iBuild Branding – Branding Strategies for MLM, Home Business & Network Markting Opportunities

Personal branding rules this year's presidential elections.

If you’ve been following the 2008 presidential elections, I’m sure you’ve seen and heard quite a bit of repetition from candidates Obama & McCain. During the primaries, we heard Obama’s slogan “Change we can believe in” so much it made our heads spin. With McCain we’ve sat through war story after war story emphasizing his “experience” in leadership and military roles and his loyalty to the country. We can’t go anywhere these days without seeing a smattering of political propaganda, and it all serves one main purpose – to brand the images and beliefs of each candidate in our minds through repetition. The perfect example of personal branding.

It’s been like this since the old days, where the first radio stations played commercials over and over encouraging Americans to support war efforts, join the military, voluteer services and donate money. Posters littered store-front windows, walls and posts asking for our loyalty and assistance. Our government learned early on that repetition works just as well with adults as it does with children, and thus the propaganda fed on our inherent ability to retain what we see repeatedly placed in front of us. It’s no different with the presidential candidates today. The slogan rules presidential and other political campaigns, being repeated at the end of every commericial and on every piece of print marketing that comes our way. Logos and headshots serve to make us ultra familiar with the candidates and their families. Some even put on a show to make sure we remember where they’re from, as we saw during George Bush’s campaigns (how could we forget the 10-gallon hats, cowboy boots and big Texas attitude?). They work around the clock, pushing their own personal brands to ensure that some part of their message sticks in our brains – and to their credit it usually does.

A lot can be learned from this old-school view of branding. Expose someone to something enough times, and it’s bound to affect them in some way. We learn to associate candidates with words that inspire and empower us, with values that we hold dear and with colors and images that bring about certain emotions – so much so that even our younger generations are inspired enough to express their ideas and interpretations of the presidential candidates. It’s really not so old-school when you think about how much the human psyche plays a part in a consumer’s decision-making process. Word Association is something that is deeply rooted within us. It’s how we learn vocabulary from a young age. And with today’s technology, the presidential campaigns are being covered from every angle – through print media, television, radio and even newer forms of mass advertisement like online video and social networking. Obama and McCain are simply showing us personal branding at its best, reaching deep into what’s already ingrained in us, and using every possible avenue to reach us, in order to win over our hearts and minds.

The trick to personal branding in political elections is transparency. I’m sure you’ve heard it before. When you hold nothing back and let everything in, you’re able to build a deeper connection with those you’re trying to reach. Stars that they are, Obama and McCain are in front of microscope 24/7. Everything they say and do is being watched, filmed, recorded and analyzed. Every ideal and belief is scrutinized. No stone is left unturned. And though it’s probably the most nerve-racking few years of their lives, it usually pays off. The more we learn about a candidate’s wife (or husband) and kids, places they grew up, issues that are important to them or injustices that are done to them, the more we connect and find a reason to either hate ‘em or love ‘em. While it helps that they’ve got paparazzi following them wherever they go, ordinary folks like you and me can use the same tactic to achieve the same kind of fame and build an army of loyal followers (or in your case, team members). But it’s a method that takes a bit of skill and a LOT of tact. If you’re going to make yourself transparent like the candidates, you’ve got to be sure you’re ok with whatever skeletons may be lurking in the closet. Transparency can be a great asset in the brand-building process, but like any WMD it must be handled with care. Taking the time to learn about reputation management as you move forward in your business can help you to use this awesome tactic more effectively!

So as you go forward with your marketing and branding efforts this year, imagine yourself as a presidential candidate running in the 2008 election. It’s a do or die year, and your message has to be heard. How will YOU grab the hearts and minds of your target audience? Take some advice from the 2008 candidates and from history itself. Work to put your face, your slogan and your beliefs in front of your target audience at every possible opportunity, using every available tool and resource. Open yourself up to your target audience with a bit of transparency, then drive your message home with repetition. If you can pull it off, you’ll have a chance at gaining all the fame and status of candidates like Barack Obama and John McCain. At iBuild™, we’re working to teach home business entrepreneurs, MLM & Network Marketing distributors and affiliates just like you how utilize these super-effective techniques, even on a tight budget. Learn all about perfecting the technique of transparency, protecting yourself and your business with reputation management and more so that you can achieve a brand worthy of a presidential nomination (ok, we can’t make you president but we can help you become just as famous as one)! Join us as we count down to pre-launch! Watch our progress and stay tuned for updates, special offers and more by following us on Twitter!