The “Field of Dreams” mentality is easy to get sucked into. All we need is a new website, a new logo, and some search optimization and voila, we’ll have more customers and clients than we know what to do with, right?
Wrong.
The reality is that great branding only really works when it’s combined with hustle. You can have a great, cohesive, visual platform from which to tell your story, but you still have to earn the right to tell it.
Seth Godin spoke to this in his recent blog post, “The Beaten Path.”
“Attention and trust are worth more than just about anything else, because they make it likely you have a chance to tell your story, which might resonate, which then leads to the beaten path. It’s the last step, not the first.”
A better strategy than “waiting for people to come” will always be going to people. Shake hands, build relationships, and then bring others into your story.
Because when your brand is built on more than just your online platform, you’ll find that your audience actually starts to listen. When you start talking with them – not at them – your story is heard instead of ignored.
So, “If we build it, they will come” is missing a pretty vital step. “If we build it, they will come” removes the hustle and assumes you don’t have to earn your audience, customers, and clients.
…But you do.