Personal Branding - How To Go From Zero To Hero in No Time

1/8/2020 Personal Branding: How to Go from Zero to Hero in No Time
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Personal Branding: How to Go Do you want more

from Zero to Hero in No Time traffic?
Hey, I'm Neil Patel. I'm
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determined to make a business
grow. My only question is, will it
be yours?
Do you remember when only celebrities and major companies

had personal brands?
Actors, musicians, Fortune 100 businesses, and athletes got all

the attention and dominated the airwaves.
However, all of that’s changed now.
Nearly anyone willing to put in the time, effort, and build their
niche can become a ‘thought leader’ who gets all of the traffic
(and customers) in their space.
It won’t happen overnight, of course.
You only need to do a quick Google search to see that ordinary

people from all over the world are using these new tools to craft
personal brands that attract countless people to their websites
and social media profiles.
https://neilpatel.com/blog/personal-branding/ 1/25
The trick is knowing exactly where to spend your time to get the
results you’re
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How to Create a Personal Brand and Get Noticed | Secrets B
There are a lot of strategies and tactics out there that will be a
complete waste of time.
But follow the seven simple, proven steps below to become the
go-to expert in your space.
Step #1. Start by finding your niche
There’s a saying about SEO traffic that highlights something most

people miss.
You can’t create search demand. You can only harvest it.
That means you can’t force people to search for a specific

keyword. They either already do or they’re searching for
something else.
Your job in SEO is to recognize that and work instead on getting

as much traffic you can from words that are already popular on
their own.
Personal branding is similar, believe it or not.
For example, being the best CrossFit pug breeder in the world is
worthless if there isn’t already a market or niche for that.
(Seriously, is there?!)
The niche selection process is really important! You don’t want

to spend all the time and energy necessary to link your brand to
a niche that’s not growing.

For example, online marketing is my personal niche.
There’s a good reason why!
The number of people around the world using the internet

continues to explode.
As a result, advertising dollars continue to shift from offline to

online.
For example, there was a 19% increase in online ad revenue (up

from $27.5 billion) over just the past year. Then look at how much
those numbers have changed in the last ten years!
I’ve personally been doing SEO and online marketing for almost
this entire decade now.
I’ve helped companies of all sizes grow their revenue online,

and there’s always one problem they keep asking about: Traffic!
That’s because you obviously can’t grow sales without

customers.
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And you can’t get customers online if there’s
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Us SEARCH
traffic.
In other words, the vast majority of people who are interested in

online marketing are focused on getting more traffic.
That’s why most of my offers all revolve around this one pain
point.
And I get the most joy out of working with business owners or
marketers directly. Helping someone grow their site is incredibly
gratifying.
That’s why I’m constantly giving away free advice on this site
(and my others sites). I want to see people succeed with online
marketing.
So where
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domain you start? En / Us SEARCH
That’s a good question because there’s no right answer

necessarily.
But here’s where I think you should start.
Pick something specific that you can do better than 90% of the
world.
Why is that so specific? Because you can probably do a lot of

good things, but that doesn’t mean you’re an expert in every
single one of them.
The only way to create a personal brand is by becoming the go-

to, recognized authority on a specific topic.
And if you’re not an expert on it, someone else will be. So don’t
afraid to go small or narrow to dominate a topic.
The “online marketing” space, for example, is massive, and it’s

taken the better part of a decade for me to become a
recognized authority.
But take someone like Brian Dean, who decided to go deep on

a particular topic instead of biting off more than he could chew.
Notice how he perfectly positions his personal brand. It’s all

aboutEnter
backlinks
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Then the site’s graphics, design, and testimonials all reinforce

those points.
There’s another important ingredient for a successful personal

brand, though. One that deals more with your own style and
point of view on this topic.
Step #2. Inject personality into your personal

brand
The first step (finding your niche) is about your own skills and
potential market value.
The second step is about what you personally bring to the table.
It’s about your point of view or ‘tone,’ which will help
differentiate you from everyone else who talks about those
same topics.
For example, I want to be seen as personable and down-to-

Earth.
That’s why I often will use slang or say “dude” when writing. We
might be talking about a technical topic, but I want to help you
understand it in an easy-to-digest format.
A similar example is Ramit Sethi from I Will Teach You To Be Rich.
He works in the personal finance space, which is full of

questionable
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people that give suspicious recommendations.
En / Us SEARCH
So Ramit takes the opposite approach, using casual language,

inside jokes, and F-bombs to show you that he’s being honest
and holding nothing back.
My favorite recent rant is this one on avocado toast, during

which he completely debunks terrible “advice” from another
personal finance columnist.
Ash Ambridge at The Middle Finger Project also uses strong

language and a no-B.S. attitude that gets people to sit up and
take notice.
Being polarizing like this might turn some people off, but it can
also help
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domain a En
create raving fans who might feel like politically-
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correct to the same material comes off as disingenuous.
There’s even a hilarious page on Ash’s site that compares when

she was more ‘buttoned down’ almost a decade ago compared
to what she’s like now.
Now, contrast that example with someone who talks about

similar topics, but in a completely different style and tone: Marie
Forleo.
They might both cover similar topics, but Marie’s personality

(and therefore, content, design, and other branding elements)
are polar opposites.
If Ash sometimes slips between PG-13 and rated R, Marie is firmly

rated G.
So what you’re saying is important, yes. But how you’re saying

it can be equally so.

Step #3. Create your brand identity
Have you noticed a trend with the past few people mentioned?
From my own website to Ramit, Ash, and then Marie?
Go back and look at their websites real fast and tell me what you
notice.
The design is impeccable.
They each have custom sites, beautiful photography, and even

their own logos or ‘marks’ that are easily identifiable.
Why the heavy investment in the look and feel of these sites?
Because according to one academic study, 94% of the time

someone’s first impression is based on design, and it only takes
50 milliseconds for that split-second decision to get made.
So a massive part of creating a personal brand is looking the

part in the first place.
There’s a secondary benefit, as well.
Consistent design helps them become recognizable no matter

where they decide to post or interact online, from their own to
media sites like Entreprenuer.com or even Facebook and Twitter.
The first step to that is your own brand mark or logo. Here are
some of my favorite resources to make it happen.
99designs crowdsources design samples from people all over

the world. So you can set a budget and explain what you’re
looking for, then sit back and watch designers start submitting
ideas.
Then you can decide which ones are on the right track, give
themEnter
feedback
a domain
to further revise the logo, and disqualify
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Best of all, if you’re completely unsatisfied with the options,

you’re not locked into paying!
If you don’t think the design examples you received are up to

snuff, you can simply use the company’s 100% money-back
guarantee to get your funds back.
Another less-expensive alternative is LogoNerds, which is ideal if

you’re on a budget. These logos start for as little as $29!
Many times, you can even have LogoNerds create a few

samples to get ideas, and then take those off to a more
seasoned designer to show them the direction you like or don’t
like.
Once you’re ready for the big leagues (with a budget to match),
you can find amazing designers to work with personally on
Dribbble.
The best designers will use Dribbble as a way to showcase their

work and latest projects so that you can get a sense of their
style.
Many will also show off brand concepts or logo ideas, like these
Brand Elements from Steve Wolf, so you can get a feel for what
your own might look like.
Professional design is often what separates the ‘real’ experts

from everyone else.
So start small with a logo to establish that working relationship

with aEnter a domainyou like, because they’re going to be En
designer worth
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weight in gold when it comes time to redesign your website.
Step #4. Create and redesign your own

personal site
Look:
There’s a TON of noise out there.
You’ve probably already heard all the statistics. Like the one that
says there are two million blog posts are published daily.
And that’s from years ago… so how many do you think are there
today? Possibly even three or four million?
So not only does your stuff need to be good, but it needs to be

going out frequently, too (like several times a week at least).
Continually putting out good stuff under your own name starts
to create that connection between you and the topic target
you’re aiming at.
Here’s what I mean.
Google “Neil Patel marketing” and tell me what you see.
My content shows up all over the place, from Entrepreneur.com

to Inc. and beyond.
Those sites are so big that they’re often ranked at the top of the
search engines. So imagine you work hard to become an expert
on a topic, but then when people Google you, they end up
going to a different website instead of your own.
Frustrating, right?!
That’s why having your own site, and then working hard to raise
its profile, can be an invaluable part of reinforcing your own
personal brand.
See! I own and control almost every site on the first page of the
SERPs for my name.
So if anyone is looking for more information about me, they go

to one of my websites instead of someone else’s.
And that means I’m able to convert a much higher percentage

of people into new, interested leads each month.
My content
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and social strategies are among the main reasons
En / Us SEARCH
that my sites rank above those other mainstream media sites.

Here’s why.
Step #5. Carve out a content and social

strategy
Content marketing “costs 62% less than traditional marketing and

generates about three times as many leads.”
That stat says about all there is to say!
Look back at the SERP example in the last step.
The reason all of my websites rank highly for my name is

because of all the hard-earned content I’ve been pumped out
for years and years.
There’s no secret, then. Just a lot of consistent hard work.
Personally, I find long, in-depth content works the best for

generating leads and ranking well. For example, some of my
posts are over 10,000 words and require a full table of contents!
But look at those social share numbers!
My readers love long-form content (the stats back it up), so I

keep delivering.
The same goes for my advanced guides, which in addition to

being in-depth, are also beautifully designed (which wasn’t
cheap, either).
The trick here is to figure out what kind of content works best for
you and your readers.
For example, MarketingProfs is another big website catering to

marketing professionals. However, its content is totally different
from mine.
MarketingProfs focuses on seminars, webinars, and other data as

opposed to in-depth guides. So there’s no ‘right’ answer,
necessarily.
Your content strategy should also extend to your social media

channels.
But keep in mind: You shouldn’t necessarily be on every single

social platform.
Spreading yourself too thin (and then not updating each

frequently enough) is almost worse than not being on any social
platforms at all.
So once again, go back to your own audience. Where are they?
For example, here are the biggest social sites right now based
on audience size.
Your own product or service plays a key role, too. For example,
a wedding planner might not gain much traction on Twitter.
However, if said wedding planner switches their focus to an
image-focused social platform, like Pinterest or Instagram,

they’re in abusiness!
Enter domain En / Us SEARCH
Step #6. Guest blog to promote your brand
In the early days, nobody really knows who you are.
That’s OK! It’s just critical that you realize this early before it’s too
late.
If you spend all of your time initially only putting out good
content on your own site, you’re unfortunately going to be
wasting your time.
Instead, you should almost spend more time trying to get on

other sites first.
These already have the traffic and audience numbers you need.
Becoming a regular on a huge site like Forbes suddenly gives
you a presence in the industry.
Now you can leverage those eyeballs and that attention to drive
people back to your own site when they start looking for more
information about you.
Many times, these sites will allow you to add your own bio and
title, too.
So instead of the generic “Founder of a Company That Nobody’s

Ever Enter
Heard a domain
From,” you can use that valuable real estate
Ento start
/ Us SEARCH
planting the seed for your personal brand. Incorporate your

niche and bring in elements of your personality.
Step #7. Seek out mentors
There’s no such thing as a “self-made” successful person.
They had to have had help from someone, somewhere, at some

time in their life.
Similarly, becoming a recognized expert in a field can be

incredibly challenging at first.
And you’ll eventually need other big-name players in the

industry to ‘recognize’ you as an expert, which will help you pull
yourself along until you can reach the top.
Even Tiger Woods, arguably the most successful golfer of all

time, has worked with a swing coach for almost his entire career.
Think about that.
The guy arguably doesn’t need to listen to anyone. And yet, he

uses mentors to help him sharpen his game.
80% of CEOs surveyed in one study said they had a mentor to

help them early in their careers.
And almost all successful entrepreneurs I know have had

mentors help them become the recognized experts they are
today.
For example, Ramit Sethi credits Jay Abraham for many of his

successes.
Ramit paid Jay $25,000 and flew from New York to L.A. for over a
year (on his own dime) just to meet with Jay for a single hour
each month.
During that time, Ramit says Jay helped him hit all kinds of
milestones, like his first $100k month and even doubling his
business.
Even startup angel companies and accelerators, like 500

Startups,
Enter put
a domain
all of their companies in touch with mentors to
En / Us SEARCH
work with on a regular basis so that they can reach the top of
their game.
Conclusion
Becoming the go-to, recognized expert in your industry isn’t an

overnight proposition.
It’s going take a lot of hard work and effort to reach the top.
But it’s also one of the highest ROI activities you can pursue.
Not at first, of course. You have to invest the time, money, and
work to slowly break through a crowded industry.
You’re going to have to look the part, put out content at an

intense pace, and constantly meet new people.
Finding a mentor can help you to avoid many of the same

mistakes that have plagued the people before you.
But ultimately, becoming a recognized authority in your niche is

definitely doable — as long as you put in the work.
What’s your best personal branding tip to break through a

crowded space?
  
Enter a domain
English / United States

SEARCH
About Neil Patel
He is the co-founder of NP Digital. The Wall Street Journal calls him a top influencer on the web,
Forbes says he is one of the top 10 marketers, and Entrepreneur Magazine says he created one
of the 100 most brilliant companies. Neil is a New York Times bestselling author and was
recognized as a top 100 entrepreneur under the age of 30 by President Obama and a top 100
entrepreneur under the age of 35 by the United Nations.
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Comments (12)
Claire
After re-branding myself about 3 – 5 times in the last 3 years, my tip is to be
yourself, even if someone else is cooler than you 🙂 Also, the more targeted you
are in your branding, the better. The most important element is understanding your
target audience.
R E P LY
Neil Patel
Being oneself is a good plan 😉
R E P LY
Victoria
Wow, it must be amazing to have Jay as a mentor; he’s a huge inspiration and one
if few people that actually knows how to make a business successful.
R E P LY
Neil Patel
We all need mentors to challenge us and help us grow.
R E P LY
Nanabo Ayebatonye
Carving a narrow niche for yourself and understanding your target audience is the
best practice for outgrowing your personal brand in a crowded market
R E P LY
Neil Patel
Absolutely!
R E P LY
Cloud School Pro

Fantastic Post! I’ve started doing personal branding through my blog and other
social media. I’m greatly inspired from this post.
R E P LY
Neil Patel
Thanks so much!
R E P LY
cepy
ur my idol in this field. id like u to know it.
R E P LY
Neil
Enter a domain Patel En / Us SEARCH
Thanks!
R E P LY
Faisal
Neil, you’re hugely inspirational. I’ve started my first step towards building the
personal brand, the hard work and sweat that will go into making it a success. I
keep checking your videos and there is so much to learn. Keep Up ! Let me know if
possible to catch up next time you’re in Dubai 🙂
R E P LY
Neil Patel
I’m glad to hear it, Faisal 🙂 Best of luck with your branding! If you
ever have any questions along the way feel free to comment and
ask, and I’ll help how I can 🙂
R E P LY
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1/8/2020 Personal Branding: How to Go from Zero to Hero in No Time

Enter a domain En / Us SEARCH

Personal Branding: How to Go Do you want more

Do you remember when only celebrities and major companies

Actors, musicians, Fortune 100 businesses, and athletes got all

However, all of that’s changed now.

It won’t happen overnight, of course.

You only need to do a quick Google search to see that ordinary

How to Create a Personal Brand and Get Noticed | Secrets B

Step #1. Start by finding your niche

There’s a saying about SEO traffic that highlights something most

That means you can’t force people to search for a specific

Your job in SEO is to recognize that and work instead on getting

Personal branding is similar, believe it or not.

The niche selection process is really important! You don’t want

a niche that’s not growing.

For example, online marketing is my personal niche.

There’s a good reason why!

The number of people around the world using the internet

As a result, advertising dollars continue to shift from offline to

For example, there was a 19% increase in online ad revenue (up

I’ve helped companies of all sizes grow their revenue online,

That’s because you obviously can’t grow sales without

In other words, the vast majority of people who are interested in

That’s a good question because there’s no right answer

But here’s where I think you should start.

Why is that so specific? Because you can probably do a lot of

The only way to create a personal brand is by becoming the go-

The “online marketing” space, for example, is massive, and it’s

But take someone like Brian Dean, who decided to go deep on

Notice how he perfectly positions his personal brand. It’s all

Then the site’s graphics, design, and testimonials all reinforce

There’s another important ingredient for a successful personal

Step #2. Inject personality into your personal

For example, I want to be seen as personable and down-to-

A similar example is Ramit Sethi from I Will Teach You To Be Rich.

He works in the personal finance space, which is full of

So Ramit takes the opposite approach, using casual language,

My favorite recent rant is this one on avocado toast, during

Ash Ambridge at The Middle Finger Project also uses strong

correct to the same material comes off as disingenuous.

There’s even a hilarious page on Ash’s site that compares when

Now, contrast that example with someone who talks about

They might both cover similar topics, but Marie’s personality

If Ash sometimes slips between PG-13 and rated R, Marie is firmly

So what you’re saying is important, yes. But how you’re saying

Enter a domain En / Us SEARCH

From my own website to Ramit, Ash, and then Marie?

The design is impeccable.

They each have custom sites, beautiful photography, and even

Because according to one academic study, 94% of the time

So a massive part of creating a personal brand is looking the

There’s a secondary benefit, as well.

Consistent design helps them become recognizable no matter

99designs crowdsources design samples from people all over

Best of all, if you’re completely unsatisfied with the options,

If you don’t think the design examples you received are up to

Another less-expensive alternative is LogoNerds, which is ideal if

Many times, you can even have LogoNerds create a few

The best designers will use Dribbble as a way to showcase their

Professional design is often what separates the ‘real’ experts

So start small with a logo to establish that working relationship

weight in gold when it comes time to redesign your website.