How to Make 2022 the Year That Launches Your Business Into the Stratosphere
Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’ve heard that record numbers of people are quitting their jobs and starting their own businesses.
It’s yet to be seen fully what this shift will mean for the global economy, but it’s already becoming onerous for established companies.
Talent is in short supply, and applicants can pick and choose their opportunities. So how can you position your company to reach the highest end of the market in 2022? What steps can you take that will set your organization apart from the competition, attract top people, and build your authority as the best in your industry?
You might be surprised by the answer: Elevate your brand.
As a leading strategist in luxury marketing and branding, I’ve taught countless entrepreneurs and business owners to create powerful personal brands and position their companies as niche-dominators.
And I can tell you that all of my clients were able to navigate economic flux and thrive simply by elevating their positioning, messaging, and values. Especially when it comes to attracting and retaining talent, compelling brands always win. So if you’re looking to make 2022 a banner year for your business, here are my two top tips for elevating your brand.
Be in a class of one 🏆
Before we dive into strategies, a quick note on the term “brand.” Your business brand will include things like a logo, a tagline, and the right colors, but it must go much deeper. When I talk about branding, I mean everything that your company stands for and how you present those core beliefs to the world. Branding is how your organization looks and sounds in public, how your leaders express their ideas and passions, and the values that sit at the foundation of your work. A strong brand is woven into everything from product packaging to internal hiring policies, and that holds true for companies of five and companies of 5,000 alike.
Now, there are a million businesses and brands out there, and there are just as many marketing techniques to help you amplify your brand. When you’re similar to every other business model in your market space, standing out becomes difficult. Most businesses share a marketing proposition with their competitors and when they develop their marketing, they try to clearly define what differentiates their offering, and why they are the best choice for a set target audience. Their entire brand stance is grounded in comparison.
Which is why I insist that all of my clients approach branding as if they are the only ones on the playing field — the only option worth considering.
An elevated brand has zero competition and exists in a category of one. (Or if it’s in a category of multiples, then it is sitting at the absolute top of that niche.) In order to build a brand that will launch your business into the stratosphere, it’s crucial that you embrace your status as the unmatched best. Revise your messaging to leverage this status into a statement about the paradigm you’re shifting. Talk about the revolution you’re leading, the concepts you’re pioneering, the marvelous world that your company is actively creating. This works online and offline — and you’ll be surprised how quickly name recognition takes hold once you embrace this iconic branding strategy.
Pursue your ideal clients 🎁
At my agency, Icons Incorporated, we have a proprietary marketing system called hypertargeting. It’s a set of strategies that’s very, very precise in identifying and then marketing to your ideal clients. Naturally, I can’t give away all of my secrets, but I’ll give you the gist because hypertargeting is the absolute best way to elevate your brand and business in a single, fantastically effective move.
Think about who your absolute ideal client is, where they are, what motivates them, what are their deepest desires? Do the forensic research you need to truly understand them. And then, crucially, find out where they are spending their time … and be there.
For some of my clients, this means traveling somewhere to be at an event and make sure that they meet a specific founder, CEO, or high-level buyer; finding out when an influencer or potential business partner is speaking or accepting an award; or researching conferences they attend or sponsor. And yes, that is incredibly intentional.
But at the same time, it allows them to shortcut a lot of slow and ineffective digital outreach. Once you’ve identified an ideal client and researched them enough to know what they like and where they’ll be, your next step should be to connect with them in person. Not join a Facebook group that they frequent and attempt to create some tenuous online connection by commenting on their posts.
Of course if you want to intentionally market to someone then yes, go follow them, understand them, figure out who they are as a digital presence on social media. But also find a shortcut to working with them more quickly. If you want to align with someone, to create a partnership, or to work with them as a hand-picked client, don’t be passive. Don’t sit back and wait for them to respond to an email or a DM.
Hypertargeting positions you to pick and choose the clients that you would like to work with, and confidently secure their support. Hand-selecting a core group of clients you want to work with at the highest level instantly up-levels your work and your brand.
How will these two strategies help you recruit brilliant employees and keep them happy? Well, the best and brightest talent isn’t going to apply to mid-level organizations. They’ll seek out the top players, and if you position yourself as absolutely peerless, they’ll see you as an appealing option.
When you embrace hypertargeting and become completely intentional about your business partners and clients, make that part of your messaging. This strategy tells potential applicants that your company doesn’t mess about with mediocre outreach tactics; that you aim for and secure the crème de la crème of clientele. Once again, you tell those applicants that working for you means doing world-changing work with top-notch people.
There’s no doubt that 2022 will hold some challenges to businesses of all types, but the ones who commit to elevating their brands will hold a distinct advantage. When you claim your space at the very top, you finally see the big picture clearly. And it becomes much, much easier to steer the company toward unprecedented success.
This expert produced this original thought leadership piece free of charge to SheVentures. This expert values educating female entrepreneurs and the SheVentures community. SheVentures is not receiving affiliate compensation from the author/expert. Questions? Contact social@sheventurespodcast.com.
