Imagine one day waking up to find your picture on the cover of various glossy magazines; arriving at the airport to see a huge billboard poster of you promoting your latest best-selling book and mingling with the stars of television at the Logie Awards. Well it happened to Michelle Bridges, fitness trainer extraordinaire from television show, The Biggest Loser. But it was not without hard work and dedication. I’m sure you have heard the expression, “It takes 10 years to become an overnight success”.Lets’ look at what we can learn from Michelle’s journey to establishing a successful personal brand.
Michelle is an expert at what she does. It’s taken her years of work and discipline of being a personal trainer to know and understand what it takes to get good. She spent many years working for Les Mills as an International Master Trainer and has trained thousands of instructors all over the world. She’s competed in many competitions and won the Australian Fitness Leader of the Year in 2004.
Are you very good at what you do? Do you walk your talk? Are you believable? Do you have the history or skills to back up your claims? Are you a leader in your field?
Persistence paid for Michelle. It wasn’t always easy. Michelle worked a number of jobs to be able to follow her passion and set herself goals to achieve her dream. She had a big picture vision to take her positive message of exercise and nutrition to as many people as she could, and set about tirelessly badgering newspapers and magazines to publish her articles. Michelle got a break when she conceived, wrote and performed fitness segments for Mornings with Kerri Anne on the Nine Network.
Do you use the media to spread the word about what you do? The media is such a powerful tool and when used well can really help profile you and your brand. Two ways you can use the media to profile your business and brand is through a media publicity campaign or writing articles for magazines. They can help position you as the expert and authority in your area – the first person people contact when it comes to that subject.
Michelle is totally focused on what the outcome is for other people. Her main goal is to spread the word of health and fitness to as many people as possible – it’s her true passion.
Will your information, product or service be of benefit or help people in any way? What does it mean to others? Will it have an impact on your customers or general public? Are you passionate about what you do?
Michelle finally got her big break when she auditioned for The Biggest Loser. She is now recognised nationwide as Australia’s leading fitness guru having starred on a top-rating television show. She really has the credentials to say she is the best at what she does.
Do other people back up your claims? Do you have testimonials or awards or the $$ to say you are successful at what you do? In articles or media releases can you include quotes from others endorsing what you do? Will they say great things about you?
Michelle has taken her years of knowledge and expertise and television exposure to build on her brand. She continued on with her hard work and has written a number of best-selling books. She has also developed on online fitness program and now has numerous endorsements and sponsorships.
Are you truly an expert? Have you invested in gaining knowledge about your industry, your customers and the competition? Do you have articles on your website on your subject, white papers, and special reports or written a book that demonstrates your expertise?
Michelle now has a team of experts around her, manager, agent, stylists and others to help her grow the brand. She’s realised you can’t do it all on your own and along the way has tapped into other people’s areas of expertise.
Are you ready to take your personal brand that bit further? Remember there is help out there – whether it’s a ghost writer to help you with your book, a publicist or an image consultant. Identify what it is you might need to help grow your personal brand.
Learn more about how you can build your personal brand by downloading my free eBook.
Read last week’s blog Marketing You to Make Money
Sue Currie is a personal branding specialist providing solutions to business owners and organisations to boost their image, renown, brand and business. She is the founder of Shine Academy™, providing education and professional development training and the creator of the Shine Personal Branding System™ a process she uses to help executives and entrepreneurs position their professional brand and present themselves with impact and influence. Through speaking, corporate workshops, and consulting, Sue helps businesses and individuals to stand out and shine.
