Building a Brand with Passion

Persistence. Drive. Passion.

Do such words represent the principles and attributes which make great entrepreneurs and products, or are they just buzzwords and marketing tools, fed to hungry audiences looking for something to latch onto?

In an Internet marketing world often shrouded in anonymity, just about any entrepreneur can say they’re passionate, can’t they? From the spammy site next door to the late night infomercial promising to change your life forever, true passion can be hard to pick out these days. Buyers want to deal with enthusiastic, personable businesses. They don’t want faceless entities or companies that can’t look at them as people.

Today’s business owners must live by the principle of “show, don’t tell.” The task of proving your passion to your existing and potential customers is never simple. As anyone can put on a persona, hype up and put on a big smile about what they’re selling, how can you break through? How do you prove your passion?

The Guru Effect

Perhaps the most obvious way to show your passion is by putting it on display for the world to see. Whether you consider that window into your life to the be your company’s site or blog, ask yourself:


What Have You Done For Your Industry? – Years of experience. A plethora of projects. Climbing the ladder. Despite how long you’ve been in business, you need to be able to show what you’ve done for your industry and what you and your business have the potential to do.

What Are Industry Peers Saying About You? – The more we do business, the more relationships we form. Social networks allow us to make those relationships public; do you have others who can back up your passion? Consider how your social sphere can help solidify your business and its mission.

What Can You Show From Your Scars? – It may be cliché, but everyone makes mistakes. What we do in response from those mistakes is what set us apart. Your ability to educate and show what you’ve been through, both good and bad, lets buyers know that you don’t give up when the going gets rough. Such persistence spells out “passion.”

The blog of Tim Ferriss, author of The Four Hour Workweek and various other “lifestyle experiments,” represents a prime example of the guru effect at work. Through copious content and the “been there, done that” approach, Ferriss is the master of putting a personal, enthusiastic touch on what he’s selling and what he has to say. Furthermore, he has the experience and expertise to back up his claims. Do you?

The Breakthrough

Every entrepreneur has a breakthrough story that highlights how they’ve overcome obstacles or how they saw flaws in their competition. In short, the breakthrough is something flashy, sexy, and marketable. What’s the spark that drove your business? Consider how that very spark can serve as your company’s thesis statement.

Mark Zuckerberg had a breakthrough with Facebook, understanding what appealed to the public’s social psyches and taking a minimalist approach versus similar sites of the time. Steve Jobs understoodthe appeal of exclusivity with Apple and stood strongly behind his products until his death. While nobody is asking you to reinvent social media or transform the tech industry, ask yourself; where’s your spark?

Put Your Face On It

As stated earlier, today’s buyers want a connection. They want to put businesses to faces. Likewise, consider a more personal approach when it comes to running your company. While you may prefer the safety of anonymity, passionate customers and cult-like followings are built by marketers who aren’t afraid to reach out.

The act of reaching out shows that you’re passionate and care for your followers and industry. Furthermore, a personal approach keeps you from becoming a face in the crowd or, even worse, faceless altogether. Marketers such as Tim Ferriss and Seth Godin regularly plaster their faces upon their sites and take the time to reach out to their followers. The more passion you show, the more your followers will take notice.

The Bottom Line

Prove your passion. Believe in your product. Get personal. As today’s buyers are looking for companies that mean something more, it’s the responsibility of passionate business owners to meet their expectations. Are you putting your passion on display?

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