I’ve wailed the last two days about the trap of personal branding.

The type that has you over-invest in looking the part, rather than simply sampling your expertise.

The alternative, an insights-led strategy, is nothing to be afraid of — it’s just content marketing.

Nearly every company with an online presence plays in this space.

But don't let the popularity of the approach scare you away from it.

Just keep in mind two critical factors:

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1. The obvious one: Differentiation

You know this one already.

If your insights sound like everyone else's, you might as well sit it out.

Some ways to heighten your differentiation?

• Personalize your posts and emails through the lens of your unique background
• Speak from the heart in first person rather than in generic platitudes
• Don’t shy away from strong opinions, even those against the grain

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2. The often forgotten one: Attribution

How many interesting things have you seen on LinkedIn this week?

Do you remember who said any of them?

One of the potholes in an insights-driven marketing approach is what I’ll call the ‘orphaned insight’ problem.

Brilliant insight. No owner.

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Just because it’s published on social sites doesn’t mean your audience will remember that you were the one who said it.

You more likely received a 2-second impression as they scrolled through their feed on autopilot.

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Some tips for improving insight attribution:

Create and use your own memorable language

• I just made up the term ‘orphaned insight’, but I suspect you'll remember it. And when you hear it again, you’ll remember it was me.

Visualize your insights

• A simple drawing or framework can create a lasting impression and stronger link back to you
• Good visual assets tend to ‘travel’, so wordmark them with your name or website so people can find their way back when they do

Run it again

• Seeing something a second time, or third or fourth, reminds folks, “Oh yeah, I saw that before. Now I remember who said it.”
• Scared of seeming too repetitive? Remember, the whole world doesn’t see each piece of your content. And most that do don’t retain it.
• The slight risk of annoyance is far outweighed by the reinforced ownership of your ideas

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There’s an old quote, “Faith without works is dead.”

Well, similarly, insights without attribution are wasted.

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By the way, who wrote that ‘faith’ quote? 🤔

See? Poor attribution.

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💡

-Wes

P.S. NEW PILOT IN APRIL: Struggling to convey your expertise to your prospects? Would visual assets elevate your marketing & sales game?

As a sister-offering to NicheFinder, I'm piloting an IP Builder sprint in mid-April.

3 sessions. 1:1 to convert your expertise into a set of lightbulb-inducing 'intellectual headshots' that instantly demonstrate your authority to your prospects instantly and accelerate your sales cycle.

I have a few folks eagerly enrolled already, and am looking for a few more.

​Sign up here to receive more details!