Brand Machine – The Mechanism of Freedom

Design a Brand Machine to leverage your time better

I know your time is valuable. These show notes give you the gist of the episode, what is covered, any links or resources talked about in the show, and also gives you a few ways to listen or watch the episode.

This episode’s topic, in a nutshell…

The subject we get into in this episode is around defining what a Brand Machine is.

This is a concept I use as a working metaphor to teach micro businesses about the mechanism which they can design and build to support them in spinning all those skills plates which they need to, inside their business.

If you listened to the episode I did on my Three Amigos, you’ll know about three of those spinning plates already: Brand, Marketing and Sales. In that episode I talked about how you can build an architecture or framework around you to help you to leverage those different skills at the right time, to the right people.

Your Brand Machine is that framework or architecture.

Highlights of what I talk about

This is a meaty episode, but here are the biggest takeaways for you:

1. Definition of a Brand Machine (timestamp: 01:49)

It is a well-oiled system with different moving parts working together to help you to:

… continuously build awareness for your brand,

… generate qualified enquiries, and

… serves to efficiently nurture the people who have raised their hands to say they love what you are about, and move them along the buying journey

…. it’s also there to further nourish the people that have already invested in you financially and emotionally in being the professional to help them with their transformation.

In order for your brand machine to do all of this, you still need to put a lot of thought into its design and keep it personal to you, and relatable to your ideal customers/clients.

It’s not a cold, heartless machine made of metal.

2. Why it’s important for you to build one (timestamp: 03:20)

Time is precious and you wear many hats on a daily basis.

Your machine takes some of the heavy lifting away from you and frees you up to do the work you are most valued for – and that is in serving, advising, guiding and looking after your customers/clients. 

3. Bigger picture of your Brand Machine (timestamp: 05:40)

I walk you through how this Machine sits with your Brand Strategy and overall operation. This diagram below is how I visually explain my Brand Machine metaphor:

There are three main features to be aware of at this point:

• • The whole machine is led by your Brand Strategy (which gives you the main purpose and visionary drive for why you are doing the work you are doing)
  • It is engineered to be pulled together by your marketing plan, product development and delivery activity, and
  • It is powered by you prioritising actions. (Like: what will YOU do, what you will you DELEGATE and what you will AUTOMATE)

All of these three features of your Brand Machine as a whole help you to:

… leverage your time,

… increase profit and

… improve the value for your customer

4. Mechanism for Freedom (timestamp: 07:40)

My term ‘Mechanism for Freedom‘ is really about creating your Brand Machine to be just that. You definitely DO NOT have all the skills that you need across the myriad of functions needed in running your business.

Like many micro businesses – you come to the self-employment party with what you know, and you’ve patchwork-ed your plan together as you’ve gone along.

Sometimes you learn the hard way that you missed something, or you should have prepared better for some situations.

My Brand Machine concept means that in order to build the machine, you have to take some considered time out to work out:

• • what it is that you’re trying to do…
  • what’s the best way to do it?
  • spot where your skill or knowledge gaps are.
  • identify where your strengths lie

It sounds really simple, but so few take this time to do this. Instead, they forge impatiently forward, and don’t even realise that they are continually taking 2 steps forward and 6 steps back.

Don’t be fooled…any old action or movement – does not guarantee moving forward. You are just burning energy.

5. The Parts to the Brand Machine (timestamp: 12:56)

Building a mechanism that truly supports you as a time-poor micro business owner, with potentially a strain on resources – means that you can actually create bubbles of freedom that allow you to do the higher value work and get you closer to your ideal working life.

Here’s quick highlight of the elements that are inside your Brand Machine. I’m listing them in the order in which we work through them inside my group programme:

• • YOU – the owner, your purpose and how you fit into the machine
  • Offers – what is the problem you are solving for people and what are your services you have shaped to do that
  • Delivery – how you actually carry out the work you do
  • Target Audience – for clients, partners, advocates and team
  • Messaging – how you say what you say
  • Content – how you share and demonstrate your expertise and known-how
  • Systems – the tools and processes to help you do things efficiently and effectively

I know that doesn’t say a lot – but actually it covers more than you think.

Have you been caught in the juggle struggle?

I hope that, by sharing my Brand Machine metaphor, you can start to grasp why building this framework around you is crucial. I know it’s a monster of a topic to get into and it certainly is for my group programme participants, but luckily I’m there to walk them through the process.

I trust this will add to your insights and learning. Have you built yourself a supportive mechanism that is robust and helps you in running your business the way you want it to? If not -> maybe you need to look at how you could design your own Brand Machine. (Or come along and do it with me and some peers in my group programme!)

I’d love to know if this conversation has made a difference for you, or if it just flared up more questions than answers for you. Drop me a DM, email or note – let me know.

Who do you know that would gain from hearing me share this concept with them? Perhaps they work with you as a freelancer and you’re curious to know how they can maybe help you with your Machine. Share this episode with them, so they can help support you.

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