Lately, I’ve been thinking of branding and one appeal to blogging is that you don’t have to show your face or even your name. This topic can be deep, which was one of the reasons I wanted to talk about it.
It’s better to use your real name with blogging and be real, but you can use a fake name and not show your face.
Keep reading and I’ll share 2 ways to get noticed in our crazy times, the one thing that is preventing you from making BIG money, The one thing you can do to make a lasting impression, and 1 way to land right hooks!
Digging for Gold?
Marketing is somewhat similar to mining for gold right? Instead of sifting through rocks, you are sifting through people.
There is a great story about someone going west in the U.S. with a pick and shovel to look for gold. One day after lots of work he found GOLD.
Getting all excited he goes and finances “all kinds” of equipment. With this equipment he was able to get a WHOLE car of gold, then his hopes get really high. A few more cars and it will pay for all this equipment, but the next drill came up with nothing.
He kept drilling and looking, but found no more gold. Finally, he quits and sells the equipment for next to nothing. The guy who purchased the equipment called in an expert to look at the mine.
The expert explains the vein would be found 3 feet from where the drill stopped. The second guy took millions of dollars because he got expert help and he went deep.
The Money is going deep!
Not just with marketing, but in developing Daaps for crypto, real estate, or ANY skill there is more money in going deep rather than shallow.
Branding really is JUST going deep.
If you look at VERY successful marketers such as Kim Kardashian she goes deep because MANY people can connect with her.
She shows you her life and she opens up right? This is one reason she is worth SO much money! By going deep she is able to make a bigger impact on other people’s lives and this impact justifies her salary.
You could say a Brand is just the impact something has had on your life. Big brand is big impact, little brand is little impact!
How do you go Deep?
Another fantastic marketer is Gary Vee and he wrote a great book called Jab, jab, jab Right Hook. The jab means to give and the right hook is to ask.
All the jabs do is build up his brand, so it’s easier for him to get a yes when he asks. He basically guilt trips people to doing business with him.
He thinks more long-term rather than shallow and this is one reason he is worth SO much money. Also, he comes across very real and genuine and this helps his brand.
Can you go deep if you don’t use your real name?
If you’re shallow on your name, (not using your real one) then it’s sort of hard to go deep right? By the very nature, it’s a little shallow.
Do you know ANY successful marketers who don’t use their real name? I really can’t think of any!
You could also look at going deep with another “great” book by Russel Bruson called Internet Marketing Secrets!
I think that one of the BEST ways to go deep is to be genuine yourself and this helps other people open up and this helps to go deep in their heart (sounds cheezy, I know). People don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care!
In a world where MORE and more people are being fake, being MORE real is only going to help your brand and earn you more money in the long run. I’m not saying I’m Mr. perfect on this, but it’s something I’m thinking about.
Now, you can choose what you want to share with people, I know Gary Vee doesn’t even show pictures of his family.
Is Blogging Going Deep?
I got started (a very LONG time ago) marketing products door-to-door then over the phone and then the internet. With the Internet, I started with article marketing and promoting affiliate offers. Then I moved into a horrible blog (I didn’t know what I was doing) then I went to Youtube and now I’m back to “mostly” blogging.
There is a lot of GREAT things about a blog
For starters, it’s a jumping-off-platform. You can take portions of your blog and “easily” make a Youtube video. You can also take the sound from your Youtube video to make a podcast (which I used to do).
You OWN the blog and there is a lot of cool stuff you can do with it (like ads). Blogging is almost like fishing in a different pond than Youtubers or social media.
The coolest part is blogging can be less crowded depending on what you blog about!
I do think that there is something about video especially (live video) that is going to allow you to connect with someone deeper. Why not start with a blog and then when the time is right do both?
It’s hard to ignore the power of video, and I’m using video to promote my blog. If I had to start all over again I would start HERE, which is the fundamentals.
Getting Your foot in the Door?
Before you build a brand (image) it does help to get your foot in the door. This can be challenging because there are a thousand things fighting for your attention.
When it comes to a brand it does help to have an enemy. Dave Ramsey’s enemy is dept, and Robert Kiyosaki is the school system.
Having some controversy does help get noticed. You could also look into the book Differentiate or Die and that is great for getting attention.
If everyone zigs you zag oh and that is the title of another book right?
Making a Lasting Impression?
Getting your foot in the door is a good thing, but we want MORE right? We want to make a lasting impression. One way to create a lasting impression is to be yourself.
When Sam Walton (founder of Walmart) lost a bet he went to the New York Stock Exchange, with a Hula Hoop and full Hawaiin Gear.
Of course, there was a FULL T.V. crew and other dancers to squeeze in the embarrassment.
Another example would be the Youtuber Is it worth a buy who sometimes puts in a picture of Tommy Lee Jones in his videos. This is just him and it works for his brand.
Maybe you have a Youtube channel that is black and white such as Jocko Willink or maybe you’re the enemy of using custom thumbnails for your videos.
Another example is maybe your blog has random words that are ALL capitals, which I enjoy doing. You could use your own photos to be yourself (I need to work on this part).
The Right Hook Struggle?
For myself, I didn’t have a problem with jabs and giving away free stuff (I was too nice). My problem was the right hook and asking for something. Kids have NO problem asking for stuff, but sometimes adults don’t want to because we are too proud right?
What is crazy is there is a way to land the right hook which is VERY fun for you and the reader. What is very interesting is you can be VERY creative with the right hook (yea have FUN asking someone for money).
It’s one of the MOST valuable skills I think a marketer can learn how to do. It’s almost like a guy asking a girl out. Sure, you can be nice but eventually, the guy has to make a move right?
That move is the right hook, asking for someone’s business, promoting an affiliate offer, or asking someone on a date. If you’re struggling with this like me then I think this link HERE may help you a lot. He is one of the BEST copywriters I’ve seen, so I only think it’s going to help you.
If anything it will give you MORE options on how to ask for business, and you can use these unique ideas or not (This taps into the power you already have).
I hope this blog post on should I blog with my real name was helpful. Bye for now.