are you findable and memorable? - Issue #3

Dear you,

Today, I am transported back to a conference room in an agency I worked in. Our lead strategist asks: "Brand X has thousands of dollars to spend on Influencers; who should we suggest? Who is a brand fit?"

I remember different team members blurting out names and sometimes nodding in agreement over specific influencers they found truly influential and believed in. I think about how we also chose vendors through a similar process. Other times, someone has a shortlist and asks: Who should we give this opportunity to? I watch different people passionately argue about who is best, who is most deserving, who will have the most impact". The fascinating thing about all these is that they mostly don't even have a personal relationship with this person, yet, they go out of the limb to fight for this person to get paid, win a trip, or get whatever opportunity is on the table - possibly a chance to work with their dream brand.

Fast forward to years after, sitting in a room where investors are choosing to bet on founders with the limited resources they have. It feels like Deja Vu because here are passionate strangers arguing for founders they believe in, to get them the capital they need to push their business forward.

A few days ago, I was a passionate stranger arguing with an equally passionate friend about why he should start using Apple products while he went on and on about the quality of Android phones.

What do these stories have in common?

So much is determined by the ability of people to find and remember you.

The life-changing opportunity you need, the goals you've written down, and so much more will be mostly achieved based on conversations happening in your absence by people you probably do not know: Passionate staff, fighting to give you an opportunity in their company. Passionate investors fighting to give your business a chance. Passionate customers fighting to convince their friends to use your product.

Bill Gates doesn't make all his decisions himself. Instead, he asks the opinions of his friends, family, staff and more. But guess what?

No one will mention you or your brand if you are not findable, searchable or memorable.

We often talk about how we want to do great things, be wealthy, work with global brands, earn more, raise more money, build global businesses, etc. These are the things we write down when asked about our goals, and that's great. However, a big part of financial, career or business growth lies in the tongue of other people, in rooms we are not in.

So the big question is:

How can you be findable?

These are my five suggestions:

Do good work and show your work

Do quality work that matters. It doesn't have to be perfect. Something that makes you and others feel good or alleviates their pain. Share and test what you know. Share what you are learning. Share your journey. Show us the BTS (behind-the-scenes). Put your work out there and make it discoverable while improving yourself. Don't wait until it's perfect. This gives people a body of work to arm themselves with as they argue in your absence, in your favour.

Show up

Build sharing into your routine. You don't have to share personal information. You can decide from the start what you'll share and what you'll never share. Don't underestimate what you know and overestimate what people know. I once saw a youtube video about how to cook eggs with over 27 million views. Are we saying 27+ million people in the world do not know how to cook eggs in the world? Possibly. And someone is solving that problem. So, pick a channel, talk about things you love, share your journey. Show up in your own way. Prioritise showing up consistently over overthinking what to share. This helps people trust and remember you.

Collaborate

Team up with other people within and outside your niche to do great work. Partnerships are magical and yield extraordinary results. I curated this Collaboration Guide to help you collaborate better and more strategically. This helps people transfer the trust they have in your collaborator to you.

Contribute

Be part of conversations. Contribute to other people's ideas. When you read something, and you have a thought, share that thought. I think about how George Cayley set the stage for aeroplanes which the Wright Brothers benefited from. I think of Charles Babbage and how his contribution set the stage for people like Bill Gates and Steve Jobs. Give what you have to someone. They may be able to make it better than you dare to think. Answer questions your audience has (if you know the answer). If you don't suggest someone who might be in a better place to offer a better solution. It doesn't make you less competent; it makes you connected. Don't monopolise your knowledge. This makes people value you.

Don't be afraid to network

Build a community of people who care about you. They could be mentors, peers or people willing to learn from you. Actually, you need all three levels. Don't wait until you need people before you build a relationship with them, start building the relationship now. Also, take a breath, before you burn bridges. You just never know where paths might cross in future.

What will happen naturally after you do these five things, especially about a specific subject? People will begin to find you, remember you, talk about you, tell more people about you, and some will not only find you, but they will also believe in you and your brand. After a while, people will take ownership of your brand and fight for you the way they fight over Ronaldo and Messi, Nicki Minaj and Cardi B, Cocacola vs Pepsi, Apple vs Samsung, Instagram vs Twitter... it exists across everything... Soon, it'll be you vs others.

Ensure they win fighting for YOU.

What are you going to do to be more findable? You can start by contributing in the comment section.

With love,

Blessing Abeng.