Networking To Build A Brand

Consumers don't care about your brand. They're not thinking about you. They’re busy living their lives. So how do you break through? You must earn distinctiveness by consistently repeating sharp brand codes over a long period of time (this is not the only way, but this is definitely a way) Swiggy owns orange. Sephora owns stripes. Zomato owns Cranberry Red. These are deliberate choices. And they work because they build memory structures over time.  __________________________________________________________________ Here's how to codify your brand: Tip 1: Own your best hand. Pick 3-5 brand codes and stick with them relentlessly. You need your logo, obviously. Then add 2-4 more assets - colour, shape, sound, texture, whatever works. Don’t use too many codes, or you dilute the impact. The sweet spot is narrow, but it's powerful. Choose wisely, then commit like your business depends on it because it does. Tip 2: Apply them mercilessly across every touchpoint. Your ads, your packaging, your website, your LinkedIn banner, your email signatures, even your offer letters. I mean everywhere. When you think you've overdone it, you're probably halfway there. Repetition isn't boring in this case. It builds memory structures in your customers' minds. The more they see your codes, the faster they recognize you. And recognition is the first battle you must win. Tip 3: Test for blind recognition. Cover your logo. Show the ad to someone. If they still know it's you, congratulations. You've built brand codes that work. Blind recognition is the ultimate test of distinctiveness. It separates the brands people remember from the ones they scroll past. Tip 4: Stop creating clever campaigns that no one remembers. I've seen brands blow millions on work that wins creative awards but fails the market. Creativity should amplify your brand, not bury it. Every frame, every line, every moment should scream your identity - even with the sound off and the logo hidden.  __________________________________________________________________ The truth is simple. Consumers won't care about you until you force them to remember you. And you do that with brand codes applied so relentlessly, so consistently, that forgetting becomes impossible. #marketing #business #work

I’ve secured top local SEO rankings for every startup I’ve worked on by combining micro-influencer partnerships with strategic guest post backlinking. Guest posting is a smart way to grow your brand’s visibility and build meaningful connections at the same time you're improving your organic search visibility. Start by seeking out guest posting opportunities within your industry. Many blogs and sites are constantly searching for fresh content, and a well-pitched idea could open the door for collaboration. Even if you don’t see formal calls for submissions, most platforms welcome guest contributions. Medium, for example, offers a space to publish your own content whenever you like. Guest posting is about both links and relationships. By providing value to another platform, you’re not only boosting your SEO but also creating potential allies in your industry. And when you invite those collaborators to share their expertise on your platform, it becomes a mutually beneficial partnership. This approach has consistently worked for me, and it’s a scalable strategy for any startup. Ready to try it out?

Ola Electric launched the Bharat 4680 cell battery and a rare-earth-free motor. The goal? Convince urban EV enthusiasts that India can innovate globally, sustainably, and affordably. Pre-orders were the metric, trust was the currency. 1️⃣ OWN THE MOMENT → Bold tech first → Live ‘Sankalp’ event showcasing the battery & motor, no fluff, no distractions. → Press coverage and real-time social reactions amplified credibility instantly. 2️⃣ BORROWED ATTENTION → Sustainability conversation → Micro-influencers and creators in climate tech explained why rare-earth-free matters. → By aligning with global sustainability narratives, Ola turned attention into anticipation. 3️⃣ PROOF IN PUBLIC → Show, don’t just tell → Engineering walkthroughs and live test videos created visible signals of innovation. → Case in point: ET readers flooded comments with questions about specs and availability. 4️⃣ IRL FRICTION → Touch the tech → Invite early adopters to mini-test labs to feel the battery and motor firsthand. → Physical interaction made the innovation tangible, turning curiosity into advocacy. 5️⃣ SEED THE STORY → Make it retellable → Every update, teardown video, and engineer interview was crafted to be shareable. → Users became storytellers, spreading Ola’s message without a single ad spend. Signals of success appeared within 48 hours: waitlists doubling, social engagement spiking, mentions trending across EV forums. Competitors were scrambling to respond, not because of marketing spend, but because the product’s story resonated so clearly. India had just demonstrated that homegrown innovation could compete on a global stage. This wasn’t about showing off a car, it was about showing that the battery, the motor, and the story behind them could carry belief, desire, and trust without an ad dollar. If tomorrow, every media outlet went silent, would the story still spread? That’s the power of product-led narrative paired with precise attention capture. #LinkedInInsider #LinkedInNewsIndia #ContentMarketing #MarketingTips #ProductMarketing

Confused about how to get your brand seen in AI tools like ChatGPT? Let's simplify the current understanding. I’ve been hearing a lot lately about companies promising to help brands 'show up' in AI-generated answers, but given no one really knows how LLMs work, I am skeptical of how this could actually be done. LLMs are trained on massive datasets pulled from publicly available sources—think websites, blogs, forums, and reviews. But the output they show is not based on 'ranking' content like Google. Instead, they generate probabilistic responses based on patterns in the data. And so much of how they do this is still unknown: - How does an LLM decide which sources are credible? - Why does it choose one brand over another when both claim to solve the same problem? - And most importantly, how can smaller brands compete if they’re not already part of the 'training data'? This is what I observe when I ask for recommendations on chatgpt for any research I am doing: 1) It either shows me brands that are already well-known and written about extensively on third-party sites—not just their own blogs. Think HubSpot for CRM. Their authority is recognized beyond their marketing content. 2) Or if my query is really specific it then shows me niche companies that specifically address my usecase - like when I asked for CRM for M&A, Chatgpt showed me companies like DealCloud, Affinity and Navatar - companies that probably have a lot of content that specifically addresses that user query. So my hypothesis is that if you are serious about showing up in AI-driven answers, you need to play the long game: 📌 Create Niche Content Instead of focusing on generic top of the funnel questions that AI now answers well enough, we need to address specific problems, use cases that align with our expertise and showcase what is unique about our solution and who it works for. 📌 Build Authority Over Time Invest in 'old-fashioned' marketing. Invest in building credibility and authority in public forums, third-party sites, PR and trusted platforms where your audience gathers. It seems to me like there is no overnight silver bullet to being seen in AI-generated answers. Am I wrong? #LLMs #b2bmarketing

You can shout from the rooftops about how great your product is, but if people don’t believe you, it won’t matter. Your word means nothing, until you’ve built trust. And trust isn’t something you can force. It has to be earned. In the early days, the fastest way to build credibility wasn't by talking about yourself. It’s by getting others to talk about you. That’s where third-party validation comes in. You borrow trust from people and platforms that already have it. Press coverage. Influencers. Strategic partnerships. Customer testimonials. Social proof. When people see you featured in respected publications, backed by trusted figures, or recommended by someone they already follow, they’re far more likely to believe in you. You’re leveraging their credibility to build your own. And here’s the thing, third-party validation doesn’t just help when you’re starting out. Even established brands need it. No matter how big you get, people will always trust what others say about you more than what you say about yourself. So if you’re trying to grow, don’t waste time screaming into the void. Get the right people talking about you, and the trust will follow.

I moved to New York for 18 months to launch & grow the Papier brand 🗽🇺🇸 If you're looking to do the same in 2025, here’s my essential checklist: 🤝 localised partnerships drive relevance -> work with adjacent brands on collabs, content, or events to anchor your brand locally. 📣 PR unlocks resources, relevance, and relationships -> for first-timers, I recommend an agency model, but make sure to find the right size and people (also press affiliate = essential for landing coverage.) 👯 local community building will drive buzz & engagement, especially irl events -> concentrate on building your community in specific cities & don’t sink money into paid creators without understanding the landscape and who's relevant for your brand. 🛒 retail marketing will drive awareness -> leverage your retail partners’ audiences via organic social, email database, or in-store opportunities to increase awareness. 🤠 localise your content & no (usually), you don’t need separate social accounts -> instead work with local tastemakers on interesting interview content/social series. Attaching your brand to cool people in the market will help drive relevancy & this content can weave into your existing channels and on-site. 💬 build your own network -> connect with agency owners, editors, and friends of friends. Put yourself out there, and be generous with your knowledge and help you’ll be amazed at how much you get out of these connections. 🔄 create a feedback loop & review your budgets -> pass on insights to other teams to refine your strategy - this can be via a monthly steerco & you'll likely need to tweak your brand budget accounting for higher costs in this market. 🥯 immerse yourself -> dive into the nuances of the market to understand the consumer and how your brand fits. Knowing who to partner with, where to host events, and what's trending is essential—and you can’t know this without experiencing the country or city firsthand. Plus, you’ll want to know where to find the best bagel in NYC for when your friends visit. For me, Leon’s bagels is up there!

Free press is a windfall for fund managers. 🔥 Getting interviewed by high-profile financial media outlets like Blooomberg, CNBC, or the Financial Times garners global attention. 🔥 A 3-minute video clip can instantly raise your credibility and brand awareness. But getting quoted only happens after cultivating a relationship with reporters and establishing your credibility. (Kind of like winning over investors... 🤔) Journalists need credible sources to support or validate the premise of their article, so they need quick turnaround from ‘industry experts’ on a particular topic. Fund managers who can provide insightful ‘expert’ commentary in a timely manner can lay the groundwork for a symbiotic relationship with reporters. Becoming a sought-after source where you can showcase your expertise in the press is the ultimate win. 🏆 Here’s how: 𝟭. 𝗕𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗱 𝗥𝗲𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽𝘀 𝗘𝗮𝗿𝗹𝘆 🤝 Journalists prefer sources they know, so forge connections with reporters before they need your insight. Engage at conferences — invite them for a coffee, or reach out periodically with valuable industry insights. Become a reliable source within your domain. If you’re asked questions about a topic outside your expertise, be honest, and if possible, recommend another expert. This integrity builds trust. 𝟮. 𝗕𝗲 𝗤𝘂𝗼𝘁𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲 💬 Journalists love sources who can break down complex subjects into understandable insights. Moreso if you can serve up a memorable quote. If you’re a tenured fund manager, you likely have a deep understanding of a specific asset class, sector, or market dynamics. Articulate and refine your insights to ensure your explanations are engaging and accessible. 𝟯. 𝗗𝗲𝗹𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝗩𝗮𝗹𝘂𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝗜𝗻𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁𝘀 💫 I listened to 3 well-known reporters talk on a conference panel about what fund managers should do to get ‘press’. One panelist summed it up perfectly — she said, “Give us something useful." What’s ‘useful’ depends on a reporter's beat and how you can help them deliver meaningful coverage. Align your knowledge with their needs. 𝟰. 𝗣𝗿𝗲𝗽𝗮𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗶𝘀 𝗞𝗲𝘆 🔑 If a reporter reaches out unexpectedly, resist the urge to respond immediately. Take time to gather your thoughts and ensure clarity. Ditch the jargon and emphasize key points understandably.    Prioritize clarity and authenticity in your interactions. Remember, the key to being quoted isn't just about what you know—it's about how effectively you can share your knowledge with the world. 𝗘𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝗯𝗲𝗲𝗻 𝗾𝘂𝗼𝘁𝗲𝗱? 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘁𝗼𝗽 𝟯 𝘁𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵𝘁-𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝘁𝗼𝗽𝗶𝗰𝘀? Need help building your PR strategy? Let's talk!

How we raised a moving company’s organic website traffic by 40% Last month, I worked with a moving company that was struggling to rank on Google. They had zero backlinks. They knew they needed to build a strong backlink profile, but they didn’t know where to start. That’s where I came in. Here’s how we approached it: 1. Competitor analysis We started by analyzing their top competitors in the area. ◾ Step 1: Identified local movers ranking for keywords like “movers in [city name].” ◾ Step 2: Used tools like Ahrefs to analyze their backlink profiles. ◾ Step 3: Found patterns—most competitors were getting backlinks from: ◽ Local directories. ◽ Industry-specific blogs. ◽ Review sites. From this, we prioritized high-quality, local backlinks that would have the biggest impact. 2. Content creation & outreach Next, we focused on creating content that others would want to link to. ◾ Blog Posts: We created articles like “10 Packing Hacks Every Mover Should Know.” ◾ Infographics: Designed a visual guide on “How to Safely Pack Fragile Items.” ◾ Videos: Produced short videos highlighting the moving company’s services and customer stories. For outreach, we: ◾ Pitched guest blog posts to local websites and moving industry blogs. ◾ Used HARO (Help a Reporter Out) to position the client as an expert for journalists. ◾ Shared content across social media to increase visibility. 3. Local SEO & citations We optimized their local presence with: ◾ A fully updated Google My Business profile (with accurate NAP info and new customer reviews). ◾ Listings on directories like Yelp, Angie’s List, and local chamber of commerce sites. ◾ Consistent online citations across all platforms. 4. Broken link building We identified broken links on local websites and reached out to the site owners. ◾ Suggested their blog posts and guides as replacements. ◾ Secured several quality backlinks through this strategy alone. 5. Building relationships We also helped the client establish local partnerships to generate backlinks: ◾ Collaborated with real estate agents and storage facilities. ◾ Sponsored local community events for exposure and mentions on event websites. Within 3 months, here’s what we achieved: ✔ Added 25 high-quality backlinks from local and industry-specific sites. ✔ Improved their local Google rankings by 2 positions for key keywords. ✔ Increased organic website traffic by 40%. Backlinks aren’t just about volume—they’re about quality, strategy, and relationships. P.S. I’m offering free consultation call (Link in bio) to help you: ◾ Identify backlink opportunities tailored to your niche. ◾ Build a roadmap for sustainable SEO growth. ◾ Start ranking higher and attracting more customers.

Your SEO agency just sent you a report showing 50 new backlinks this month. Impressive, right? Until you realize they're all from irrelevant sites with zero authority, purchased from link farms that Google will eventually identify and penalize. Most agencies chase link quantity over quality because it's easier to show impressive numbers in monthly reports. But a few high-quality, contextual links from authoritative sites will outperform hundreds of spam links every time. The worst part? When Google cracks down on these link schemes, your agency will blame "algorithm changes" and suggest you need to spend more to recover. They created the problem they're now charging you to fix. Real link building focuses on creating content so valuable that authoritative sites naturally want to reference it. It's about building genuine relationships with industry leaders, not gaming the system with purchased links. Our SEO Growth Accelerator teaches your team to build backlinks the right way. You learn to create link-worthy content, develop authentic industry relationships, and earn links that actually strengthen your domain authority. When you own the link building process, you're not at the mercy of shady schemes that could implode at any moment. Quality links from relevant, authoritative sources are the foundation of sustainable organic growth.

How do you launch a company in an industry you’ve never worked in? Or pivot to a new role or career? You network like your career depends on it. That’s exactly what University of Michigan - Stephen M. Ross School of Business alums and childhood friends, Kristin Ruud and Rachel Heydlauff, did to build Northern Classics, a premium children’s outerwear company. Neither had experience in apparel manufacturing or retail. Kristin left her job in finance to start the company; Rachel left her consulting job at Deloitte to join Kristin as COO. Together, they’ve grown the brand into a success–now sold at Bloomingdale's, REI (Ann Arbor…and hopefully nationally soon 🤞) and featured in Vogue and People. How did they do it? 𝗡𝗲𝘁𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴. Relentless, intentional, and sometimes uncomfortable networking. They reached out to experts, connected with people in the garment industry, and tapped into their school and work networks for referrals and introductions. Was it always easy or fun to cold email or call someone they didn’t know? No. But it was critical to building and growing the business. Networking doesn’t have to feel awkward. The worst someone can say is “no”–or not respond at all. But the upside? You gain valuable insights, build meaningful relationships, and open doors you never knew existed. Whether you’re building a company, looking for a job, or exploring a new path, here’s how to reframe networking: 1️⃣ 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗰𝘂𝗿𝗶𝗼𝘀𝗶𝘁𝘆. People love to share their knowledge. Ask questions, listen, and learn. 2️⃣ 𝗟𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗮𝗴𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗲𝘅𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗻𝗲𝘁𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸. A warm introduction goes a long way. 3️⃣ 𝗕𝗲 𝗴𝗲𝗻𝘂𝗶𝗻𝗲. Authenticity builds trust and connection. 4️⃣ 𝗥𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗿: 𝗥𝗲𝗷𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗶𝘀𝗻’𝘁 𝗽𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹. If someone says “no”, it’s not about you–it’s about their capacity in that moment. I was inspired by Rachel’s story and the power of networking during our coffee chat last week. Northern Classics is a testament to what’s possible when you lean into the discomfort and just start reaching out. Networking isn’t just for entrepreneurs or job seekers. It’s a lifelong practice that keeps you connected, informed and inspired. Whether you’re exploring new ideas or simply building relationships that enrich your career and life, being intentional about networking pays off. 𝗠𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝗶𝘁 𝗮 𝗵𝗮𝗯𝗶𝘁. Reach out to someone new, reconnect with an old colleague, or simply ask for advice. You never know where the conversation might lead.