Launching a rocket requires considerable effort. If you consider the tremendous gravitational pull of the earth, you wonder how it ever gets off the ground.
Your brand worldwide
Thinking about putting your personal brand on the global map? It can take a considerable effort but if you decide to chart the course, and plot an explicit direction for your brand, it’s going to position you way ahead of the pack.
One of the best examples of a trajectory visual? Raymond Loewy, the creative genius and father of industrial design once said, “The most beautiful curve is a rising sales graph.” (FYI Your brand trajectory wants to be constantly on the rise.)
So how do you chart a trajectory for your personal brand that’s going to stand out and get noticed? Start planning, start plotting the steps and be willing to take the time to make corrective actions along the way. One of the key things, however, is preparing to shift your mindset into high gear. Take a look at these nine pointers to get your brain on the trajectory job:
1. Look Around Get your bearings. Before you even start thinking about catapulting your brand, you have to know exactly where you’re standing, and then decide where you want to go. There’s nothing quite like a starting point and a destination point to get you into position.
2. Be Big, Bold, and Brave In an over-saturated marketplace, you want (need) your brand to soar above the rest of the crowd. Focus on what makes you unique, irresistible, and indispensable. P.S. Being the bold ‘provocateur’ adds an unexpected ingredient. Dare to be brave.
3. Intention What is your real intention behind your brand? Define your ultimate goal. Where do you want to land? Creating a brand that reflects how you truly think, act, feel, and communicate is the emotional glue that will bind you and your audience for a long time.
4. Peripheral Vision The ability to see outside the lines of sight is critical. It helps to shift your perspective, and brings compassion and a heightened sensitivity to creating a rocket brand. (What’s your intuition telling you about your brand?)
5. Clarity Know what’s meaningful and be willing to articulate your core values. What does your brand stand for? How do you want others to perceive your brand? Plotting your brand trajectory involves letting others know that ‘you are who you say you are.’
6. Passion You know when your heart isn’t with the program 100%. If you’re feeling half-hearted about any aspect around putting your brand on the map, go back to the drawing board or reach out for a bit of help and mentoring. If there’s a time for honesty and transparency, then this is it.
7. Make No Assumptions Be informed. There is an overload of information available. Are you plotting your course from an informed point of view? There’s no longer any excuse for being uniformed.
8. Evaluate, Evaluate, and Evaluate Track your progress. You can tell when you’re off course. This is about making continual adjustments and re-examining everything you’re doing. Make it a habit.
9. Curiosity and Willingness The desire to be curious and willing keeps you on your toes, alert to new opportunities as they appear right in front of you – and then, the inclination to act on them. Stay alert on this trajectory. If you’re not paying attention, you’ll go off course.
If you need a dose of inspiration to get you started on plotting your brand trajectory, I’d suggest getting your hands on Tony Hseih’s book, Delivering Happiness: A Path to Profits, Passion and Purpose. As CEO of Zappos, his company makes Fortune magazine’s annual “Best Companies to Work For” list. What’s inspiring? His Zappos Mission and their Core Values Document is all about how to live and deliver WOW. I call that a brand on a powerful trajectory.
WOW!
Author:
Mary van de Wiel is best known for her global expertise when it comes to coaxing out the real power in brands to dramatically increase sales. Van is founder and Creative Director of ZingYourBrand.com. She is the author of soon-to-be-published Dead Brand Walking: A Brand Therapist’s Viewpoint. Follow her on Twitter
