3 builders who never spoke to each other

Put a person in front, not the logo

Audiences attach to people far faster than to organisations, and a company account reads like a company account however hard you work at it. Front the channel with a named individual, give that person real editorial control rather than a brief, and let the founder's own accounts run alongside the brand's so there are more places to bump into you.

The method

1. 01

   Put your own face and story behind the business rather than a neutral brand, because the trust that personal branding creates is what makes the leads arrive.

2. 02

   Front your channel with a named individual instead of the organisation, because audiences attach to people far faster than to logos.

3. 03

   Accept that a company account will always read like a company account, however hard you work at it, and hand the channel to a real creator instead.

4. 04

   Expect a named person to get returns from this that a company account cannot, because audiences will celebrate an individual and not a logo.

5. 05

   If you are the face of a one-person business, drop the correct formal register and let your actual personality into everything you write, right down to the replies you leave in comment threads.

What it returned

• Watford F.C. needed ten years to reach 170k YouTube subscribers; its goalkeeper Ben Foster reached 1M in one year

• Author argues an identical giveaway run by a fashion label would not come close to these numbers.

• Neal O'Grady, Bourgoin's UNIGNORABLE co-founder, keeps his odd sense of humour running through every touchpoint including his comments, which both differentiates him and builds trust.

• Justin's personal blog, podcast interviews, Twitter, newsletter and YouTube still generate many Transistor leads, alongside the company's own blog, YouTube channel and newsletter.

Sources

• Mascots - Why We Buy 🧠Katelyn Bourgoin · customercamp.co · Personal brands Showcase your personality in your brand voice · undated
• [Coaching: Maia #24] Maia’s Final Episode + Reflecting on the Journey to 6 Figures - Double Your FreelancingZach Swinehart · doubleyourfreelancing.com · AI-Generated Summary: · 2024-05-15
• Ten SaaS marketing principles for 2024Justin Jackson · justinjackson.ca · 8. User personal and corporate brands simultaneously · undated
• People Warm to People, Not BrandsHarry Dry · Marketing Examples · undated
• A full-time “pizza influencer”Harry Dry · Marketing Examples · A full-time “pizza influencer” · undated
• £8k Instagram Giveaway → 1M followersHarry Dry · Marketing Examples · £8k Instagram Giveaway → 1M followers · undated