Seth Price, whom many of you know, is a leading expert in Personal Branding. With the launch of his book coming up, now is the perfect time to share this great piece of content he and his co-author Barry Feldman created! For the A-Zs of personal branding, keep reading below:

Personal Branding: A-Z

26 milestones on the road to recognition 

Who knows your name? The answer is all-important to your professional success.

Your personal brand is the engine of your career. It’s fueled by the content you publish and the things you do. Recognition ignites it.

Ready to rev it up? Here are your keys:

A – Is for authenticity. Understand your brand’s all about the real you. You, my friend, you are a brand. Anything other than the real you won’t do. Discover exactly what makes you fascinating. Build your brand on your true strengths and allow it to navigate your road to recognition.

B – Is for blog. Build your personal brand with a blog. Publish your point of view. The most important personal branding development in the age of digital media is the power to publish at will and express your ideas. Start a blog and keep building on it.

C – Is for content. Create content to connect with your target audience. Valuable content has magnetic power. On your blog – or in addition to it – create an interesting mix of content in various formats to earn the mindshare and trust your brand needs.

D – Is for design. Design a smart and stylish identity. Look good. Everything you create should be presented with class and continuity. Develop a tasty logo, colour palette, and design standards that reflect well on your brand.

E – Is for email. Establish and expand a list of email subscribers. Own an audience Email is your ace, the money medium. It’s private, permission-based and pervasive. Commit to developing an email list and using it to nurture relationships with your subscribers.

F – Is for followers. Grow a following and lead the conversion. New Media is a two-way street. You can’t have a brand without an audience. Social media makes it possible to develop a tribe of followers – like-minded people with common interests – you’ll aim to educate and inspire.

G – Is for Google. Assess how the world sees you. Search yourself. Think of goggle as the business card the entire world has instant access to. You need to “Google yourself,” evaluate the results and create and execute a plan to look good in the eyes of the searcher.

H – Is for helping. Offer what you can, whenever you can. Put goodwill to work. Don’t wait for opportunities to come to you. Find ways to be helpful! Be the first to volunteer, connect people, or get behind meaningful missions.

I – Is for influencers. Lookup and connect with the people you look up to. New friends will open doors. Influential professionals have prominent friends. Seek out leaders, surround yourself with them, and find ways to be of value to them.

J – Is for joining. Join communities where ideas are incubated. Make your way into social circles. Affiliations are all important to the growth of your brand. Find groups you’d be proud to be a part of, get involved and make your presence known.

K – Is for keywords. Position your personal brand with some choice words. Got a personal glossary? When surfers go a-Googling, which words will lead them to you? Build a shortlist of relevant keywords and use them often on your site and across all your social media profiles.

L – Is for LinkedIn. Master the branding epicentre of the Internet. Cats and dogs don’t belong here. LinkedIn is the social network that means business. It’s the personal branding epicentre of the Internet. Take LinkedIn seriously and learn how to work it.

M – Is for media. Channel your energy into the right channels. The web is wide. Media is more complex than ever and more vital. Identify the outlets that are most valued in your field and use the tools available in them to elevate your brand.

N- Is for network. Connect with professionals— and with purpose. Make friends. Make connections fearlessly and frequently—locally, regionally and globally. Have a business card or something of even greater value to distribute. Follow-up and follow-through

O – Is for offers. Offer your visitors great value—for free. Meet readers where they’re @. Expand your email list, build relationships and position yourself as an authority by offering your readers value-added content—or lead magnets—in exchange for an email address.

P – Is for podcast. Turn on a mic and say what’s on your mind. Get people to listen to you. Top professionals appear on podcasts and create their own shows to capitalize on the format’s growing popularity and because the power voice offers for making genuine connections.

Q – Is for questions. Ask your audience to join the conversation. Everyone loves a good listener. Identify the questions your audience seeks answers to. Ask questions. Ask people to tell you their stories. Ask for their ideas. And listen closely.

R – Is for recognizing others. Point to the people that empower you. Share the spotlight. You won’t achieve your goals on your own. Privately and publicly, recognize the contributions of every person who’s played a part in your brand development.

S – Is for speaking. Get in front of an audience. The power of the podium is undeniable. Public speakers gain credibility as subject- matter experts and enjoy many networking benefits. You need to step up to the mic and share what you know.

T – Is for target. Develop keen insights of your target market. Who cares what you have to say? Develop a clear understanding of your target market. Develop personas with a focus on the needs of your audience and their pain points. Conduct interviews and surveys to learn as much as possible.

U – Is for unique. Identify your unique value proposition. What makes you special? Every meaningful brand has a unique value proposition. Though you may be one of millions specializing in your field, you need to develop and nurture a one-of-a-kind point of differentiation.

V – Is for video. Look into the lens and engage viewers. Roll video into your media mix. Video increases trust and helps you come across as human and sincere. It’s become easy to make and distribute video. Look in the lens, relax and let it roll.

W – Is for website. Construct a home on the web in your name. Master your domain. Your website is the mousetrap and your content is the cheese. Work with professionals to plan, design, write and publish a website that is the HQ of your personal brand.

X – Is for eXAmine. Keep close tabs on your progress. Measure what matters. Your x-ray for all online efforts is analytics. Deploy Google Analytics and/or additional tools to stay informed of how visitors behave on your site and what you can do to improve their experience.

Y – Is for “you do”. Make a plan to achieve your personal branding goals. Know what you’re doing? The development of your personal brand is a perpetual exercise. Create a plan for getting started as well as a list of proactive actions YOU DO regularly.

Z – Is for zeal. Let no roadblock slow you down. Shift into overdrive. Zeal is a “strong feeling of interest and enthusiasm that makes one determined to do something.” There is no more essential ingredient of a successful personal brand.

Even if you know how to choose your targeting and set your audience you still need to make sure that the ad itself is set up the right way. Having consulted with some of the best in the world at Facebook ads and tested many versions in real estate I’ve found a template that works for most ads that are generating leads.

Keep in mind that you do need a good landing page for your ad to ultimately generate leads. Even with the perfect ad, a bad landing page won’t convert the traffic.

Step 1: Get Them to Say Yes

The first step in creating an ad is to set up the first line with a question that gets your ideal prospect to say yes. If you’re targeting home owners who want to sell their home then open with a question asking if there selling their home this year.  Ask a question that whoever reads it, if they read the question and say yes, when they keep reading its because they’re your ideal target.

Step 2: Build Rapport with Your Target Audience

What makes social media different than other advertising platforms is that its designed to be social. People want to connect on a more human level. Show your humanity and build rapport with the audience. Give them a reason to care and to keep reading your ad.

Step 3: Tell Them What You’re Offering

Now that you’ve give them a reason to care, tell them what you’re offering. Lay it out plainly. Tell them why it will benefit them and which of their pain points it will solve. If they have a problem, what you’re offering here should solve it.

Step 4: Your Call to Action

Now tell them how to get your offer. Is it to go to your website and download? Register on the site? Tell them exactly what they have to do to redeem it.

Step 5: Selecting the Right Image

For starters, never use cheesy office stock imagery. Every time you use fake people smiling while standing around looking aroused by something on a computer screen a kitten dies. True Story. Dead kittens, that’s on you.

You can use stock images but find really beautiful stock images. Use somewhere like stocksnap.io or unsplash.com.

Take the time to find the right image. Your image should tell part of the story of your offer. If you have a strong lead magnet its solving a problem for your potential client. If you solved their pain point, what would they look like? Show the result. Show them happy.

Pro Tip: Increase the contrast 30-40% on your images to give them a little extra pop in your ad. Stand out from the crowd a bit.

Step 6: Crafting the Headline

The headline that goes under the image should tell them what the offer is. Put exactly what the offer is and what the main benefit of signing up is. You should also be sure to highlight what the type of offer is. Are they reading a blog post? Downloading an ebook? What is their offer type?

Step 7: Just the Tip

The last, and often smaller element of the ad, is the extra space you have in the news feed description. Since the space is limited just include a little bit of what the benefit is. This way it gets them excited and they have to click through to get the rest.

Follow these steps and you can create for yourself a high performing Facebook ad. There’s a lot more to the different steps in an effective Facebook campaign but this step is crucial.

Want to see what all these  steps put together look like? Take a look below.

This edition of Get to Know the Coaches we’re taking a slightly different route. We’re interviewing a brand new coach; Tamara Stone. Tamara has joined Goodfellow Coaching & Consulting. If you recall they were the first coach to be interviewed for this series. I didn’t think I would interview any brand new coaches for this series but this is different.

Tamara Stone is someone I have tremendous respect for. Along with her sister Shannon, they’ve built an incredible team called the Stone Sisters Group in Kelowna. If she brings even half of what I’ve heard her speak of then she can be incredibly valuable to the right persons business!

Without further ado, here is the interview with Tamara Stone:

How would you describe your coaching?

My coaching style is to be approachable and inspiring. To motivate someone to help them achieve all they want to achieve. I do this by holding them accountable and reminding them of their goals.

What makes someone “coach-able”?

Anyone who is willing to listen and understands that they don’t know it all. We can all learn more

Do you identify more as a coach, sales trainer, mentor, or accountability partner?

Good question! I identify more as a coach and a mentor. I find it so incredibly satisfying watching someone grow and seeing them achieve what they dreamed of.

Who should hire you?

High performers who lead a team and are wanting to take their business to a new level. Goodfellow Coaching focuses on teams with a gross GCI of $500,000

Who shouldn’t hire you?

A brand new agent may have better resources for a beginning agent (for less money) elsewhere.

What makes you different than other coaches out there?

My passion for the business, the fact I am Canadian and that I am a woman are all things that set me apart from a number of other coaches.

Have you sold real estate personally?

I have been a licensed agent for 21 years. Together with my sister and our team we sold 246 properties last year and have a goal of 325 sales for 2017. I am still a very active Realtor and understand the day to day operation of the business.

Where are you located geographically? What percentage, approximately, of your clients are American vs Canadian?

Western Canada in beautiful Kelowna, BC in the Okanagan Valley. I have just begun coaching and so far my clients are all Canadian but this may change.

What’s your speciality?

Helping someone who is producing well but perhaps has plateau’d take their business to a whole new level. Helping people treat the real estate business as a business, not a job.

Do you have systems for your clients? 3rd party or in house?

Goodfellow coaching has fantastic systems for our clients.

What’s your on-boarding process like? How long to get someone up and running?

Someone can be up and running within a couple of weeks. We have a great questionnaire that helps us understand our clients and their needs.

What’s included in your programs?

Four 30 minute calls a month plus access to our members only website with much information, access to our networking group, monthly power calls hosted by either the founder Ken Goodfellow or one of the other top notch coaches and access to the private Facebook group.

What is the price range of your services?

Our coaching fee is $1,500 per month

Term length of contracts and cancellation requirements?

We don’t tie anyone to us and the cancellation is 30 days notice.

What’s your turnover rate?

So far zero 🙂

What’s the main reason people stop coaching?

I find that price is only an issue in the absence of value. People stop coaching if they aren’t getting value. I believe that people hire a coach to help them improve their quality of life and volume of business. We all know what it takes to succeed in this business but having someone with excellent experience hold them accountable and give them suggestions and ideas on how to improve and grow is incredibly valuable.

Can you share documented and proven results for your clients increase in performance?

Since we joined Goodfellow Coaching 2 years ago our business has doubled! Our GCI last year was $2.6 M

Anything else you’d like to add?

This is a phenomenal business, with great flexibility and unlimited potential. Being able to share ideas and have a mentor was the best decision I ever made for our business and I am honoured to now be able to share my knowledge and experience with others.

What does Trump mean for your real estate business you wonder? How will him being elected affect your business?

It won’t. Get Back to Work. Keep Hustling.

The lesson here: Newsjacking is a great way to get some traffic to your blog.

Its a new year and a new instalment of Get to Know the Coaches. This week we are taking a look at Ryan Hodge out of London, Ontario. I shared the stage with him at the OREA Emerge series in the fall of 2016 and he was a big hit!

Let’s not waste any time, let’s get right into hearing from Ryan.

How would you describe your coaching?

My coaching is one of a personal discovery. It’s different for everyone. Although may Brokers and Realtors come into my organization for Sales or Recruiting training, we often discover that there are other productivity principles to explore. I focus primarily on Real Estate Systems such as Organic Facebook, Net Profit Systems, High Production Principles to Sell Over 100 Homes Per Year and Online Lead Generation and Conversion. Having gone deeper in my own personal journey, I transfer many of the principles of Personal Development in my Path To Productivity Coaching which places an emphasis on the Grand Trilogy: Body, Mind and Spirit. I believe that a personal discovery and commitment to the self is the most crucial path we take and has a direct correlation and spillover into Business Success.

What makes someone “coach-able”?

Transparency, Vulnerability and Authenticity. It comes down to Commitment. I can facilitate an idea exchange for any level of Real Estate production but ultimately I share the ideas and provide a proven method based in Accountability.

Do you identify more as a coach, sales trainer, mentor, or accountability partner?

They can all apply however I facilitate change through accountability and guidance.

Who should hire you?

Those seeking change.

Who shouldn’t hire you?

Those not seeking change.

What makes you different than other coaches out there?

There are few Real Estate Coaches that focus on Personal Development first. I have also documented results of selling over 100 homes in my first year in the business along with recruiting over 100 agents to an independent company in under 3 years in a medium market of 1500 agents. I take an “In The Trenches” approach as I continue to own my Real Estate Brokerage and have a sales team that is full time and committed to high production. I believe that increasing one’s capacity and understanding the mindset of change will bring forth the ultimate in Real Estate Productivity.

Have you sold real estate personally?

Yes and I continue to do so.

Where are you located geographically?

London, Ontario. 50/50 Split American clients Versus Canadian

What’s your speciality?

Personal Development and High Production

Do you have systems for your clients?

Files, Documents and Workbooks that we have designed in house.

What’s your on-boarding process like? How long to get someone up and running?

Initial Questionnaire to determine if it is a mutually beneficial relationship moving forward along with the hopes and desires of each particular client. It is a 1 on 1 call program so we usually schedule 1 week after the questionnaire is complete and billing resolved.

What’s included in your programs?

30 Day Discovery Series or 12-Week Coaching Programs are most popular although I have some clients on 1 year programs or retainers. We do 30-45 minute calls once per week identifying 3 places of accountability to move into the following week and commit to. Open text and email access to me during our time together as well.

What is the price range of your services?

$300 Plus H.S.T. Per call. Payment Plans available.

What’s your turnover rate?

I don’t consider a Turnover Rate. It all depends on one’s ability to be accountable, implement and continue taking action. Every client is different.

What’s the main reason people stop coaching?

Consideration of looking at self.

Do you hold any designations?

Broker of Record