimberly Voorhis , Ashley Ruiz , and Carrie Hellbusch

Video Editing by Garrett Teague