How to Build a Digital Killer Brand in 6 steps

Hello my fellow Digital Crusaders !

This is a pure “killer kontent” post, and that means

1) it took an insane amount of time to create

2) It’s essential knowledge that can take very far

If you want you to spread your digital influence, you need to become a killer-ass personal brand. It’s e-s-s-e-n-t-i-a-l.

Otherwise, why should people listen to you ? Why should they come to your online platform ? What makes you different ? TONS of stuff. You only have to learn some magic to crystallize it.

Start with these 6 steps:

1 – Become delusional

Listen, in the near future, you’ll vanish into stardust. Your memories, your glorious life – everything will be gone. Whooosh. Just like that.

I don’t know about you, but before my journey goes six feet under, I want to leave the world a bit more illuminated. You don’t have to be a Superstar to feel like one. Delusion has a negative flavor, but listen to any successful person on the planet, and you’ll find out: First, they had a delusion, and then, they had a solution. A passionate mind is the beginning of a killer digital career.

You have to believe that you…

• look way better than you do
• have irresistible charm
• will accomplish the most epic things ever

Before anyone else believes it, you have to believe it. If you don’t think your products and services are the best in the world, you are wasting our time. Most people tell you to be down-to-earth, but I disagree. Leave that to the moles. Instead, embrace your delusions and tell yourself :

If they can do it, I can do it, and I can do it better. I will get it done, no matter what.

2 – Get yourself a remarkable name

My mother’s an artist.

In the last decades, she wanted to build a remarkable brand with a kick-ass name. The mistake she made was that she listened to other people. She ended up keeping her “real” name (which she hates), and blew her chance of standing out. A boring name does massive damage, and my mom regrets that decision until today.  Don’t make this mistake.

If you don’t like your name, consider getting yourself a new one. Or make tiny changes to let it “dance” better on the tongue. Some people in the online world are blessed with unique names:

• Yaro Starak
• Gary Vaynerchuk
• Jade Craven

Others followed their inner desires, and recreated their online persona:

• Ze Frank ( Hosea Jan Frank )
• Perez Hilton ( Mario Armando Lavandeira Jr. )
• Xia Xue (Wendy Cheng)

They did the smart choice: if you don’t like your reality, create a better one.

80% of my name, Mars Dorian, is real. The rest is stylized, for branding purposes. Not everyone was blessed with a kick-ass name. Don’t let that get in you way: create your own, and become obsessed with it. It can take you far.

3 – Have the coolest intro ever

If you introduce your personal brand, how much do you have to write/talk ?

If it takes several minutes, you know something’s wrong. Become the person who has to pitch a movie concept in less than 30 seconds. Pretend that every human you talk to is a busy Hollywood producer – present your concept in the most compelling and concise way possible. Think about your personal mission, and crystallize. Check out the following intro from Danielle LaPorte:

“I’m Danielle LaPorte. You can find me at WhiteHotTruth.com where I write about self-realization and entrepreneurship. I’ve got a weekly commentator gig on CBC TV, and I advise entrepreneurs how to rock their careers in what I call ‘Fire Starter Sessions’, and I’m working on my next book.”

Brilliant.

4 – be super-specific first, go broader later

A few years ago, you could be as broad as a pancake: Internet Marketer, personal development blogger, make-money-online evangelist etc.

All of these brand titles were in high demand.

But that shtick doesn’t work anymore. If you are internet marketer number 299,977 and you present yourself like that, you are a drop on a hot stone. Whoshhh (the sound of water vaporizing !)

Every famous niche is over-crowded nowadays. People are searching more and more for specifics:

Old: how to make money online

New: how to make money with affiliates

Old: How improve your life

New: How to increase your focus

Stand out in a popular niche by owning a very specific part of it.

If you are in the personal-development world, go for the “Focus Bringer”, or the “Feel Good Girl” rather then the self-help coach. Ok, not the most creative, but you get the idea.

The bigger your influence grows, the more you can do. Start owning a very specific part of a popular niche, and expand with your influence. Seth Godin started as a product marketer, and now he can do ANYTHING.

5 – Link a strong feeling to your brand

Nathan Hangen told me that he gets an Angels and Airwaves / 30 seconds to Mars feeling when he enters my blog.

That’s awesome, because those bands stand for an epic, space-ish revolutionary-call-to-action style which I want to create as well.

Grrreat Digital Crusaders with an awesome brand have their own “world” – a platform that evokes a specific feeling in the reader:

• Chris Guillebeau: Rebellious non-conformist living. I feel like Indiana Jones joining an exciting adventure.
• Everett Bogue: Clear, and carefree minimalistic lifestyle. Pure serenity.

Question: What feeling do you want your readers/clients to experience with your brand ? Whatever it may be, deliver that by

a) your design

b) your writings / videos

6  – Spread your influence

I have said before, and I say it again. Networking is the alpha and omega of your digital crusade. Remember the phrase: Build it and they will come ?

Whoever coined that line was taking the wrong pills. You know you have to go out there. I know someone who hates networking, and I just wrinkle my brow. Unless you produce epic content that people MUST spread like wildfire, you HAVE to connect with the good peeps. Concentrate on key figures and movers first. They are a lot of nice people out there, but not everyone deserves equal attention. Some of them just chat and chat and chat and chat, without moving forward. Avoid those.

And here’s another danger: I know some people who are building kick-ass relationships and write guest posts for big blogs, but their content is only “solid”. They won’t skyrocket, at least not in this lifetime. Give yourself an edge first, and spread your message later.

Essence

The cool thing is: all of those tactics are free. The only thing you need is a voracious appetite and the will to power. Everyone who has the desire can spread their influence by building a kick-ass brand.