“Spiderman’s Marketing Lessons” - with Mike Kim

This week I welcome my friend and former student Mike Kim to the show. He’s an amazing marketing strategist, consultant, and copywriter. His podcast, “Brand You podcast” is the #1 podcast on personal branding according to Apple.  Mike worked for years as the CMO of a big-time company before building his personal brand. One of his current marketing clients is none other than John Maxwell. We’ve prepared a FREE worksheet for this week’s show to help you apply Mike’s suggestions and get started with your own personal brand. You can download it at RayEdwards.com/388. Feature Presentation: Tune in to our off-the-cuff conversation to discover… (1:32) How my well-intentioned yet dismal “flop” of a marketing contest helped get Mike on my radar. If it hadn’t been for that failure, we might never have met. (3:32) The secret to avoiding super awkward icebreaker conversations with your favorite guru or expert. It’s the best way to get to know them before you actually meet in real life. (4:30) Mike’s “introvert” secret to leveraging and mining relationships. This unique superpower of his is one of the biggest reasons for his remarkable success. (6:45) Which artistic career Mike and I both dreamed about when we were kids. Mike even got the attention and some helpful tips from one of the most famous practitioners of this art form. (10:02) The “Spider-Man” relationship strategy Mike’s been cultivating since childhood. How it’s helped him turn online business acquaintances into best friends. (14:35) How falling asleep during church turned into a full-time songwriting career in his early 20s. The nagging question that took Mike from adolescence to a music ministry, and eventually to a career in marketing. (20:06) How being worn out from life on the road led Mike to become one of the top experts in personal branding in 4 short years. It all started with a simple habit which became the hinge to opening doors all over the industry. (23:05) The huge difference in how people in their 20s and people and 40s define a “personal brand.” Why Mike started to separate and re-categorize “influencers” vs “thought leaders.” (27:10) Who should build a personality brand and who should be an influencer. Mike describes what he calls “the Holy Trinity of content” and how using them as the 3 legs of the platform stool is the best way to give substance to your brand. (32:45) Why focusing on looking for and finding common ground with people is one of the best ways to build your personality brand. This works for all types of businesses, even the ones that seem boring or ordinary like the neighborhood furniture store. (36:55) The Wikipedia test Mike uses when consulting hyper-polished, veneered, corporate marketing teams to help them realize why personality brands are so powerful. I bet this test works on you too. It worked on me! (38:30) How the stocker in all of us contradicts our fear of posting something personal social media because it might be “off brand.” Mike calls us all out and shows the paradoxical principle of branding we need to learn from our actual online behavior. (41:34) The easiest way to help people make the decision whether or not to follow you online. It takes courage, but it’s by far the best way to build your personal brand and a loyal tribe of hungry fans and followers. (43:40) Mike’s best up-to-date advice about how to get started with your personal brand. There’s one crucial practice you must adopt. It’s the biggest hurdle for most people. But it provides an easy way to overcome the challenge and get started today. (48:05) The 11th commandment, coined by Mike, that got him started with the discipline of building his personal brand. But it’s not a “quick” fix. It’s a year-by-year process he’s been using since 2014 to get where he is now.   Resources: To learn more about Mike and follow what he’s doing, visit MikeKim.com. To download the FREE worksheet for this week's podcast, go to RayEdwards.com/388.