Read this if you are a brand representative!
Do you love it when you discover something awesome online? Well, miss Introvert over here surely l-o-v-e-s it! I get a small digital high whenever I find something that speaks to me.
And speaking of online experiences: as of March 1st, C&A is expanding their online experience with an online store that ships also to Romania. This is after another good move by the brand, just after launching a sustainable collection under #WearTheChange.
Now you may ask: How do you know this and why is this relevant?
Am I stalking their site? No.
Am I a very frequent customer? No. Actually, the last thing I bought from them was a nice hat, some unknown time ago.
Am I being paid to tell you about it? No! Trust me, this post is as real as it gets because there’s something we can all learn from it.
Let me get to the point: I know this because I am following their brand PR representative on Instagram: Emanuel Iuhas.
And this is a great example of a principle that I am a huge ambassador of: If you want to make your business brand successful, cultivate your personal brand.
Getting back to this example: Emanuel Iuhas simply posts great content which I like to consume, hence I am following him on Instagram. He showcases men’s fashion and I actually look at his profile whenever I need to shop for my boyfriend.
If you want to make your business brand successful, cultivate your personal brand.
But what I appreciate about him is the way he’s building his personal brand. He’s extremely focused and consistent in his communication and I can tell you from the top of my head the main 4 (only 4!!!!) themes he talks about on social media. Those are fashion, his work at C&A, wellness and family life.
Why should you care? Well, honey if you want to build an online influence for yourself or for your brand, there’s something you can learn here. Heck, there’s something I learned here!
Free download: Instagram introductory guide. The simple things that helped me build my following.
What Emanuel communicates is that perfect mix of work, personal branding, and personal aspects. The reason this mix is absolutely great is that: it delivers value to the audience, it legitimizes him through his work, but it also helps others relate to him on a human level and form a somewhat personal relationship.
From an influencer perspective, it’s the perfect mix!
And from a business perspective, it’s also the perfect mix.
Why? Well getting back to my example with C&A, only through the fact that I like his personal content am I up to date with the brand that he is representing. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have a clue that we can now order online at C&A.
What also makes a big difference here is that me and Emanuel cheer for each other the social space. But get this: we never ever met real life. He interacts with my Instagram content and also mailed me this nice box that I could only have shared in my InstaStories if I wanted to be fair.
But the fact that he created a positive experience for me around his personal brand made me also remember the content he shares.
And moreover, and most importantly, this also made me extrapolate that positive feeling towards the business brand that he’s representing.
I am very much aware that you may know this principle from a theoretical perspective.
But you may think it only applies to others. Or you may have forgotten about the importance of you fostering memorable, positive online interactions as you are busy with getting things done day-by-day.
So here are your top 3 nuggets of wisdom from this story, which you can start applying for yourself right now:
- People connect with people, not brands. So if you are a brand representative, your ongoing presence and ambassadorship will create the biggest difference. Don’t just be the person behind the scenes doing the work. Stand up and show up, make yourself visible.
- People might hit that Follow button for the nice piece of content, but they will remember you because of those personal details that you share. And if you are a business owner, it’s easy to side slip and talk all the time about your business. But if you sprinkle authentic, personal posts, you will create in turn an authentic and personal relationship with your audience.
- As a cautionary note: this goes both ways and negative experiences with the people representing your brand will have a negative impact on your brand too. A brand is represented by the people representing that brand, so make sure the interactions those people (including yourself) foster in the online space are great.
Now, tell me: how will you make your personal (or business) brand more memorable?
