Business and Marketing Tips

sabrinas 14

Sabrina’s 14 Business Tips for 2014

This year I’ll be sharing a few of my “secrets to success” and sharing my personal business planning and vision board tips.

Let’s start with my 14 business planning tips:

Unsubscribe: Get to your mailbox and click “unsubscribe” on emails you don’t read!
Brag Sheet: Type out a sheet of your accomplishments for 2013. Wow, you did a lot!
What Worked: Make a note of things that worked for you in 2013 and repeat!
What Didn’t Work: Make a short list of what didn’t work and remove it from your plan.
Read: Take a few hours and read industry articles to get ahead of the curve!
Plan New Offerings: Research and decide what you will offer in 2014.
Review Your Website: Slowly go through your website like a stranger and take notes for changes.
Hire a Web Girl: Hire someone to make your website changes.
Review Your Social Bio: Review all of your social networks and update your bio on each site.
Marketing Plan 2014: Make a quick marketing plan for each month of the year.
Blogging for your Business: Write down 12 blog post titles that align with your monthly marketing plan.
Your Training: Find a few webinars, conferences or events to enhance your skills.
Build Your Tweethearts: Nurture your brand evangelists who will always share your info and do the same for them!
Business Vision Board: Make a business vision board and watch your successful year unfold!

Bonus: Download my free business planning worksheets (click on picture):

I hope you love my personal list of how I get ready for each new year. What do you think?

Make An Impression.
Sabrina Espinal
Sabrina&Company Marketing

It’s not only celebrities who have their own personal brand. As the world gets increasingly more social, it’s essential for everyone to take branding into consideration. Just like products and services, your personal brand tells everybody about your unique characteristics. Here’s why it’s so important to consider.

Branding Builds Trust

When you’ve successfully built a personal brand, your people will better understand why you do what you do. This engenders trust and credibility, which are both essential. When people know and trust you, they’re more comfortable dealing with you and more likely to buy your products or services.

The Real You

On social media, everybody loves people who are ‘real.’ They’re not into the sales talk or corporate image. Branding tells people not just what you do but what you stand for, which is even more important. Your brand vision is what stays in people’s minds, not the specific goods that you offer.

Perceived Value

People respond emotionally to brands, much more so than to products or benefits. When you’re well-branded, you have a name in your industry. You’re seen as a key player and this raises your value in your customers’ eyes. This also means you can charge more for your services.

Your Edge

Your personal brand helps you showcase the unique things that you offer. No one can compete with your unique natural qualities. Branding helps you carve out your own special niche in the marketplace.

Image Control

You’ve got a personal brand whether you realize it or not. Your personal brand is your reputation. Are you in control of it? When you handle your own branding, you can take control. This allows you to better deal with attacks or negative comments about you.

Build a Buzz

If you brand well, you can get a buzz going. Your name gets passed around by your happy customers and fans, and this means that you get more business through referrals. Branding has a kind of snowball effect if you do it right.

Job Security

Job security is almost non-existent today and your personal brand protects you against economic problems. Even if you work for a big corporation, you’re a company of one. And, just like a company of many, your branding keeps you alive. If you’re a freelancer, it’s a key element to survival.

How do you get started building your own brand? A good place to start is to look at other successful personal brands in your industry. What sets them apart? What’s their brand message? How do you feel about them? Look at all of the different ways they create their personal brand. Then work on creating your own unique voice and personal brand. It’s never about envy, it’s always about defining and being you.

Make An Impression.

Sabrina&Company Marketing
Sabrina Espinal