Risk & Business Magazine Marcotte Magazine Summer 2018 | Page 21

ONLINE INFLUENCE “We need people with purpose, significance, and a total and absolute dedication to honor, respect, and the growth of future generations.” BY: DALE PARTRIDGE, BEST-SELLING AUTHOR & MARKETING EXPERT 2. YOU CAN’T HIDE EMPTINESS. As I scroll through the feeds of social media I can’t help but feel a notorious sense of insincere, disingenuous, and counterfeit individuals hoping the strategy of “fake it until you make it” will somehow lead them toward success. Credibility demands results. Building a powerful personal brand requires offering something that others desire. And while much of the uneducated public define happiness with the size of their bank accounts, you’ll soon learn that wooing this type of shallow consumer offers a weak return. People need substance. People need direction. At some point, you will be required to mature your thinking, your writing, and your leading. At some point, you’ll need to live your message. To grow up. To chase what great minds chased. To become someone who is full. Who is not alone. Who is joyful. Who is prioritized. Who is selfless. And who is balanced. This is not empty… and this is what is worth following. 3. CONTENT ISN’T KING, USEFULNESS IS. Influence and a powerful personal brand are derived from one thing. Content. Now every soul on this planet has been given the gift of a mouth and the ability to wield a pen, but this offers no merit to one’s ability to produce words, ideas, and experiences that move people. Because content isn’t king, usefulness is. A great influencer understands that he or she must produce substance of value and of meaning. Words that grow people. Lessons that are of such worth it is a shock to receive them at no cost. For me, I have produced an internal promise that every word which leaves my body will educate, elevate, or enhance those who receive it. And even further, I have vowed to the dedication of consistency in my voice. Because true leaders are reliable. They are without irregular pause. They know that the building of influence is not about the frequency of the wisdom they share, but the consistency of it that builds compounding authority in their area of expertise. 4. PEOPLE DON’T REFER UGLY. There is a reason my website isn’t littered with ads. There is a cause for your ease of reading these words. As an influencer, it is my duty to produce an experience so appealing to you (both in content and design), that you can’t help but to suggest it to others. THE FASTEST WAY TO GROWTH IS THROUGH THE ORGANIC REFERRAL OF SOMETHING SO GREAT, IT CANNOT BE HIDDEN. In my experience, design is more important than you think. It plays a vital role in not only the credibility, but in the consumption of your content. I have seen far too many leaders with sheer brilliance fall by the wayside simply because of their ignorance to aesthetics. If your desire is to build a platform of influence on a passionate topic, you will be hard-pressed to ignore the role of visual elements. From photography and logos to color choices and font spacing, every element works in concert to produce an echo chamber of emotion. All pulling you in. All driving the heart’s of hearers closer to their destination. A place of beautiful growth and achievement. A place where you become their leader. START BUILDING YOUR BRAND NOW From my vantage point, there is no difference between the art of building a persona brand and to starting a business. Persona-marketing is entrepreneurship. It is the art of building a business around one idea led by one person. So if you’re ready to build a business. To build a brand that provides not only an income, but a deep sense of purpose for your life, visit startupcamp.com. + Dale Partridge is a national best-selling business author and online authority in the fields of entrepreneurship, marketing, and leadership. With over one million followers on social media, Dale's mission is to influence this generation to not only build better businesses, but better families, relationships, and dreams. 21