One of the things I love the most about the idea of working with personal brands is that they’re… people. We follow, get inspired by, and learn from people, not companies. People have values.
When I think about my own purchasing behavior, I buy from companies out of convenience, not loyalty. But personal brands, I buy out of a combination of:
- affinity – appreciation for their understanding of my headspace
- gratitude – for their contributions to solving a problem I have (typically with their content)
- patronage – a desire to support what they’re about over the long haul
For me, these add up to loyalty and referrals.
For those with a personal brand, the compound effect of long-term loyalty is the single strongest driver of wealth.
You earn a follower once and then you keep them by consistently showing up, providing expertise, continuing to grow a body of work, helping them in their lifelong journey around a shared goal around some subject matter expertise.