Give and You Shall Receive

Everyone has a personal brand based on what others think of them but not everyone has a heroic brand. Having a heroic brand is all about the individual who created the content. A powerful online persona combined with content ignition is the key to having a heroic brand. The idea is to do something special that means something special to people. Reciprocity has a huge impact on building a heroic brand. Gary Vaynerchuk displays reciprocity in action by doing small favors for some of his audience. He goes by a simple formula: “give, give, give, give, then ask”. For example, he overnighted a pie to someone just because. This isn’t the only way to truly engage with your audience but it definitely hits home. They will  alway remember the favor and will want to repay him. The payback is being a forever follower of his brand.

The forever followers believe in you so much and they will consistently share your content because they love what you stand for. Chris Brogan is a prime example of someone who has a heroic brand. His audience will share his content regardless if they read it or not. His audience is passionate towards his brand because he is always engaging with them and posting new content. He captures an emotional bond with them which is extremely important. This helps build their trust in you.

If someone were to use their blog as a sales tool, they would lose their audience in minutes. In chapter seven of the Content Code Mark Shaefer quoted some of what Brogan had to say about his heroic brand. His feedback consisted of three important things to remember when creating a powerful brand. Having a true life persona is vital, connecting with others and serving them is important, and making your information mobile enough that others can make it their own.

About Taylor Young

I am a senior at the University of Tampa studying public relations and advertising.

View all posts by Taylor Young →