Branding: From Technogeek To Internet Superstar
January 7, 2008
Improving your branding can transform the average business overnight. And that’s something we all want to do. But, how do you go about it?
Well, Neil Patel recently did one simple thing and dramatically improved his branding overnight. I’d seen Neil around before – mostly when he was guest blogging for Shoemoney. And some of his posts were quite interesting, but I never felt inspired to visit Neil’s own blog after reading them. The reason was simple – Neil came across as a bit of a technogeek (sorry Neil) so I thought his blog would be full of technogeek type posts too (I was wrong wrong wrong) – and that was a big turnoff.
But, Neil had one small thing that would propel him from technogeek to Internet Superstar overnight: A black American Express card. And he blogged about it. Now, you can read Neil’s post about the card here, and the amazing benefits you can have, if you’re one of the privileged few who own one.
Basically – you have to pay an upfront fee of $7500 to get the card, and you also have to spend at least $250,000 a year on it. But, what amazed many people was the fact that Neil is so great at what he does – Internet Consultancy – that AffiliatePrograms.com pick up the tab for all his American Express card fees and also the entire bill.
And given that Neil is only 21 – that revelation attracted the attention of a lot of bloggers.
So how can you use what Neil did to improve your own branding?
Brainstorm like mad – Do you have something unique, or have you done something that other bloggers would be keen to know about? Very few bloggers are likely to have a black American Express card, but many would love to have one – especially if someone else was footing the bill.
Do you have something that would involve other companies who would also be happy to spread the word? Obviously, Affiliates.com and American Express are going to be loving Neil right now, and I should imagine they’ll be only too happy to help him spread the story.
Will your story enhance your branding? Think carefully here. Neil chose his story with care. He picked something which would enhance his image, and raise his profile within his industry. Becoming the new face of Viagra for example, might have sparked a lot of talk, but would not have had the same effect.
So, are you hoping to improve your branding this year? Where are you going to start? Have you noticed others who have done something similar to Neil and created a great impact? How did they do it?
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Cool post!
to get a company to comp the $7500 entrance fee and to have a $250k expense account…the guy must know what he is talking about as companies don’t invest unless they think that they will get an ROI!
OMG. I can’t believe reading this post and Neil’s that I actually want another credit card. It just goes to prove the old VIP marketing technique. If you make it exclusive and hard to get or into, people want it more…
RacerX – it’s an amazing perk isn’t it? And he’s so young – it’s great.
AdvertiseSpace – That is so true. There seems to be no limit on what you can charge if you have an exclusive and limited product and target the right market. Now, I’m going to be up all night thinking of possibilities!
And I just realised something really funny. I clicked on your profile and thought I was having deja vu. Then I realised it’s because you are included in tomorrows post, which I had already written!
People buy people.
So when you see stuffy web-site which drones on about the product and uses the word “we” an awful lot, it’s a real turn off.
Getting your picture on your site/blog I think helps people relate alot more.
On a more personal blog I have, it amazes me how many people click the profile. Far more than on the business blog. But it’s still a very high percentage.
But I find myself doing that when I’m considering a supplier. I go to their site, and I feel drawn to the “About Us” and “Meet The Team” sections.
I know branding is a far bigger topic than this, but you can’t go far wrong by telling people a little more about you. People often define a business and its branding – particularly small businesses rather than pretty faceless blue-chips (the Bransons of this world apart!).
We’ve just won our biggest ever contract. And 95% of the decision I belive was down to the client liking our honest, self-deprecating profiles on the site where we poke fun at ourselves!
I didn’t just know this from the web-stats and tracking the IPs and where he’d clicked the linked-in profile – but because he told us.
And don’t forget photos!
Ian – that is so true. People don’t want a bunch of faceless chauvenists in suits – they want real people.
I think your videos are great and I’m not surprised you got the contract. You’ll get even more when Steve does the Madonna thing. Did he agree to it yet?
You are v right about pics. I have hesitated about putting one on – I hate having my pic taken – they always come out so bloody awful. However, I must admit that I only been self conscious about it since having this scar. However, I’ve promised myself that I will put a pic on the blog sometime this month.
And the about me section was a real revelation. For ages I didn’t have one at all. It didn’t occur to me that people would read it – then I probably wrote too much, so I’ve cut it down a bit more.
I’ve sometimes considered the ethics of letting myself be bought—and if having any ads on my blog is essentially the same thing. Haven’t really come up with an answer…I suppose it would depend on who’s doing the buying.
Catherine,
That’s a great story about Neil, and what appears to be instant status for him. Although his post was quite lengthy, it held my interest, to the end.
Isn’t it amazing how we judge others by our first impression? From that, I think we can learn that we, too, are being judged, and our blogs are the first impression others have of us. Although photos of the author can be important, I do think, the appearance of your blog, and what you say, hold more weight. The author could be a real beauty, or handsome Joe, but if what they say doesn’t make sense, or isn’t accurate information, no amount of photos will keep a readers attention (there are exceptions, but we are speaking of reputable sites).
Like you Catherine, I have been contemplating adding a photo to my about page. Ironically, my about page rarely gets a hit on my other blog (which has higher traffic), but on my blogging blog, the hits are more constant. To me, that tells me that my audiences are different…e.g. bloggers are more inquisitive. You think?
Barbara – that is so true. And in the blogosphere – everything is so fast, that we tend to make these judgements in split seconds.
I think you may be right about bloggers being more inquisitive. In the blogging community, we get a glimpse of a facet of each persons life.
It’s a bit like a novel really – as the story unravels, we get to know a bit more about the character. And sometimes, our obsession with needing to know more keeps us up all night, until we’ve read the whole book.
Mrs M – good point. I think it would certainly depend on what you were promoting on your blog. I couldn’t recommend something that I wouldn’t use myself.
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