From Individual To Empire:
A Guide to Building an Authentic and Powerful Brand
REDEFINE THE TERM "INFLUENCER"
The term, as it is used now in modern marketing circles, is too narrow of a scope. In reality, we must redefine the term to be able to accurately quantify the validity of your business both online and offline
LEARN THE POSITIVE PSYCHOLOGY TOOLS NEEDED TO SUSTAIN YOUR BRAND FOR YEARS TO COME
The 5 P's of a Successful Influencer will not only teach you how to thrive as an entrepreneur, but will also show you which traits you should infuse into the brand itself in order to create authenticity.
UNCOVER THE POWER OF YOUR NARRATIVE
Understand the root of narratives, how they affect your brand, the dance between your private and public narratives, and how different types of bad narratives could be developed over time, all in order to protect your investment.
STEP BY STEP EXERCISES TO DISCOVER YOUR PERSONALIZED BRAND MATRIX
Each chapter includes exercises and action steps to move your brand forward in an authentic and competitive way. From pinpointing your target audience, to identifying the unique traits that stand out from the competition, the brand matrix Venn diagram will provide the focus you need to create a clear brand statement.
Author Laura Bull draws from years of professional experience to offer aspiring readers expert tips on establishing and expanding their brands and influence. With frequent references to stars, moguls, and entrepreneurs, Bull provides a fun and engaging reading experience, while laying out clear steps and smart strategies for readers to achieve their goals on their own terms. Bull's tone is professional, yet conversational. The author recognizes her audience, and provides them with a straightforward, assertive, and sometimes humorous narrative approach to the topic. While other titles may tackle the idea of branding, Bull livens it up with vivid examples, psychological insights, and quick-witted prose. Bull contextualizes the concept of a "brand" in a manner that is insightful and surprising. Using real-world examples, she urges readers to think about their own unique talents and contributions in order to most authentically present their product to the world.
In this debut manual, a marketing expert explores the process of creating an authentic brand and becoming a powerful influencer.
Bull spent a decade in the marketing and artist development department of Sony Music before leaving to help independent artists build their own brand identities. Drawing on her experience collaborating with musicians like Carrie Underwood and Johnny Cash, she shows readers in this guide how to use positive psychology principles as well as tried-and-true branding strategies to become strong influencers. While she worked primarily with musicians, this book will be useful for politicians, social media influencers, authors, and even entrepreneurs trying to build followings for their brick-and-mortar businesses. Using “macro-influencers” like Ellen DeGeneres, Martha Stewart, and Beyoncé as case studies, Bull walks readers through these “brands” and how they became so dominant. There is a wealth of helpful information here, like the “Five Ps of Successful Influencers”: passion, perseverance, positivity, purpose, and power. The author shares a “brand matrix” and tells readers how to employ it, utilizing Taylor Swift and Kanye West as examples. The author also discusses brands that tried to transfer consumers’ feelings about a product to another item with disastrous results. For instance, when Sarah Jessica Parker entered into an advertising campaign with Gap in the early 2000s when she was known for the daring outfits her character Carrie Bradshaw wore on Sex and the City, sales tanked. Bull mostly cites macro-influencers with huge followings like Oprah Winfrey and Reese Witherspoon in her examples. The inclusion of a few case studies of artists who have built successful brands on the micro-influencer level would have improved the book. Still, readers who are interested in expanding their influence will discover something valuable in this manual. Helpful exercises provided at the end of some chapters ask readers to define and clearly articulate their brands.
An indispensable guide to building an authoritative brand for budding influencers.
Bought this gift for an entrepreneur friend of mine who also specializes in branding. She absolutely loves it and said it's incredibly insightful.
Reading this was like talking to a knowledgeable friend looking to help you grow and avoid pitfalls along the way. I appreciated her candor. Easy read. Great insight.
This is a wonderful book with a lot of great tips! Well worth the money!