Hey Empress! Since the website relaunch of my online brand She 3.0 website, I feel like I’m stepping into a new chapter of my life. For me, 2019 was a warm up year. I did a lot of inner work and now I feel like I know myself even more and am confidently walking in my purpose.
It’s also 2020! A brand new decade and I know everyone’s feeling the pressure to make 2020 their year. It’s April and I’m sure (well hope!) that you’re finally realizing which path you want to take after spending the past three months planning, committing, and learning through trial and error. Maybe you’re laser focused and making progress. Or maybe you’re going back to the drawing board to tweak your plan. Or maybe you found out it’s not for you and now you’re completely tossing the idea and starting fresh. And most importantly, I hope that you aren’t comparing someone else’s 2020 with yours because that’s always a set up girl.
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Why Should You Build An Online Brand Now?
A big thing A LOT of people are working on in 2020 is building an online brand for themself. Whether it be to be an influencer, entrepreneur, model or entertainer, it’s easier now than ever to build a following because of how accessible the internet is to (almost) everyone. It allows you to connect to hundreds, thousands, tens and hundreds of thousands of people within minutes.
However, accessibility doesn’t always equal success. Actually, it can be a double edged sword because the more access or options you have, the easier it is to get overwhelmed about how to go about it all. Then on top of that, you have to make sure that the content you’re making will connect with the majority, if not all of your audience. Yes, you can’t be everything to everyone but you can be everything to a group of people who share the same interest(s) as you.
When you get here, you either have two options- to be inspired and act or be overwhelmed and stuck. If you pick the latter, you end up being inconsistent which means you definitely aren’t not delivering to or growing your audience. In my opinion, this (and the ones I’ll talk about below) is why most online brands that people have such high hopes and big plans for don’t work out.
Though that isn’t an astrological number, I know that I am doing the right thing when I get women of all backgrounds and ages expressing their appreciation for She 3.0 through DM’s and comments. I have built relationships with these women because I stick to what my brand stands for- self-awareness, self-love and self-motivation and continue to provide content on it that helps me nurture our relationship even more. I
How Long Does It Take To Build Your Online Presence?
I say that 2019 was a “warm up year” for me because it was the year that I started to take building my online brand seriously. I created the She 3.0 brand and had the biggest mindset shifts yet. As I worked out a mission and vision for She 3.0, I was forced to be more self-aware about my thoughts, actions and habits. I realized that in order for me to do what I needed to do to make She 3.0 a success, I had to not only think, but live my life differently.
That’s what a mindset means to me- the way how you think and how you live align. I had to come face to face with my reality and truths to prep myself for all the hard work this was going to take. The ironic part is that I never felt overwhelmed because I felt so connected to my calling to empower women by using my own experiences to create a safe space for them to talk about theirs too. Then I stepped out on faith and started right away.
You can read more about it on my “About Me” page but on January 29, 2019, She 3.0 was born and since then, I have built a community of over 1,900 women on Instagram and over 500 on Facebook. Though those aren’t huge numbers, I know that I am doing the right thing when I get women of all backgrounds and ages expressing their appreciation for She 3.0 in my DMs and comments on a daily basis.
I have built relationships with these women because I stick to what my brand stands for (self-awareness, self-love and self-motivation) and continue to provide value that helps nurtures our relationship even more. So much that they look forward to my content and see me as an expert. I am intentional, genuine, vulnerable and consistent and finally found my footing. I have been a life coach. I have been invited to do guest posts, interviews and now a speaking arrangement (details coming soon)! I don’t know about you but that confirms to me that 1) I am doing what I am called to do and 2) other people are taking notice and being empowered by it. I feel fulfilled everyday working on my brand and I look forward to even more growth in the years to come.
I could say that I can’t believe it’s been a year but I actually can because I worked my ass off each and every one of those days, weeks, and months. I zeroed in on it and didn’t ever let up because I believed 100% in my brand. I still do. It hasn’t been an easy road to get where I am now (mentally and emotionally) but I am grateful for everything I’ve learned along the way. I would get light bulbs every now and then that reassured me that I was doing the right thing and for the right reasons.
Building an online brand can help you pursue your passion, find your purpose, have an impact on others and elevate your life and family tree all in one but you have to be ready to make the necessary changes to get there. You have to put yourself out there and be ready to work. You have to be more focused, work harder, and change your thinking on basically everything. You have to breakdown your limiting beliefs and shift your perspective from short-term to long-term. You have to put your ego aside enough to be open minded about the things you don’t know to make mistakes, learn from them and build your skills.
I stopped thinking negatively and I rose my self-awareness so high that I was able to pinpoint my weakness, strengths and thought patterns. I definitely learned a lot that I want to share with you in this post if you are currently building your online brand or plan to in the near future. This blog post will be an in depth guide based on my personal experiences, countless online courses and outside research so let’s get to it!
10 Things To Know To Confidently Start And Grow Your Online Brand Within Its First Year Of Launching
- Just start but don’t do it because having an online brand is trendy or you won’t last. It’s a lot of work to start a brand and it’s a lot of work to be consistent with it and you probably won’t be an overnight success. Not to be harsh but everything won’t go smoothly all the time. Especially in the beginning. Everyone won’t believe in you at first and you’ll have to push through a lot of limiting beliefs of your own. It will be a lot of mental, emotional and physical work so it has to be worth it and for the right reason. Know your why for starting your brand in the first place and always remember it. Especially when things get tough.
- Ideas vs. what you’re good at. Ideas are just ideas if you don’t have a plan. Everyone has dreams and goals but there’s the daydreamers and then there’s the go getters or as Jenna Kutcher says, “goal diggers.” I know how overwhelming it can be when you’re starting and trying to figure out how to make the most out of the many ideas you have. I wish I could help more but this part is so personal. You have to have some real self-reflection so you can not only hear but listen to what your heart is telling you to do. Then you zoom in onto it. Another thing you can do if you feel overwhelmed with ideas is to ask for feedback from the people who know you best- your friends and family. Ask them what they think you’re good at. No great at. So great that they come to you for advice about it. You probably already know it while you’re reading this. (Let me know if you want a blog post about finding your purpose!)
- It’s not enough just to plan. You have to execute. After you decide on your idea, you have to figure out what your next steps are to bring it to life. To give yourself an extra push, give yourself a deadline for each step or at least the first three steps so that you are making progress. Don’t get hung up on too many details or you’ll get stuck all over again. Progress over perfection!
- Knowing who your ideal follower/client/customer is will save you so much time and energy. You can’t be everything to everyone but you can be everything to a group of people who share the same interest as you. If you have the idea for your online brand, you should already know the interest of your audience. Now think about what kind of person(demographic) would have that interest and what problem you are helping them overcome. What is their main obstacle that’s preventing them from getting from point a to point b? What is their point a? What is their point b? Be as specific as possible.
- Find the balance between making content that you enjoy and what will help your audience. Embrace what makes you unique. Remember that you are the face of your brand. Especially since it is an online brand, you have to do a little more to stand out. You have to be open, relatable, vulnerable, and most important, enjoy the creation process from beginning to end. During the first few years of establishing your online brand, everything from brainstorming ideas to transforming them into content, to editing it to posting it and promoting it is all you. You have to be genuine about building your brand and be ready to work hard.
- Find the balance between having a brand identity but being open to trying new things. The key to growing your online brand is to know what resonates best with your audience and delivering it to them consistently. How will you know what resonates with your audience best? By showing up consistently, keeping track of your analytics and asking them. However, you shouldn’t change everything at once or you won’t know what works. You’ll never know what works until you start getting your content out there so get it out there! It’s all about knowing your brand identity so you can set yourself apart from everyone else in your niche). Your follower/audience should be able to recognize your content even if it’s not on your account. For example, on the She 3.0 Instagram page, I have highlights for each of my brand’s pillars. I also have a specific set of colors and fonts that I use consistently and my tone is always one of sincerity and empowerment.
- Find a way that is easiest for you to measure your KPIs. Getting to know what works comes from your audience but it also needs to be validated by numbers. You need to decide on what metrics mean brand growth and success to you (i.e. followers, reach, impressions, engagement %, click through rate, etc.). Then you need to decide on how you are going to measure those metrics (i.e. every 1st of the month, weekly, quarterly, etc.). Whatever it is, pick them and commit yourself to tracking it, a day to review them and adjust accordingly.
- Invest in yourself. Whether it be systems to help you plan content or build funnels, a person like a coach/mentor, or an online course or program, knowledge is power and sometimes the only way to get that is if you invest in yourself. In the beginning, I thought that I could get by and be successful on my own with what I knew. However that couldn’t be further from the truth. After talking to people who are where I want to be, I learned that that’s not the way. You don’t know it all. You never will but that’s a good thing so why not invest in yourself if it’ll help you learn more and grow?
- Be consistent. It’ll be fun and exciting in the beginning but there will come a time when you won’t feel so positive. There will be times when you feel unmotivated or overwhelmed. You may even ask yourself “what’s the point?” when you see that you aren’t getting support or growing as fast as you want to. Trust me when I say that people are watching. If you follow these tips and consistently show up online, you will attract your people. But only if you’re consistent! The reason why consistency is so important is that like wine, you get better with time. You start to get more comfortable with the process of creating so you get more confident in your skills. Thus providing better value in a way that is more you. That’s more natural and people love that!
- Be ready to put yourself out there. Surround yourself with people who are doing what you’re doing and/or where you want to be. I cannot stress to you how important this is! Starting your own online brand can be very isolating for a few reasons. For one, you’re physically isolated. For most of the time, it’ll be you, your phone and your laptop. Secondly, everyone you know won’t support you and third, you will feel like you’re talking a wall with a fresh account. Fourth, it pushes you to level up your mindset to be successful and then you’ll notice how many people around you that aren’t willing to do the same. Unfortunately not everyone you have in your life right now can continue this new chapter with you. That’s why you need to surround yourself with these type of people: 1) who are doing what you’re doing, 2) people who are where you want to be, 3) people who aren’t doing either but still support you no matter what. You deserve to feel supported to pursue your dreams and make a name for yourself. You deserve all the happiness and success so you don’t have the space or time for negativity! You will always feel motivated to show up and put your best foot forward if you do this.
If you are intentional about these 10 things, you will find the clarity you need to consistently build your online brand. You’ll also feel confident that you can make your brand the best it can be. I hope this post gave you insight and encouragement to grow your online brand in 2020. If you still don’t know where to start or need a more customized version of everything I mentioned above, my Instagram Audits may be perfect for you!
I would love to hear your feedback below so feel free to comment your questions, comments, and concerns and I’ll respond to them as soon as I can!
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