The 15-Minute Professional Branding Strategy That Actually Works

The online world is more important than ever before, yet it often remains stuck on the to-do list for most busy professionals. Why? Because it requires time, effort, and financial investment. Yet, most will openly admit that they understand the sheer importance of having a strong, credible, and visible professional online presence.

The biggest challenge isn’t knowing that it’s needed. It’s in developing a professional branding strategy that doesn’t break the bank, and above all else, actually works. When you consider that 77% of customers do their own online research before speaking to a company’s sales department, the importance of a clear presence becomes undeniable.

The Traditional Branding Problem

Traditional executive branding follows a tried and tested route – hire a consultant, hold positioning workshops, develop a clear message and content, and set up a website. It takes around three to six months to complete the process, and can cost thousands. The overall uncertainty around ROI often prevents businesses from committing.

Yet, around 45% of SMEs also consider digital presence extremely important, regardless of the cost and time barriers involved. In fact, 84% of executives believe that reputation is a key business concern. What stands in the way? Time efficient marketing when developing a professional online presence is something that many businesses have yet to master.

A lack of understanding over how to actually execute a clear strategy is also a challenge. Yet, failing to grasp not only the first steps but a solid roll out means competition takes a larger share of the market. While professional branding certainly takes time and investment, it’s critical to look at the bigger picture and understand the benefits that focusing on this vital piece of the puzzle could bring.

A New Route

Clearly stated questions and answers make it far easier to showcase skills and expertise than ever before. It’s a step beyond standard LinkedIn formats and shows recruiters, investors, and board members proven experience with nuance. Additionally, questions provide clear structure, allowing applicants to build personal branding with far greater ease, while removing decision paralysis from the equation.

When you consider that the vast majority of venture capitalists perform in-depth research on potential founders, a Q&A format makes sense. This due diligence includes interviews with not only current but also former employees and customers. Such research is made easier thanks to the SEO-optimised format, meaning that the interview will appear in an online search. Ultimately, this format provides the kind of depth that is simply impossible with any other route, while remaining a cost and time efficient marketing form.

A Clear Business Outcome

Creating a strong online presence creates clear and measurable results for businesses. It drives inbound inquiries, improves recruitment quality, drives investor confidence, and leads to reduced acquisition costs. It’s a form of executive branding that leads to increased visibility and trust. Rather than going down the generic route, businesses that move toward a Q&A format see greater results thanks to clearer visibility.

Discussli allows you to create this profile. Simply answer a series of curated questions and upload an image to create an SEO-optimised format that will quickly boost your online presence in real-time. The Q&A structure is particularly effective because AI search engines love this type of content – they use it to influence and index within their systems when generating answers.

Visit discussli.com to learn more.