Surprising Discovery about the Biology of Branding!

A mortified feeling engulfed me as I reviewed the meeting notes I’d sent to an esteemed industry colleague I was just about to interview. 

We were scheduled to discuss my soon-to-be-released 2023 Marketing Insights Report, and in preparation for our chat my marketing industry mate Melanie had asked to see my 2022 report, along with some questions to prep for the conversation. 

So, I popped the Dropbox link to my marketing report into our meeting invitation. 

Or so I thought. 

Unbeknownst to me, I had forgotten to “copy” the report document and instead I “pasted” something very, VERY different into that meeting invitation. 

A scientific journal article about sperm, eggs and some pioneering research in the fertilisation process. 

Something a friend had shared with me a few days earlier........clearly around the time I was doing this meeting invite...... and I’d inadvertently put "that link" into our meeting notes. 

Oops. 🤦🏻‍♀️ 

Aside from sending the wrong link, it wasn’t exactly “on-brand” content for me. 

Sure I have a lot of kids but talking overtly about the conception process isn't something that I would routinely banter about with someone I hadn't seen in five years. 

We were an hour shy of the meeting so I hurriedly changed the link to the “correct” report link, hopeful she was doing her prep at the same time I was doing mine, and the amended link would be the viewed one. 

We start the meeting, and of course I quip about my faux pas – just in case she had seen the earlier link.

We have a bit of a giggle – as turns out she’d not only seen it, but read it, and even found it interesting. 

Once I got over the embarrassment of sending a random article on reproductive chemistry to Melanie Lindquist the Asia Pacific head of one of the worlds leading Out of Home (Outdoor) media agencies (and sidenote, if you want your brand up in lights on a billboard in Times Square or Piccadilly Circus, Melanie is the lady to speak to!)....

....our conversation took a fascinating turn….and these two switched-on marketers shifted gears and got into a surprisingly interesting train of thought:

Me: “If we step back and look at it, maybe it’s not so random after all. I mean, it’s kind of a bit like how it is with brands…..it’s all about attraction and energetic connection….and a lot of that is at the subconscious level”.

Melanie: “Yes! This thought occurred to me too – so often brands think we choose our customers, but in reality it’s the customer that chooses us.”

BINGO!

And so the conversation went – and the most beautiful brand metaphor unfolded.

Out of my copy-and-paste typo – yet another scientific perspective to add to my arsenal around how brand energy works and is reflected in nature  - backed by the latest research & insights. 

But through all of that revelatory goodness, pushing the boundaries and expanding the horizons of my thought leadership in thr brand arena, throughout this whole conversation, one thing was ticking over. 

My brain is hard-wired to “think in content” and so while we were chatting my mind had defaulted to – “now what else  I am going to do with this?”

As if reading my thoughts, right in that moment, Melanie said – “this would make a great blog post!”

My thoughts exactly! And so here we are.

(my fresh insights always come to my email community first, then over the following weeks they make their way to blog and social media.)

The whole concept of “thinking in content” is the hallmark of being able to build relationships with people in a virtual / hybrid environment.

As well as having a “plug-n-play” system that removes the thinking of how you’re going to get the thinking in front of eyeballs.  

Once upon a time it was “content marketing agencies” that used to be responsible for producing content for brands. (I know, I used to run one).

Then about five years ago it shifted to become the domain and expectation of all marketers, as content became “the” thing most people connected with and it became a staple of marketing budgets.

Now it’s become the standard for anyone who is building their brand online – regardless of whether you are:

...a personal brand or business brand

...an employee or entrepreneur

...a thought leader or expert

...a CEO, creator or change-maker  

There's "content that clutters" (you know what I’m talking about) 

And there's "content that connects".

The ability to extract and harness your thoughts in a way that makes you connect in a very natural and authentic way – and so as you put out your “vibe” into the world, your customers find and choose you.

It’s a paradigm shift in contrast from the way businesses and marketers and sales leaders have approached lead generation for years – just like the paradigm shift this latest piece of reproductive research led by Stockholm University and the University of Manchester presents about egg choosing sperm and not the other way around.

It’s a new way of thinking, being and doing – when it comes to building your brand.

But it’s also very fresh, very exciting.

The content of the future. 

In the past we’ve often referred to marketing as a combination of “art and science”.

There’s  another big piece needed now  

Intuition – tapping into where the energetic charge is in your marketing and content, being open to the “synchronicities” that present themselves into your world and allowing fresh “connections” to come together, pulling them out of the real om of infinite possibility, and into the here and now.

if I had to define what is the “secret sauce” of compelling personal brand content right now – this is it.

Marketing yourself – is something that everyone needs to do these days.

Whether it’s to build your business, make more sales, get a promotion, or be a force for change in the world.

And the most effective way to do that, sharing parts of yourself with the world that make sense from a business perspective.

And unlock a simple way of doing it that feels good to you and is sustainable over the long term  so it actually gets “done”  

This is what I help people do in my Marketing Me® programs – we take something that feels very nebulous and out of reach for many people and make it simple, accessible and build the confidence to actually “do” it.

Once you go through my powerful 6-week process you will be transformed, and you won’t look at content, marketing – or yourself – in the same way again.

Because you’ll truly understand the uniqueness, the significance, that you bring to the world.

And build clarity and confidence in how to express that, to communicate that in a way that feels good to you – and the people you want to connect with.

While ensuring that it aligns with the commercial objectives you have in the current phase of your business, or the KPIs in your role.

So you can:

Build fast, deep connection the first time

and decision-makers are open to taking your phone calls, and building a relationship, instead of avoiding you. #stoptheghosting

People are fascinated by you, and have respect for your work and expertise – which enables you to...  

...attract, convert and retain more customers.

And ultimately do more with less, as you create touchpoints that build trust and speed up sales and facilitates...

...higher conversion rates and repeat purchases.

So that just like the article I accidentally shared demonstrates how human eggs use chemical signals to attract sperm, you tap into the brand energy that sends out equally powerful signals...

...the ones that attract the right customers into your world too.

The next intake of the Marketing Me Live Experience is open for enrollment starting end of April - it's a very small, intimate group that goes deep and gets close and forges strong connections over the 6 weeks. You can enroll here and get started with your prep work today, which get you moving quickly. 

(if you are a corporation and have a sales, marketing or executive/leadership team there are bulk rates that apply - and there is also an adapted version of Marketing Me especially suited to B2B sales & marketing professionals available - hit reply and email me for details - in an overload of content, this is the way your team can cut through the noise!).

This is the art, science combined with the intuition and strategy of how to connect with people in 2023 and beyond.

I loved sharing this article and what happened off the back of it – and will be back on the blog next week with more of my regular (PG-rated) content!

******

 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Nina Christian is a Marketing Futurist & Global Marketing Mentor who helps people do their marketing in a more human way. 

She is a Certified Practicing Marketer (CPM), Life Member and Fellow of the Australian Marketing Institute & AMI State Chair (Vic) and for 20 years was director of Braveda (Winner, Best Marketing Agency, Australian Marketing Excellence Awards).

Several years ago Nina saw the world of marketing shifting – this time as people became their own brands.  With this, she created a new business as a thought leader, combining her expertise in brand building with personal positioning, resulting in a breakthrough praxis known as Marketing Me™.

She has a knack for simplifying the complex which comes from being a hands-on mum to five children, and uses this to turn time-sucking activities into easy-to-follow systems and processes that make a lot of sense and get outcomes fast.

There are different ways to work with Nina based on your situation and organisation size - with all of them you'll see rapid transformation and tangible outcomes fast. Book a chat with Nina here.