If you are one of the growing number of passionate entrepreneurs determined to make your mark on the world and change your clients lives for the better you will have faced the challenge of identifying what sets you apart from your competition.

Why should someone do business with you? And just as important. Why should they choose you over someone else?

In marketing terms this is called identifying your unique selling proposition or USP. It is derived by thinking logically about what you and your competition offer and uncovering points of differentiation.

Now, while there is obviously a place for this logical, thinking process it does leave out the most potent element of all. And that’s the YOU in the mix. Do this at your peril, especially if you are a client based service provider. Your clients are buying you – and the better you shine through the more ideal clients you’ll attract. And the better results you’ll both get.

Staying in your head and not tapping into your heart can never unearth that deep down innate quality that is uniquely you.

The answer lies in your heart not in your head.

It’s not your unique selling proposition but your unique brilliance that will turn heads and hearts in your direction so discovering your unique brilliance is fundamental to your marketing success.

Here’s a few quick tips to get you started on that path of discovery!

Tip #1
Toss out your fear that you are not good enough. I hope not because good enough is just not good enough! Know and acknowledge to yourself that you are brilliant and have a unique gift that only you can offer the world.

Tip #2
Tap into your heart and listen to your higherself to discover your unique brilliance. It’s not a skill like playing the piano but rather nor is it a mission statement that is outside of yourself and more about others. Your unique brilliance is inside every cell of your body or your core essence. Get in touch with what you love to do and do extraordinarily well that it comes so naturally to you whether you’re working or playing.

Tip # 3
Don’t compromise. Once you have discovered your unique brilliance – use it exclusively. Play in your own sandpit doing what you do best and let go of everything else.

Tip #4
Be confident that whatever you tackle, using your unique brilliance cannot fail. Whatever you create will naturally be brilliant too.

Never forget – your unique brilliance is your core essence. It’s what you do automatically and brilliantly no matter what you are doing. In fact you were born with it and probably take it for granted and so have never recognised or acknowledged it as the powerful compass that it is.

Time to change that and bring your brilliant self forward and incorporate it in your brand to power up your marketing.

When people think about a brand often the first thing that comes to mind is the company logo and perhaps a tagline.However, your business brand is much more than your logo and done well will shout out to the marketplace at every touch point so that your potential clients get a real feel for who you are and what you are about. Not just a mental image but a heart felt emotional image and one that invokes a response.

So whether you are speaking, writing or creating visuals your brand will be consistent, congruent and totally authentic.

Really, your brand is the promise of the experience your clients will have when they use your products or services. And it is this promise that you want to infuse into your brand.

And it makes no difference whether you are a solo-preneuer, a small business or a large corporation you still need a company brand or personality that expresses your uniqueness so you can stand out in a crowded marketplace.

It is your brand personality and your brand promise that will attract your ideal clients and pull them towards you so you don’t have to chase them.

Here’s 6 key points to include in the process of creating your brand.

1.    Work out what your unique brilliance is. Everyone has their own but not everyone takes the trouble to find out what theirs is. Understand that it’s not what you actually do like a skill or a task that you perform.  Rather it’s the thing that is always true for you no matter what you are doing. It’s the core or the essence of you and what you bring to everything that comes so naturally to you – you don’t even have to think about it.

2.    Decide what you and your company are a stand for. What is it that your clients can always depend on if they engage your services or buy your products.  This is your brand promise and potential clients will be more attracted to a clear message that resonates with them.

3.    Identify your choice client tribe so your brand promise can speak to them directly. It will help if you identify the problems they want to solve and most importantly make sure that they are prepared to pay for your solution. This is a sure fire way to attract qualified clients like a magnet.

4.    Uncover your specific expertise. Once again this is not your credentials or your qualifications so much as what you are naturally talented at. For instance if you are a coach you could be an expert at achieving breakthroughs. Or an organizer could be an expert at creating order out of chaos.

5.    Identify your brand’s key emotions. It’s a well known fact that people buy on emotions then back up their buying decision with logic so it’s worth spending some time to decide what emotions you want to stir in your prospective clients.  How do you want them to feel once they use your services? Confident, elated, secure, excited?

6.    Incorporate words, colours, fonts and images that reflect the elements you’ve uncovered

One of the big advantages of having a brand that truly represents you is you can just be yourself. Having this documented will also help you train staff to understand and deliver your brand experience consistently at every touch point with your clients.

Another advantage is this document will make briefing copywriters and creative designers a breeze.  Armed with this level of detail they can work through the creative process quickly and easily to deliver your marketing materials to reflect exactly how you want to be perceived and seen.

The combinations are endless and once you’ve got this right you’ll have a distinctive memorable brand that is uniquely you.

(continued…steps 4, 5 & 6)

Step 4: Review your programs and services

Decide what you will be offering. Review your current programs and services and see if it’s time to create new, retire or revamp old offerings.

Remember what marketing legend Dan Kennedy has to say about this – the  fastest and easiest way to add more money to your bottom line is to do what you are doing now but look at your fees and how your services are put together.  In other words simply price and package what you are already doing,  a little differently to increase your income without adding to your expenditure,

Once that’s clear the next step is simple.

Step 5: Create your marketing calendar

Once you have decided what programs and packages you’ll be offering it’s time to look at how and when to promote them.  This is where the rubber hits the road – mapping the possibilities across to your marketing calendar and blocking out that time visually is the objective.

I use a one year calendar showing each of the 12 months ruled off to 4 weeks so it’s a one page view.  The year at a glance.

Start by blocking out time for holidays and other known commitments and begin filling in the possibilities taking into account the time of the year and the length of time to execute each initiative from beginning to end.

I guarantee you’ll run out of calendar before you run out of things you want to do so you’ll be forced to sharpen your pencil and get the balance just right between activities and income.

Step 6: Check your revenue goals

Once you’ve mapped  the content and timing across to your marketing calendar you must cross check your estimations on revenue for each initiative and total it up.  Double check you are going to meet your revenue goals and if not go back to your calendar and adjust accordingly.

Don’t be tempted to lower you income goals. Instead look for ways to increase the income from particular events or do something else.  This could mean running a program for more people or charging more per person or some other creative solution.  The point is to see other ways to bring in the income you want rather than lower your sights.

Make adjustments to your calendar until it all fits together.

Now that you have finalized your marketing calendar you can chunk that down into the steps needed to implement each program in turn. It’s not necessary to do that level of detail at the outset unless you choose to but as you move through the calendar year you will know what is up ahead and what is required and when.

In short you will be in control.  Taking the time to create your marketing calendar means you will have much less stress, a lot more fun and a lot money than winging it and hoping for the best.

Now it may seem obvious that every business needs a marketing plan but not every business has one or if they do it’s often not mapped out on their calendar so it never really gets implemented as planned.  This means the results are likely to be less than predicted and a lot less than desired so disappointment and frustration is the outcome.

This is something I see many entrepreneurs struggling with and it’s a big part of what keeps them in overwhelm.

So to be successful a marketing plan needs planning – followed by implementation! And creating your marketing calendar is the secret to that successful implementation.

Creating your marketing calendar means you can make sure there are no gaps or overload.  Having this in place also means you will maximise the time available to create the most income while at the same time you will avoid getting overcommitted or overwhelmed.

Step 1: Get support

It’s hard work and takes a lot of discipline to do this on your own and unless you’re the lone ranger type my advice is to find a colleague or a marketing coach to tackle this with you.  Having a supportive person to brainstorm and act as a sounding board will be invaluable.  Choose this person carefully and be clear about your objectives and their role in helping you accomplish the task.

Use a system so you stay on track.  It will be a whole lot quicker and a lot more fun!

Step 2: Get attached emotionally

Really understand at a heart level the value you bring to your clients and their lives or business and ’see’  how your marketing will make it possible for you and them to connect.  Without that connection you won’t get what you want and neither will they.  See marketing as the link and you’ll be motivated to create your calendar as well as excited about implementing it.

Procrastination will be a thing of the past.

Step 3: Decide your income goals

Having an income target is the first step to designing your marketing activities for the year.  This will ensure your final plan is structured so that collectively the programs or events you run will bring the return on investment you want.  It is a critical factor in determining which programs to run and when.

Naturally, you will plan for an increase on last year’s income (if not then get some coaching around this).  Simply decide how much and make it a stretch otherwise you’ll find yourself doing pretty much what you’ve done in the past and that’s no way to grow your business.

My tip is to make your decision from where you want your business to be – not where you are now.  This will force you to do things differently and that’s the only way you can change results.

(Continued next post…steps 4, 5 & 6)

A recent post carried news of my “Consult the Expert” series morphing into a brand new format where I’m stepping up to share my  vast knowledge and expertise with you in a “live”, interactive and powerful way.

I invite you to be one of the first to step up with me and join my new community in the “Consult the Marketing Champion” monthly ‘meeting on the phone’ (aka teleseminar).

PLUS plenty of time for live Q & A so you can send your questions in or bring them to the call and get them answered in the “consultation” segment.  All revealed here and open for bookings right now!

http://budurl.com/xe7n

I’m just finalising the content for our first call and no better place to start   than with the foundation of every great business – BRANDING. You really won’t want to miss this vital information.

Everything you say and do out in the marketplace flows from here and makes your marketing so much easier AND effective!

So let’s talk branding – whether you’ve got a brand you want to refine OR you’re just creating a new one you’ll learn the what, the why and the how to!

Once you’ve signed up you can send your questions to me at kathleen@powerupyourmarketing.com

Can’t wait to meet and greet you.

Kathleen

Your Marketing Champion
Certified Money, Marketing & Soul Coach

PS You’ll also read why you can join this special community of big-hearted, soul inspired entrepreneurs for a ridiculously small investment.

http://budurl.com/xe7n

I’ve taken a leaf out of one of my mentor’s books this year and adopted a ‘theme’ to remind myself of my intention.  Sort of a compass for  my subconscious when I’m running on auto-pilot as well as a conscious reminder of what I want for my overall life and soul-based business this year.

My theme is ‘ACCELERATION’ and I have to say I’ve accomplished more in the first two weeks of this year than I could have imagined.  And half the time I was on holidays!

I actually came up with this when I revised my Profit Pyramid and created my 2010 marketing calendar  in December. And since launching my new VIP intensive days – I’ve attracted fabulous motivated women entrepreneurs who are going places and fast! Which is totally in line with my theme of “ACCELERATION” – see how it works?

Do you have a theme – want to share it?

Kick off – Wednesday 3rd February 2010

For the past 18 months I have enjoyed bringing you many well-known experts on a wide variety of marketing topics and I know that you have received highly valuable information to support you in your business from all of them. I’m extending my thanks and appreciation to each and everyone of them for their contribution and continue to support and recommend them as outstanding experts in their niche.

Now….as we head into 2010 it’s time for me to come out from behind the curtain and take centre stage so I can focus my energy and attention to make a bigger impact on the world as a certified Money, Marketing & Soul coach. SO…..

Tadah….Announcing my new series “Consult the Marketing Champion” with Expert Kathleen Ann commencing Wednesday 3rd February (and the first Wednesday every month) @ 8am Sydney Australia time zone (convert here  http://www.timezoneconverter.com/cgi-bin/tzc.tzc)

This new format will have 15 minutes of new marketing subject matter each month with plenty of time for Q & A on any marketing issues you want to bring to the call.  A true ‘consultation’ where you can get instant expert advice to help you move forward more quickly. All for the same small investment of just AU$19 per month.

Be one of the first to join – details here http://budurl.com/xe7n

Love for you to be part of this community.

Today I am featuring two outstanding women who participated in my Branding with Archetypes virtual workshop then stepped straight up to a VIP program to accelerate their progress. Interestingly they are both Law of Attraction coaches with very different niches and offerings much of which became clear working through the processes.

Chrissy Caeliss lives in Ireland and so keen to do the Branding with Archetype workshop she started at 9pm her time and was with us right up til 2am – ecstatic with her new brand. In fact she immediately sent me a testimonial AND booked a VIP day to create her new Signature System. At the same time Chrissy was creating a brand new website BoostYourVibe.com and flowing her brand straight into the marketplace.

” I just wanted to follow up after our Branding With the Archetypes workshop, to say how glad I am that I took part. I had been having SO much trouble with my brand. What was especially frustrating is that I’ve helped many of my own clients create their brilliant brands but because my process is so organic, I just couldn’t pin down what I do into a brand that I felt I could own. So when I saw you were offering this workshop, I had to jump on board.

The night flew and I am still amazed at how much progress we made in this one workshop! I had the precise essence of what is unique about me, exactly how I lead, what I stand for and what my promise is, in my brand and business. Not only did this help me in creating the final version of my brand but my marketing copy is simply flowing out of me effortlessly! I’ve also found that I am describing my coaching to my clients in a way where they can see the value of what I offer more than before AND so can I! Most importantly, whenever I say any of the statements we created in the workshop, I feel like I completely own them and am perfectly aligned with them. The value of this is indescribable personally. In my business it is already showing up as more clients who are my target market and who really ‘get’ what I do – and therefore value it more so they are prepared to pay me well.

I made more progress during this workshop than I did in the 2 previous years. The big question is … when is your Money Archetype workshop? ”

Lourdes Elardo-Gant lives in Canada and has a brand new baby and when she did the Branding with Archetype workshop she also had several viable niches to choose from and could not pick one! Good for her, she signed up for a VIP day and that’s the first thing we took care of. “Birthing” a brand new niche “woman seeking their millionaire soul-mate husband” using Law of Attraction. As an Alchemist/Teacher Archetype, she is perfectly aligned to help her clients manifest their heart’s desire – just like she did! Lourdes shared with me that when reflecting on the decisions she made in 2009 the best one was doing the Branding with Archetype’s and the second was grabbing a VIP spot.  Here’s what Lourdes had to say….

“Kathleen Ann’s Branding Archetypes Workshop and Virtual VIP Day helped me to be crystal clear with my Niche, Marketing Cash Flow, Signature System, and Profit Pyramid.  It is definitely a must have tool for anyone who wants to be in the next level of their business.  If you are ready to make 6 figures and beyond, highly recommended to take inspired action to have her lead you step by step to make that vision a reality!”

Straight of the bat Lourdes launched a new ebook and now teleseminar series with a special offer talk about acceleration! If you’re single and looking for a wealthy husband – well….take a look and take inspired action with Lourdes

Men Are From Mars and Women Are From Venus? Well, No Longer Now that You Will Understand Exactly How To Manifest Your Million Dollar Husband In 10 Magical Steps With Ease, Grace, and Joy!

December “Consult the Expert” teleseminar with Guest expert Nancy Marmolejo

Please join me and Nancy Marmolejo CEO of Viva Visibility for a power-packed hour that will set you up for a productive social media strategy over the holiday season and beyond.

You know that social networking is THE place to be for online marketing, but how do you know if your followers want to do business with you?

In this teleseminar, social media strategist Nancy Marmolejo will share how to attract ideally matched followers and turn them into your biggest fans (and easiest clients!)

Book here now for the small investment of AU$19 or less if you book earlybird for just $15

Thursday December 10th 2009 @ 9am AEST, NSW Australia
(Wednesday December 9th @ 5pm EST, USA)
(Worldwide – http://www.timezoneconverter.com/)

Book here now get your free bonus handout

Just imagine…..

You’re instantly and consistently recognized as a credible, highly paid expert in your field.  The movers and shakers of your industry (people you’ve long admired) regularly contact you for partnerships and
speaking engagements.

You attract a steady stream of serious, highly motivated clients who want to work with you and  happily pay your fees – so many, in fact, that you have a waiting list to work with you.  You get to  pick and choose who you work with and only work with clients you love!

Your marketing just flows and takes a lot less time to create than before. Your newsletters, sales letters and key marketing materials are easy to create (or delegate!) because you have the right words and phrases at your fingertips.

Best of all, your business reflects who you truly are and your Divine Gifts.  You know you’re having a big impact because the clients keep coming and m~oney continues to pour in, making your business a true m~oney-and-soul success!

I’m sure you’ve noticed the entrepreneurs who have achieved this already. indeed, maybe you’ve wondered “How does she do it?”

Here’s one of the secrets – a key ingredient, if you will.

A Rich, Authentic, Money-Making BRAND that Instantly Conveys What You’re Truly About AND The Valuable Results You Deliver!

Get the full scoop here.

Now imagine how attending a virtual workshop from the comfort of your own phone could turn that dream into a reality.

Well now you can but only if you take action now to get your spot in my “Branding with Archetypes” workshop which is on next week so you’ll have to hurry.

If you’ve tried to create a brand before and failed I’m guessing you didn’t have a proven step-by-step system to work with.

You do now.

Get the full scoop here.