11 goals to strive for in 2021

“Any brand that does not innovate and grow, dies!”

Brands evolve!

Regardless of the current stage of your brand, if you desire to stay top of mind and in business, you will need at least one of these milestones/goals to reach in the coming year.

Go through this list and be challenged to take your brand to another height.

1.Raise the bar on yourself

I know quite a number of brands in my circle who offer the same services and products of high quality and standard yet they are underpaid by their clients.

Why? Well, my survey revealed one major setback, lack of confidence in their expertise. They lack the boldness to price their products and services as they deserve.

Listen, if you don't place a premium price on yourself, others will treat you like a commodity.

Truth be told, you are powerful, gifted, talented, and skilled. Yes you, you have to believe that.

It all begins with self-belief and confidence in one's abilities.

Perhaps, you have settled for crumbs for your brand and business.

No! Yours is the gold, gear up and go for it. Until you raise the bar on yourself and work toward becoming a better version of yourself, you will only have the leftovers of those who dare and do mightier things.

Building confidence in yourself is building confidence in your brand.

If you've been doing well, great! It’s time to step up your game, go up the notch. Stretch for a higher and greater opportunity.

You can do more.

In the coming weeks, months, and years, lift your game, pursue excellence, and master your craft.

2. Invest in a professional coach

Truth be told, successful people hire coaches. They don't try to figure everything out on their own, they ask for help and support - coaching.

To move your brand to the next level, a coach is imperative.

Coaches guide you on paths they are more knowledgeable and have proven records of their success.

Hire a coach to help you in selected areas of your life and brand. It saves you time and money.

The potential return on investment in a coach for your brand is priceless.

3. Build partnership

There's strength in numbers and unity of purpose.

In building and growing your brand, forming strong alliances offer you great leverage you can't have doing things all on your own.

There are times you need to partner with other successful and big brands to grow your business. Therefore, I advise you to seek mutually beneficial connections.

In partnering, consider what you can offer your partners and vice versa, what they will be bringing to the table.

Once all is set, always remember to have a partnership agreement signed before you go on with any task. If possible, seek legal advice.

Effective partnerships grow Brands.

Make it a major goal to build a partnership in the coming weeks, months, and years.

4. Scale - enlarge your territories

Too often many people settle too soon when they attain what they may seem successful in their own eyes.

The temptation to settle could be so high when praises come from all corners. Yes, you may be doing well. It is good to celebrate but even greater to make the most of the situation at hand - repeat that which worked and scale your brand.

When the season to grow comes don't rest on your past fruits, there are more lands to conquer. Grow your brand beyond your current comfort zone.

You may be doing well considerably in your niche. Sometimes your niche may become your comfort zone when you fail to recognize the season to expand.

Take a well prepared and calculated giant step with your brand in the coming weeks, months, and years. The world is your oyster.

5. Work on your feedback

As I always say "feedbacks are ways brands can look back".

I know of brands that have failed and have dimmed out because they took lightly the feedbacks of their clients and customers.

Perhaps, you've lost a fortune over the years because of your indifference, but in moving forward you can do better to restore that which you lost.

It's time to review and evaluate your brand, where you flipped and flopped. The good, bad, and ugly.

Every great brand and leader takes reviews and feedback seriously. These are important data to help make better decisions, products, and services, you discard and disregard it at your peril.

6. Get a brand identity designed

A successful brand works on its tangible and intangible aspects of the brand.

A brand can be successful by mastering any of these two; however, to make a great impact, one must perfectly blend both the tangibles and intangibles.

One major aspect of a Brand's tangibles is its brand identity - logo and its other brand visuals.

A great brand identity becomes the wheel on which your brand travels. A lever to reach higher feats. It's therefore important to give your brand a professional representation.

Your logo, visuals must supplement and boost your brand.

Make your visuals stunning, simple, and impactful. Remember, men are moved by what they see, give them something worth your brand.

Dominate with dazzling designs.

7. Develop a working brand guide and strategy

Knowing exactly what you want and desire would help you achieve your goals faster. Sometimes, you may have a plan for your brand but if it's not well documented, you wouldn't be able to reach your brand goals.

One way to make this easier and better is by having a brand guide and strategy plan.

Your brand guide and brand strategy will serve as a blueprint. Boosting your professional brand position.

This will deter you from using try-and-error approaches.

8. Read more books

Your brand gets better when you get better.

In the coming weeks, months, and years, make time to read good books. Invest in your mind, expand your intellectual prowess. Read books in your field by other successful people.

You can simply start by reading a book a month, that's fine. Read at your own pace, assimilate, learn, and practice.

Books open a whole new world unto you, a world of possibilities.

I recommend the comprehensive list of branding books by the book authority.

Check the 100 branding ebooks of all times by bookauthority.com (Two of my branding books were featured: i. Rebrand, ii. The Art of Personal Branding)

9. Get a website/ redesign the old one

In this digital content world, a website is a must-have for any brand. It's erroneous not to have a website.

Get a website for your Brand.

If you have one but are not making the most of it, now is the time.

If your existing website is outdated, get it redesigned, it's your 24/7 online storefront, a virtual extension of you, your product, and services. Let it speak and sell you well.

10. Pay attention to SEO/SEM

SEO stands for “Search Engine Optimization.” It simply means improving the visibility of your site for relevant searches.

It's rewarding when your brand is easily discoverable via search. It leads to more leads, brand visibility, and business.

Content abounds; every media platform gets flooded with loads of content daily.

It is increasingly becoming tough for even established brands to get their voice heard amid the crowded market place.

Therefore, to stay top-of-mind for your clients' demands you need not only produce quality content but you need to invest in search engine marketing (SEM) and optimize your website and blogs for search.

Hire a professional agency to handle your brand's SEO

11. Rebrand

Sometimes, things will not pan out as planned but just learn from it and move on.

You might have been building your brand for some time if not years now but doesn't seem to be working. Perhaps it's a sure sign to rebrand. Regroup and re-strategize.

Review why it hasn't been working - collect data of your current brand, and re-work your plans, employ new strategies.

You may need to change the brand name, identity, tagline, colours, story, product, and services.

Whatever that is for you, go work harder and smarter. Better your best.

Bernard Kelvin Clive is an Author, Speaker and Corporate Trainer. Africa’s foremost author[ity] on Personal Branding and Digital Book Publishing. An Amazon bestselling author of over 40 published books. As a speaker & trainer he has been known to simplify complex ideas about branding and life and present them to audiences in clear, actionable steps. He has over a decade experience in digital publishing and has globally consulted for entrepreneurs, pastors, and people like you to write books and build brands. He hosts the number one ranked Career & Business Podcast in Ghana. Bernard is a brand strategist at BKC consulting and runs the monthly Branding & Publishing Masterclass. visit https://BKC.name